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Health
Indoor air pollution is often not the root cause of home health problems, but instead a symptom of malfunctioning home systems which can be remedied by considering the home as a cohesive system. This is because when the functional components of the home are considered together they complement each other instead of working against each other. The added advantage is that healthier homes are often more comfortable and more energy efficient. The basic components of the whole home system are:
Common Concerns: When to Invest in Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality can be a concern even for people without clear symptoms since the problems it causes can sometimes only manifest after a few years of exposure, such as with asthma or allergies, or can be difficult to link to any particular pollutant, such as with sick building syndrome. People often suffer from unhealthy air which contains pollutants below recommended safety levels. However, the most common concerns which people may have surrounding IAQ include:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Biological pollutants
- Viruses and bacteria
- Mold and mildew
- Dust mites, insects, animal dander, pollen and other allergens
- Dust and particles
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) including noxious gases and fumes
A Healthy Home Functions Cohesively
A well sealed, insulated, and ventilated home will be healthy because its systems will work together to prevent air pollutant from entering the home in the first place and will remove the pollutants which originate from inside the home. The three important components of a clean and healthy home are:
- Source Control: a well sealed building envelope and duct system will stop irritants and pollutants from entering the home
- Ventilation: proper ventilation should be adequate and controlled, so that the right amount of stale air and moisture is expelled without bringing in contaminants or wasting energy used to heat or cool air. This is essential for for preventing humidity problems associated with mold and mildew
- Air Cleaning: once source control and ventilation have been addressed, the small amount of remaining contaminants can be removed through air filtration
Health can Pay for Itself
In addition to drawing in outside pollutants, a poorly sealed building envelope causes a home to consume high amounts of gas or electricity attempting to reach comfortable interior temperatures. Unfortunately, people in such homes can be subject to high utility bills in addition to poor indoor air quality. Often, improvement to the health of a home can pay for themselves over time, since improvements for a home’s indoor air quality can be energy efficient as well. Health improvements which qualify as energy efficiency improvements can have at least some of their costs defrayed by:
- Energy Cost Savings: the return on investment which can pay for the improvements over time
- Energy Efficiency Rebates: defer upfront costs
- Financing: reasonable financing can match monthly payments to average monthly cost savings