As homes become increasingly airtight for the sake of energy efficiency, they also accumulate pollutants and humidity indoors, which increases the need for mechanical ventilation systems to reduce major health impacts. But mechanical ventilation that brings in cool air and evacuates hot air will clearly generate net energy loss during heating season. This loss can be mitigated by installing a high-efficiency central ventilation system to recover the lost energy and, at the same time, reduce GHG emissions. The most effective device is a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). The filter function of an HRV also improves indoor air quality and the air exchanger distributes heat evenly among the rooms.

Our recommendations :

1. Install a high efficiency central ventilation system suited to the size of the space to be aired. The system’s air intake and outlet must be located outside the home to reduce the health impact. To save energy, choose a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that is certified by the Home Ventilating Institute or ENERGY STAR®, rather than a conventional model. Certified models are also quieter, which encourages their use. Avoid ducts that are too long or too flexible, which will reduce the system’s performance.
2. If there is no central ventilation system in the home and you are not planning to install one, at least install high-efficiency fans in the bathrooms, to evacuate excess moisture. The fans should have a discharge flow of at least 50 cubic feet per minute (25 L/s) and the used air outlets must be outside the home. Besides using 65% less energy than the ordinary models, ENERGY STAR® fans have other benefits: they’re quieter and they displace more air.
3. Install an effective range hood to evacuate excess humidity and odours from the kitchen and make the air healthier. Your best bet is an ENERGY STAR® model, which will be quieter and consume up to 65% less energy than an ordinary model. There is no need to select a range hood that evacuates more than 300 cubic feet per minute (150 L/s).
4. Effective air circulation in the basement can help evacuate excess humidity. Install air recirculation units in all basement rooms to keep air and heat circulating. Humidistats are a practical solution for this: they automatically turn on the fan when the relative humidity level gets too high.
5. Install ENERGY STAR® ceiling fans: they’re quieter, they displace more air and they use less energy than regular fans. Ceiling fans improve comfort in summer by providing a feeling of coolness, and they help distribute heat evenly in the winter.

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