A healthy home is a happy home

Healthy home design | Vantage | AWS Australia

Most of us spend a large percentage of our lives indoors so it is worthwhile thinking about the quality of air in our homes. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to headaches, tiredness and can even aggravate asthma. Our homes need a regular supply of clean, fresh air which acts as a natural sanitiser so that we can protect our health.

You’re probably thinking, I know I know, we need to open some windows and ventilate our homes. But there’s much more to it than that. By selecting better building products and considering the design of the home, we can eliminate the source of air pollutants.

Clever design and orientation of windows can encourage cross flow ventilation and convection. Convection is where hot air rises and travels to cooler places. Cross flow ventilation is an important design feature when building a home and is a vital part of a well-functioning home. It involves replacing warm air with cooler air via a path for cool air to push warm air out.

There is a constant debate about sealing our homes and the impacts of this. Air leakage accounts for 15-25% of winter heat loss in homes, however, tight sealing creates problems with indoor air quality and condensation.

By having a tightly sealed home, you cut down on the need for costly heating and cooling and you let in less pollution, pollen and allergens. But here’s the problem: When the home is sealed too tightly, less fresh air can circulate, and that has a negative effect on health and alertness.

To quote architect Joe Snell from his book Your Best Home: ‘A home is a place where we are nurtured and where we grow. It is the place we retreat to, to recharge and to regroup. We need to invest our thinking into ensuring it serves our family and ourselves as best it can. If you get things right at home then you have more chance of getting things right everywhere else. A better home really can lead to a better life.’

The AWS Ventient™ trickle ventilation device is an ideal addition to upmarket homes, holiday houses which are frequently locked up and other building applications where fresh air is desired but windows may not be able to be easily or regularly operated.

This innovative unit allows natural ventilation based on the outside air temperature, balancing the need to maintaining good insulation within your home with the desire to have clean, healthy liveable spaces. A seamless solution to maximise health, efficiency and comfort in the building envelope. More info here.

Make sure you discuss indoor air quality and window types with your architect, designer or builder when designing your new home or renovation. Trust us; a healthy home is a happy home.