3 Home Ventilation Options That Will Help Keep Your House Cool

Staying cool in the greater Cleveland area’s hot, humid summers takes more than a table fan. With carefully planned home ventilation, you’ll gain better control over the heat and humidity in your home and improve your indoor air quality, too. There are several ways to accomplish this.

Natural Ventilation

Natural ventilation makes use of natural air currents. A buoyancy-driven system takes advantage of the tendency for warm air to rise. Vents on your lowest floor let in cool, fresh air while vents on the roof let out rising warm, stale air. Unlike open windows, these systems can provide your home with airflow in any type of weather without causing uncomfortable drafts. On the other hand, they offer little control over that airflow.

Fans

A ceiling fan can make you feel 5 to 8 degrees cooler, which allows you to raise the thermostat to save energy or keep the A/C off altogether. Every degree you raise the temperature above 78 degrees could save you 2 or 3 percent on cooling bills.

If your home doesn’t have air conditioning, a whole-house fan provides an energy-efficient alternative. This fan, which is installed in the floor of the attic, pulls fresh air in through open windows while exhausting hot, stale air through the roof. The fan is designed to cool the house overnight while temperatures are lower.

Balanced Mechanical Ventilation

For the greatest control over how much airflow your home receives, consider a balanced whole-house ventilation system. Heat recovery ventilation (HRV) brings in fresh air and vents out stale air in equal amounts. In summer, it also removes heat from the incoming outdoor air to help keep your home’s cooling load low. In winter, it recovers heat from the outgoing air to minimize energy waste. An energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system transfers humidity in addition to heat. A heating and cooling professional can help you decide what system is right for your home.

For professional guidance on planning your home ventilation, contact the professionals at Stack Heating & Cooling. We proudly serve greater Cleveland.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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