Air infiltration is a top source of energy loss in a typical house. Building a tight house is a great, economical way to prevent that energy loss. But doesn’t a tight house trap air inside of your home?

A common misconception of a “tight” house is that it does not have ample air circulation resulting in a build up of moisture and stale air.

For these reasons a properly built “tight” home requires the knowledge of building science and mechanical air exchange.

Building science determines the best wall construction for your specific climate zone so the desired amount of humidity leaves the building. Then, an engineer calculates the proper amount of fresh air to bring into the house and the desired humidity level to maintain. With these figures, the engineer can appropriately size and design the air exchange system to adequately refresh indoor air on a daily basis.

So, in the end, a “tight” house is actually a good thing. Building a tight home and integrating an air exchanger yields both substantially improved air quality and far-superior energy efficiency year round.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS