The air quality in your Fresno area home is probably lower than you think. If you live in a newer home, or a tightly sealed older home, you may benefit from a whole-house ventilation system, which mechanically replaces stale, polluted indoor air with fresh, clean outdoor air. There are four major types of whole-house ventilation systems available, and this simple guide will help you choose the one that’s right for you.
Exhaust Ventilation Systems
These systems depressurize your home by forcing stale air out and allowing fresh air to leak in through air leaks in your home and through passive vents installed with the system. They are ideal for cold climates.
- Pros: Inexpensive and easy to install.
- Cons: May increase heating and cooling costs.
Supply Ventilation Systems
These systems pressurize your home by forcing outdoor air inside using a fan, and letting old indoor air leak out through air leaks and, if installed, intentional vents. They work best in warmer climates.
- Pros: Inexpensive and easy to install; allow filtration of the incoming air.
- Cons: May increase heating and cooling costs.
Balanced Ventilation Systems
These systems don’t pressurize or depressurize your home, but rather send fresh air in and stale air out in equal increments. They have two fans and two duct systems to replace the air in the rooms you spend the most time in. They are appropriate for all climates.
- Pros: Allow filtration of the incoming air.
- Cons: Cost more to purchase and install than supply and exhaust systems.
Heat Recovery and Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems
Both of these systems transfer heat from outgoing air to incoming air in the winter and vice versa in the summer. Energy recovery systems also transfer humidity from outgoing air to incoming air in the winter and vice versa in the summer.
- Pros: May lower heating and cooling costs.
- Cons: May not be cost effective in mild climates.
For more expert advice about choosing a whole-house ventilation system, please feel free to contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning, providing indoor air quality solutions to Fresno area residents for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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