You’d think that when building a new home in the Metro-East area, contractors would make ensuring air quality a top priority. Unfortunately, a lot of building materials can actually damage the air quality in your home, and contractors don’t always keep that in mind. That’s why if you’re building a new home or renovating your old one, make sure the contractors avoid using materials containing Volatile Organic Compounds.
VOC building materials, which can include but are not limited to caulk, paint, carpet, flooring and wood treatments, often have a version that is non-VOC. Make sure to talk to your contractor about this, since new homes may have two to 10 times the level of VOC found in older structures.
So what else can you do, if you’re interested in ensuring air quality in your new or remodeled home? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has some tips:
- Choose radon-reducing features.
- Provide proper drainage and seal foundations.
- Consider a mechanical ventilation system.
- Make sure new appliances are installed correctly with a good vent or flue.
There are a variety of radon-reducing features you can choose from, but they all depend on what kind of home you have. All homes, however, can benefit from proper sealants. In fact, this can help in the prevention of a variety of health problems, including allergies and asthma.
Mechanical ventilation systems allow the home to exchange stale inside air for fresh outside air. This means that indoor pollution will not be able to accumulate as quickly.
And of course, you’ll want to make sure that you’re using a proper air purification system, in order to remove any unwanted particulates that aren’t getting flushed out of your home.
Consider talking to a qualified HVAC expert before starting your construction. At Ernst Heating & Cooling, we’ve been serving the Metro-East area for over 35 years. Please contact us today for help ensuring good air quality in your new or remodeled home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air quality and other HVAC topics, visit our blog.
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