All homes must have quality air to live inside without any problems or complications. This directly influences our quality of life.
If our home is not properly ventilated, or the systems that are responsible for it are not properly installed, it can cause discomfort and diseases, influencing our health and comfort in a very direct way.
Depending on the type of housing of each person and the characteristics of these, it will have one type of ventilation or another. This issue has been clearly explained in the CTE (Technical Building Code) since 2007 and the application of these measures is mandatory both in new projects and in renovations or reforms.
In this article we will show you the importance of good ventilation and air renewal in your home, as well as the different types of ventilation that exist.
These have been changing and improving year after year, being implemented in newly built homes, so that our quality of life inside our home is unbeatable.
Why should our house have proper ventilation?
We usually spend a lot of time at home, and it is always a practically enclosed space.
The air, if it is not renewed regularly, becomes poor quality air, which can cause problems both to the house and to the people who live in it.
Poor air quality can form germs and bacteria in the environment, which can affect both people’s productivity and their health, even causing respiratory problems.
It is also important that it is renewed so that it does not mix with smoke, vapours, humidity…
Minimum ventilation flows in living rooms
The DB HS3 document, drafted and distributed by the Ministry of Public Works, establishes the amount of minimum flows that a home must have, depending on its size.
The aim of this regulation is to require minimum ventilation channels to ensure the removal of pollutants from any habitable premises or home.
Natural Ventilation
The advantage of this type of ventilation in homes is that it allows air to enter and exit without the use of any mechanical or electrical system.
This type of ventilation is usually the most used in Spanish homes, which is done by opening the windows of the house and letting air flow between the rooms for a specific period of time.
For natural ventilation to be 100% effective, it must have a minimum velocity of at least 0.2m/s.
Advantages of Natural Ventilation
The main advantage is that the cost and consumption of this action is practically zero, and it is a very easy action to perform by anyone.
Disadvantages of Natural Ventilation
With natural ventilation, we cannot control either the amount of air or its velocity.
Everyone also knows that, when opening the windows, not only does air enter, but also noise from the street, insects or water can enter in the event that we are facing a rainy day.
Cross Ventilation
For this type of ventilation in homes to be effective, drafts must occur.
These can be generated by opening doors and/or windows in opposite positions, such as a door and a window in the same room.
The best way to perform this type of ventilation is to have two openings, each facing a street, although not everyone can do this, as it will depend on the orientation of the house.
If we are dealing with a newly built house, it is important to place windows, whenever possible, on the north façade, since the air comes from this part, and windows on the south façade, which will be used to extract the air.
Advantages of Cross Ventilation
It is a much more effective type of ventilation than natural ventilation alone, since, as air currents are generated, the ventilation of the home will be much more effective.
Disadvantages of Cross Ventilation
We can comment on the same disadvantages as with natural ventilation, since the mechanism is the same.
Dual Flow Mechanical Ventilation
This type of ventilation in homes is forced ventilation, which consists of air entering through an opening and, through ducts and mechanical elements, it is led to the driest rooms of the house.
Once the entire house has been ventilated, the air is led to one of the most humid rooms, and it is there where, through the exit opening, the air returns to the outside, renewing the air throughout the house.
Advantages of Dual Flow Mechanical Ventilation
This ventilation system in homes is considered a passive ventilation system, with which we can achieve great energy efficiency. With this mechanism, new buildings can obtain great airtightness and insulation.
A point of great importance is that mechanical ventilation prevents noise pollution, since it is not necessary to open the windows to renew the air.
General conclusions about ventilation in homes
As you have seen, the ventilation of a home is essential to achieve great habitability, and it is one of the most important aspects when it comes to the construction of new homes and buildings, as well as for the renovation of any house. There are many types of ventilation in homes, all of them with their advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to choose well which method is the most optimal for each project. It is important to follow the indications about air renewal in the DB HS3 document mentioned above, which establishes a series of regulations to guarantee the air inside homes.
If you have any questions about this subject, or are interested in starting a home renovation project, do not hesitate to contact us; we will be happy to help you.
See you soon!
