The Importance of Energy Efficient Ventilation

The Importance of Energy Efficient Ventilation

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Making our homes as energy efficient as possible is one of the most important things that we can do to protect the environment while also reducing our energy bills.

Domestic energy efficiency is reducing the amount of energy used in our homes.  Using a combination of technology and common sense, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of electricity and gas required to power our homes.  Some techniques in reducing energy consumption require simple changes to behaviour and can yield results immediately while others will form part of the decision-making process we go through when replacing home appliances or improving our houses.

Changing Our Behaviour

There are things that we can do at home that will quickly reduce the amount of energy we use – swapping over to low energy lightbulbs and ensuring that we switch off appliances when not in use can make big differences in our bills.  

Using pan lids when boiling food on the stove means that less energy is required to cook the food as it will be ready more quickly and a lower power level can be used.  Making this change also benefits our houses in other ways by reducing the amount of moisture that is released into the air that could form condensation and lead to damp.

Changing our Homes

One of the first things that many people do to improve the energy efficiency of their home is to increase the amount of insulation that is present.  Adding extra layers of insulation in the loft and adding draught excluders can help to reduce heat loss and reduce heating bills, but these changes have consequences in terms of airflow in our homes.  By reducing the amount of natural ventilation a house has, we also trap air indoors.  This is good for retaining heat, but it means that humidity can rise which leads to condensation, damp, and the growth of mould.

This loss of natural ventilation is often compensated for by simply opening a window to allow fresh air in, but this negates the benefits of insulation altogether.

Improving insulation is vitally important in making our homes more energy efficient, but it should be combined with effective ventilation systems.  Thankfully, modern whole house ventilation systems consume very little electricity when running and include technology that allows them to adapt to the levels of moisture in the air and can be configured to include heat recovery technology that means that energy is not wasted.

Modern whole house ventilation systems gently allow air to flow around a home which means that damp does not form.  EnviroVent PIV systems use an ultra-low watt motor to power their fans which means that the amount of energy they use can be measured in pennies.

Find Out More

If you are concerned that improvements to your home insulation may have reduced air flow and are suffering from condensation, EnviroVent can help.  Speak to one of our local ventilation specialists today to arrange a free home survey.  They will be able to provide you with advice about the best solution for your home that will allow you to maintain energy efficiency while also improving air quality and preventing condensation and damp.