Ventilating the house in winter is difficult but very necessary. Maintaining the balance between thermal comfort, healthy atmosphere and energy saving requires paying attention to a delicate balance between factors. These are some of those that we must take into account.
Well and brief. There is no generic answer to the question of how long we should ventilate our home in winter. The reason is that each house is different. Yes we can say, in a generic way, that with 10 minutes or less, our home can be appropriately ventilated.
There are some scientific studies that can support this notion. For example, an analysis published in the magazine Procedia Engineering In 2017 and made in apartments with open kitchens, he estimated that a ventilation of between two and six minutes could be enough to clean the air after cooking.
To maximize air replacement and minimize ventilation time (and with it the loss of heat) we can follow some basic recommendations. For example, it is convenient to open the windows of opposite rooms, two at all times. Thus we will achieve a greater differential of pressures and with it more common, and on the other to get this current to travel more space in our house.
The time influences. The time we ventilate can influence the result of ventilation. Normally we spend the afternoon hours and especially at night closed in our homes. That is why in the morning it is when the accumulation of humidity and smells in our homes are most noticed and when it is most important to ventilate.
Of course, if we live in cities we must avoid the “peak hours” in the morning since it is usually at this time when environmental pollution reaches its peak. If we are allergic to pollen, we must also attend to the hours of greater concentration of this in the air, which can vary depending on the type of pollen caused by our allergic reaction.
The importance of ventilating. Home ventilation is important throughout the year. It serves, for example, to keep moisture levels under control, thus reducing the potential proliferation of mold spores, which protects our home and our health. If we cook with gas or if we use other home combustion devices as stoves we must also properly ventilate the house to avoid the accumulation of volatile compounds and gases associated with combustion.
In winter the circulation of respiratory viruses also increases. That is why ventilation is also key in the cold months of the year. Ventila will allow to reduce the concentration of possible pathogens in the domestic environment, which reduces the probability that there are infections in our environment.
Keep us in the shelter. Ventilating without losing part of the heat accumulated in our home is impossible. Obviously, if we want to prevent this from affecting our thermal comfort, the first thing we should do is to shelter, but we can also pay attention to another important aspect: thermal insulation.
Just as ventilation is important, not having more currents than those that we want to generate ourselves is also key when guaranteeing thermal comfort, savings and health of our home. There are several tricks and techniques to which we can resort, without the need to enter into reforms of our home (which, sometimes they are necessary).
In WorldOfSoftware | What is the minimum temperature at home to have good health and the ideal to save during winter
Image | Umberto
