Low Indoor Air Quality Causes Health Problems
Allergies are the fastest growing chronic diseases in Australia. Improve your indoor air quality to prevent asthma, dust mites, allergies, mould, termites, dry rot and seasonal illnesses. SolarVenti works to create a high Indoor Air Quality. The inbuilt air filter removes pollutants and humidity while providing fresh natural air flow into the area. ‘The life you lead is the air you breathe’.
What Is Indoor Air Quality & What does it mean for my Health?
Indoor Air Quality is the measure of the health and comfort levels of the air within a building. Buildings with a low Indoor Air Quality are usually uncomfortably humid and contain many air pollutants. According to the World Health Organisation, household air pollution is one of the world’s greatest environmental health risks. So, it is extremely important to understand and control Indoor Air Quality to reduce the risk of health concerns.
How Do I Know If I Have Low Indoor Air Quality?
Due to the health risks associated with Low Indoor Air Quality, it is important to notice indications in your workplace or home. There are a number of signs to alert you that you have a low indoor air quality, including:
Humidity Issues
We build and insulate our houses to keep the heater or air conditioner effects, inside the building and forget that we thereby reduce air flow and increase the air humidity. Low indoor humidity levels can cause static electricity, dried out indoor plants and peeling wallpaper. High humidity means excess moisture in the air. This can cause mould to grow as well as encourage dust mites and other allergens to thrive. Timber furniture and building structures can also be affected by this moisture. This can result in dry rot, termite infestation and wet subfloors which also affect our air quality and our personal moods. In Australia, we allow high humidity to enter our homes when windows are left open for cross ventilation, all day or at night
Dust Buildup
Excessive dust can attract dust mites, a common cause of allergies. Large amounts of dust shouldn’t have the opportunity to accumulate on surfaces or continually travel in the air.
Mould
Mould gives off spores which float in the air and can make conditions such as asthma worse. Mould is one indicator of dampness which can be caused by humidity.
Stale Odours
If you’ve ever smelled perfume in the air hours after you sprayed it on or cooking odours from dinner earlier in the week, your home suffers from stale odours. Whether these odours drive you up the wall or don’t bother you at all, they’re symptoms of a larger problem that you can’t cover up with air freshener. Unpleasant smells that don’t seem to go away signal that your home doesn’t have adequate ventilation. Buildings left unused for part of the year, such as holiday homes, are particularly exposed to the problem of damaging high moisture content in the air. The indoor climate suffers from the closed windows and locked doors. Typical signs are stale air, musty smells and lumps in the sugar bowl.
Condensation on windows
Commonly in modern building structures, we find tightly sealed windows and doors, plus walls and ceilings sealed by vapour barriers. Here in Australia high humidity days are frequent. Traditional ventilating methods coupled with high humidity will raise moisture content in your walls and furniture. Moisture or condensation on the inside of your single or double glazing has become a sign of an unsound indoor climate.
Room-to-Room Temperature Variation
If you’ve ever noticed that some rooms in your home stay warm while others cool down easily, the cool air from your air conditioner may not be reaching each room equally.
Respiratory Conditions
Bad indoor air can lead to a whole host of respiratory conditions, including chronic coughing, sneezing, fatigue, headaches, and congestion. If left untreated, some of these issues can develop into nosebleeds, breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, and even lung disease. When you notice signs of chronic respiratory, it’s important to question the quality of the IAQ right away.
Irritated Eyes
Eyes, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue can often be a sign of low Indoor Air Quality. Itchy eyes, dry skin, infections and colds can signify low air humidity. These effects can be present almost immediately after exposure to the airborne pollutant or poor humidity levels.
Triggered Asthma & Allergies
Allergic reactions to unhealthy living conditions caused by mould, dust mites, pollen, second-hand smoke, pet fur and dry rot in our houses are numerous and increasing. These can trigger asthma and allergies. Allergies are the fastest growing chronic diseases in Australia with 4.1 million Australians having at least 1 allergic disease. Common allergic diseases include asthma and allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
How to improve Indoor Air Quality?
Ventilation is key. However, resist opening the window. Why? In the middle of Winter, it is unlikely that you are going to open up the house to ventilate and let all the freezing cold outdoor air in. You will also be letting in the outdoor pollutants, especially if you live in a highly polluted city area such as Sydney. Instead, consider installing a ventilation system such as SolarVenti to push old air out and bring new air in through a filtration system, with the added bonus of free solar heating for Winter so you benefit the environment and your comfort by avoiding unnecessary loss of heat accompanied by carbon reduction and energy saving.
SolarVenti also has the benefit of moving unwanted heat and humidity out of air circulation in Summer months. Since SolarVenti is free to run, these heating and cooling functionalities are going to save you loads on your electricity bills as you throw away your electric heaters and use your air con less!
The costs of a SolarVenti is far less than the costs for a mechanical ventilation system using heat recycling. The choice of material and simple construction makes SolarVenti extremely reliable and durable. It will perform for many years without any maintenance.
A SolarVenti solar air collector mounted on the wall or the roof is a simple, low-cost and effective solution to provide natural, emission-free filtered air into the area and ensure a high Indoor Air Quality along with occupant health and comfort. No matter whether your goal is to solve or improve health-related problems or you just want to avoid experiencing daily discomfort in general.
Check out our article on how air fresheners and other household products are contributing to poor indoor air quality & how to avoid them.
A HEALTHY home, a COOL home in Summer, a WARM home in Winter, a DRY home all year round, a GREEN home and SAVINGS on your electricity bill. What more could you want from your SolarVenti Ventilation System!