Heat and excess indoor moisture are common problems inside the home. And, while your HVAC system can deal with them, relying on it too much will drive up your energy costs. You should try to incorporate passive ventilation instead. When done effectively, this method not only keeps your home comfortable, but allows for better indoor air quality as well.
What Exactly Is Passive Ventilation?
This refers to non-mechanical methods that help bring cool, fresh air into your home while expelling warm and stale air out. Passive ventilation uses openings, such as windows, to make this possible instead. In fact, with well-designed passive ventilation, you can refresh the air inside your living space without creating drafts or letting out too much heating energy. But to ensure you get the best results, you’ll need to take window size and placement into account.
How to Integrate Effective Passive Ventilation
You can, for example, install windows higher up inside a room. When cooling is required, all you need to do is open these windows to let warm, moisture-laden air out of your home. Leave them open for at least 15 minutes, about 5 days a week to ensure your home is well ventilated. Another thing: make sure you have windows installed on opposite sides of your home to draw air through and promote greater circulation. Passive ventilation also becomes more effective with the right window style. Casement and double hung windows are great for this.
If you have windows facing south and east, open them to allow cooling breezes into your home during the day. To keep the air moving, make sure to open the windows on the north and west sides or on the upper levels. Speaking of upper-level windows, make sure those are operable. As hot air rises, leaving windows on the upper floors offers a great way to ventilate your home, especially during the summer.
You can get the most out of passive ventilation into your home by using only high-quality windows from Renewal by Andersen® of Southwest Missouri. They use Fibrex® composite for sashes and frames, allowing for windows that offer the superior durability and insulating properties of wood and the low-maintenance performance of vinyl. In fact, our Renewal by Andersen windows can exceed the best vinyl replacement windows available today. And, when augmented with our advanced High-Performance™ Low-E4® SmartSun™ glass, these windows ensure you get to enjoy a cooler and more comfortable indoor environment – while getting the full benefits of natural light.
Look no further than Renewal by Andersen of Southwest Missouri for all your window needs. We proudly serve Springfield, MO, and the surrounding areas. Call us today at (417) 268-9301, or fill out this contact form to schedule your consultation.
