Staying cool and comfortable in Calgary’s hot continental summers doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right home ventilation, you can stay cool while also improving your indoor air quality.
Natural ventilation: This type of ventilation works with natural air currents, so it doesn’t require electricity. For airflow throughout your whole house, a buoyancy-driven ventilation system is one option. Warm air is buoyant, meaning it tends to rise. By installing intake vents on your lowest flow and exhaust vents on your roof, you’ll allow rising hot, stale air to naturally flow out the top of your house while cool, fresh air comes in through the lower vents. The downside of this type of home ventilation system is that doesn’t give you a way to control the amount of airflow you get.
Ceiling fans: Standing in the breeze created by a ceiling fan, you’ll feel up to 8 degrees cooler. That means on milder days, you may be able to keep the A/C off. On hot days, though, the fan’s cooling effect will let you raise your air conditioner’s thermometer temperature without any loss of comfort. For every degree you raise the thermostat above 26 degrees, you could save 5 percent on your energy bills.
For optimal control over the airflow in your home, consider a balanced ventilation system. These use electric fans to draw in fresh air and exhaust stale air in equal amounts.
To get more pro tips on using home ventilation to stay comfortable, contact us at Arpi’s Industries Ltd. anywhere in Calgary.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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