The Importance of Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality

Good energy efficiency and indoor air quality are two features that can boost your home’s living conditions. If your home is energy-efficient, you save money on energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint. If your home has desirable levels of indoor air quality, you can be sure everyone in the household is breathing clean, contaminant-free air.

Taking Advantage of Ventilation

Since indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, you may want to consider mixing indoor air with outdoor air to reduce air pollutants. As such, proper ventilation is necessary to achieve good indoor air quality. It’s also true that ventilation consumes less energy than your heating and air conditioning systems. 

However, keep in mind that the amount of outdoor air you let in has an impact on the heating and cooling loads. If you increase the outdoor airflow on a hot summer day, for instance, the air-conditioning system works twice as hard to make up for the extra heat.

While lack of ventilation can have an impact on indoor air quality, excessive ventilation is a waste of energy. As such, many homeowners mistakenly assume that good indoor air quality has a negative impact on energy efficiency and vice versa. However, you can accomplish both by following these two design requirements: 

1. Measure indoor air pollutants while increasing or decreasing ventilation as necessary.
2. Make sure that the ventilation rate is not below the minimum values established in local building codes.

Using Your Windows to Achieve Energy Efficiency and IAQ

Your windows play an important role in helping your home achieve peak energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Open them and you allow fresh, cool air to circulate indoors. When incorporating windows into your home design, make sure they are located on opposite sides of your home. This allows for cross-ventilation, where windows on one side of the home catch breezes while those on the other side allow stale indoor air to escape.

When choosing windows, pick those with energy-efficient features like double glazing and inert gas fill in between the glass panes to minimize heat transfer and keep your interior comfortable during winter and summer. When windows are properly installed, the airtight seals they provide help keep drafts out, reducing the likelihood of an increase in energy consumption.

Count on Kroll Construction for your window replacement needs. Whether you are in Detroit, MI, or in one of the nearby communities, you can expect nothing but the best in products and workmanship. Learn more about our energy-efficient replacement window options by calling us at (888) 338-6340 or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation.