Bad air? Not inside our homes!
Given the amount of time people spend indoors, it is all the more important that our living space is supplied with sufficient amounts of fresh air. Regular ventilation of the rooms and a careful choice of building materials ensure a healthy living environment.
Spring is in the air. When everything in nature is starting to blossom and bloom, we are drawn outside to take a deep breath of fresh spring air. However, unlike previous generations, people today spend much more time indoors – on average 90 per cent of their time, according to a survey in 14 countries commissioned by the company Velux a few years ago. The increased amount of time working from home, being the result of the coronavirus pandemic, has further fueled this trend. No matter how cozy your home may seem, the air and humidity conditions inside the rooms are very different to those outside.
There are a multitude of factors determining the indoor climate. Starting with the building envelope: Depending on the quality of its insulation, it may be absolutely windtight or have drafty spots. In the worst case, both can ultimately lead to mold growth. Adequate ventilation of the rooms is therefore of crucial importance. The normal activities of everyday life such as cooking, showering and drying laundry load the indoor air with moisture, odors and emissions. During sleep, the average person needs around 280 to 300 liters of air per hour, while a full-power workout on the exercise bike may increase air consumption to 3600 to 4000 liters. This is why we need fresh air! In any case, it is essential to completely replace the air inside the room several times a day. Otherwise, the CO2 content will reach an alarming level and may cause headaches, concentration problems, tiredness and poor sleep. When adding the emissions from cigarettes, burning candles, building materials, furniture surfaces and cleaning agents, it is obvious that there is an increased risk of developing asthma or allergies over time.
Regular and thorough airing of the rooms also helps to keep the air humidity inside our homes at a health-compatible level. On the one hand, people produce and release a lot of moisture to the room during their normal activities. But during the heating period in the cold season, the air can also be too dry in some areas, which may irritate the respiratory tract. This is why heating is so important in addition to ventilation: Warm air can absorb much more moisture than cold air. In addition, overly economical heating promotes the development of cold wall surfaces with the resulting risk of mold growth.
The classic way to bring fresh air into your own four walls is through shock ventilation. This is particularly effective when fully opening opposite windows to produce a draft. However, this method requires a great deal of discipline. Modern buildings are often equipped with central ventilation systems. They draw in fresh air from outside, pass it through fine dust and pollen filters and release it to the inside. At the same time, they extract stale air with a high moisture content, especially from bathroom and kitchen, and transport it to the outside. Thanks to the built-in filters, pollutants are kept outside – on condition that the filters are maintained and replaced at regular intervals. With controlled ventilation systems, a heat exchanger recovers 80 to 90 per cent of the heat from the exhaust air and returns it to the supply air. This minimizes heat losses and saves a lot of energy.
Building materials and surfaces play a key role for a healthy climate in our homes. When planning refurbishment work, it is important to pay special attention to the proper choice of products. In the course of the modernization project, it may also be possible to remove and replace some old and harmful materials. Only products that are not harmful to health should be used. Reliable guidance is provided by the EMICODE® label of the GEV, the German Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation, Adhesives and Building Materials. Whether parquet lacquers, primers, levelers, adhesives or sealing tapes and insulation materials – there is a large variety of products that have been awarded the EMICODE® certificate. It guarantees the lowest possible emissions, also with regard to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are hazardous to health.
Actually, manufacturers must have their products spot-checked by independent external test institutes without prior notice. The validity of EMICODE® licenses is limited to five years, after which they must be renewed. This ensures that there is no bad air inside homes where EMICODE®-certified products were installed.
Photo: ©stockfoto/123rf.com/GEV
When working out at home, particular attention must be paid to adequate ventilation of the living space. While asleep, we need around 280 to 300 liters of air per hour. But when exercising full power on the home trainer, consumption may be as high as 3600 to 4000 liters. This makes a healthy indoor climate all the more important. Therefore, open the windows right at the start of your workout.
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