When it comes to total home comfort and indoor air quality, there aren’t many things like breathing in fresh, clean air all the time. Of course, the weather in Portland may not make that seem possible during hot and cold months, but there is an often forgotten aspect of indoor air quality that gets unnoticed: ventilation.
When most people think about ventilation, they typically think about propping open a few windows throughout their home or using their screen doors. While this is still conventional, it’s not realistic year-round in Portland. That’s where we can thank the developments in technology that have presented us with heating and cooling equipment that offers the same effects of having your windows or doors opened for ventilation.
Today’s ventilation systems operate by drawing just the right amount of fresh air from outside, providing you with the benefits of traditional ventilation while getting rid of odors, chemicals and other pollutants from your home’s indoor air. The process not only provides you with nicer feeling air, but it also gets rid of stale air from your home, helping make your home’s air as comfortable as it can be without wasting energy.
Picking a ventilation system is pretty easy as there are two kinds of systems used: Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) and Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs). Nearly all of the United States, and all of Canada, are recommended to use HRVs due to the environments in those areas. ERVs are almost exclusive to southern regions that have increased humidity levels.
Ventilation is just the beginning of things when discussing indoor air quality. If you’d like to read more about all that you can be doing to improve your home’s indoor comfort, check out the other blogs we’ve written on indoor air quality. From dehumidifiers to air filtration and air purification, the team at Three Rivers Heating and Cooling know indoor air quality. Schedule an appointment by calling them at (503) 739-5400 to take your home’s air quality to another level.