The modern home in Portland is nicely sealed up, allowing it to keep the conditioned air the HVAC system produces flowing inside the house rather than escaping outdoors. This, as you can imagine, has multiple benefits such as better heating power and energy savings. However, a sealed home does have downsides.
As you have probably guessed, with a well sealed home, there is little to no air flow in and out of the house. This is great for your comfort–mostly. The only reason it isn’t perfect is because people enjoy fresh air and, let’s be honest, after a while filtered air can feel too filtered.
Your comfort and your indoor air quality shouldn’t have to do battle. You should be able to enjoy both at once! So when your heating system is running but you feel like you are breathing stale air that makes you question if you’d rather stand outside and shiver, consider these tips to boost your indoor air quality instead of letting your comfort levels take the hit.
3 Ways to Boost Your Indoor Air Quality
When we talk about your indoor air quality (IAQ) we are discussing the air your breathe inside your home. Even in a sealed home, your IAQ can struggle to be within that ideal range that allows you to feel comfortable and breathe easily at once. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a brief list of ways you can boost your home’s IAQ so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
1. Schedule Duct Cleaning
Over time even the ductwork in a tightly sealed home will encounter its fair share of dust and debris. When this begins to pile up in your ducts, that means it is time to schedule duct cleaning in Portland, OR. This service will get all that debris out of your ducts and leave you with clean air being blown around your home again.
2. Consider an Heat Recovery Ventilator
Clean and filtered air is one thing. Fresh air is another. Fresh air is something we all enjoy because it is good for us. It’s also something that doesn’t exactly work in the sealed-up home. And you can’t just open a window during the middle of winter to allow fresh air in without hindering your comfort. Heat recovery ventilators help you get access to fresh, pre-heated air so you can get the air quality you want without having to shiver.
3. Check for Air Leaks
Even a sealed home might encounter an air leak or two down the line. While this can let in fresh air, it isn’t the fresh air you want because it is cold and contaminant filled! Have a professional come by to check for air leaks and discuss how you can seal things up again with attic insulation, weatherstripping, and other options.
These are just three simple ways you can improve your home’s IAQ, but there are other options out there that can meet your needs. When you want to discuss those options, reach out to professionals like those on our team.
Contact The Clean Air Act today for more information. Please call Sydni, our Office Extraordinaire, to schedule your next appointment! We will take care of you from there!