Winter rain and cold can keep us inside more than we’d like here in Southwest Washington. And spending more time indoors means we have to consider indoor air quality, or IAQ.
During temperature inversions, warnings about outdoor air quality are common, but we don’t often hear about indoor air quality. And what about the quality of air indoors? Did you know it can be worse than the air outdoors? Consider this: all indoor air starts outdoors before heating and cooling systems bring it inside. In a poorly weatherized house, air can also come in through crawl spaces, attics, and walls. To conserve energy and increase comfort, we plug all these holes.
To reduce energy use, green builders tighten up homes to save energy, but living in tighter homes makes air quality even more crucial. Activity in our homes — frying foods, burning candles, and smoking — add to the chemicals and particles in the air. Pesticides, paint cans, cleaning products, cosmetics, and air fresheners stored in the home or garage further increase the chemical buildup indoors.
Add in the biological sources such as pet hair, dust mites, and mold. Mites shed and mold spores and pet hair sail around, irritating our lungs. Moisture isn’t a contaminant, but unchecked it provides perfect conditions for molds and fungi to grow. Radon, a naturally occurring gas created by decaying uranium, can also waft inside from a crawl space or basement.
These contaminants can cause health problems. The symptoms depend on individual sensitivity. Some are short-term issues — irritated eyes and throat, dizziness and respiratory congestion. But some effects are more lasting and can be dangerous.
What can you do? When building a new home, consider an Energy Star home that meets airplus certification. This means a house has been validated to meet energy and safe ventilation standards. For remodels, insist on low-VOC paint, carpet and engineered building materials that release fewer pollutants into the home.
Big box stores sell several types of inexpensive tests for mold and radon. But detection is only your first step. Mold must be removed and can be extremely toxic, and it’s best to have a mold removal specialist do the job.
Clark County has the highest level of radon in Washington. It’s common in local homes. To remove it, contact a business specializing in radon mitigation. Its workers can seal the cracks in basement walls or floors that let the gas in. Plastic over dirt in the crawl space reduces radon, but the plastic should be sealed and remain unbroken. In some cases, a soil suction radon reduction system must be installed.
Any home owner considering a new heating, ventilation and cooling system should consider having the house tested for air tightness. Many local HVAC companies offer blower-door and duct-blaster testing. These tests determine the amount of leakage in the duct system and the exterior shell of the home.
Technicians use special equipment to pressurize the house and its ductwork. After the pressurization, they measure the pressure leakage and close escape routes. By sealing your home and its ductwork, technicians reduce the unneeded flow of air and particles, while maximizing energy efficiency. It’s also a way to make sure the ventilation system is adequate and functioning properly.
Green builders strive to decrease energy use while increasing air quality standards in newly built and tighter homes. They install balanced ventilation systems with filtration to remove “bad” air and bring in “fresh” through the HVAC system.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98688.
