How to Improve Ventilation in Your Home

Proper ventilation is one of the home’s basic necessities for becoming a comfortable living space. Ventilation maintains air quality in the home while removing excess moisture to ensure the air inside isn’t stale, damp, or downright funky.

New Zealand homes are not necessarily the worldwide standard when it comes to ventilation due to a number of factors, but that doesn’t mean there are no ways to improve ventilation inside Kiwi homes. Here at Hometech, we’re passionate about helping Kiwis create healthy environments for their families, so we’ve listed down a range of tips to improve ventilation in the home. Check them out below!

1. Open doors and windows.

This might seem like a no-brainer to some, but a lot of people forget to regularly open doors or windows to let fresh air in and push stale air out. Simply opening doors and windows a few times during the day to “air out” your house quickly replaces stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air, getting rid of pollutants, allergens, and excess moisture.

2. Dry the laundry outside.

We’re all guilty of doing the laundry and drying the clothes inside, and there are a number of legitimate reasons for that. We can blame it on the unpredictable weather, or blame it on the very unpredictable weather (especially in winter). However, drying wet clothes inside our homes creates condensation and prevents your heating system from working efficiently. It also accelerates condensation and mould growth in winter.

To solve this problem, it’s always better to dry your clothes at a covered outdoor area, such as under a patio cover or canopy, so your clothes can dry while staying out of range of rain. If drying laundry inside is the only option you have, make sure your windows are open to allow the excess moisture to escape.

3. Ventilate rooms overnight.

Leaving windows slightly ajar overnight can improve the air quality inside your room, while also reducing excess moisture and the risk of mould growth. In summer this really helps with reducing the humidity levels so you can get a better sleep, but in winter you should be more careful about ventilating particularly because you don’t want too much heat to escape in the process.

4. Install extractor fans and attic vents.

Extractor fans and attic vents are both specialised ventilation systems that service certain areas in the home. Extractor fans that vent out into the open air should be installed in kitchens, laundries and bathrooms – these are the key areas where moisture and stale air build up much faster. Attic vents, such as the Solar Star Roof Fan, drive out the excess heat and moisture that become trapped in the attic, aiding your home’s central ventilation system in the process.

5. Consider a home ventilation system.

A well-designed and well-installed home ventilation system provides great ventilation regardless of what the weather is like outside, which is a great alternative to simply opening doors and windows. If you don’t have one already, a home ventilation system such as the Energy Recovery System or ERS can replace stale air in your home with fresh, dry air to create a healthier, drier and warmer living environment for your family that is much easier to heat.

A Reliable Home Ventilation System – The Long-Term Solution

Here at Hometech, we have a variety of options that can improve ventilation in your home, including the ERS, daylighting ventilation, room extraction ventilation, and more! Contact our experts today at 0800 466 383 to find out which ventilation system is best for your home!