Fresh air and adequate ventilation serve more than just the physical comfort of occupants. While a healthy supply of fresh air is important proper airflow also provides condensation control, removal of airborne pollutants and ensures the safe use of potentially combustible appliances.

Insulation, heating systems and overall ventilation installations need to be considered in a group context for the most energy efficient results. Generally speaking the aim of a good ventilation installation is to maximise energy efficiency without reducing indoor air quality.

Visually the most significant disadvantage of bad ventilation is mould damage associated with high relative humidity. Kitchen and bathroom activities utilise a lot of water in particular and the supply industry has responded by producing wide ranges of domestic fans for bathroom and kitchen installations.

Environmentally-conscious home owners will be aware of the new best practise building standards available for energy efficient dwellings. Insulation or 'airtight' architecture is often used - with success - to reduce the heating energy expenditure. This 'airtightness' also contributes to more rapid build-up of internal pollutant sources such as gases, cleaning agent fumes, Allergens such as house dust mites and chemical by-products from home ware and furniture. Unless great insulation is coupled with effective ventilation negative health effects will be felt over time.

Natural airflow can easily be augmented and controlled by installation simple ventilation mechanism in the home. There is a three-point action plan to reach great home air quality goals:

One: Extractor fans installed in key areas such as kitchens, laundries and bathrooms allow for controlled air expulsion in heavy activity rooms.

Two: Whole building ventilation and air condition allows automated regulation air quality throughout the building usually via roof or floor ducting installations. Apart from timers whole building systems can also be installed to utilise sensors to determine appropriate operation times. For example an occupancy or motion sensor will allow a sensor to tailor its usage to times when the house is actually occupied and reduce the overall energy costs of ventilating.

Three: Lastly any area which is temporarily used for activities that increase pollutants (e.g.: painting or fumigating) should be physically aired by opening a window.

Ducting in existing homes will need to be installed with the minimum bends and kinks for more efficient energy flow. Another recent development to consider would be heat recovery units. These units recover heat from air being released outside to warm up incoming fresh air.

Choosing a contractor to install your energy efficient home ventilation system:

Apart from choosing an individual with a background in BER (Building Energy Rated) construction it is also a good idea to find out what their relationship with the supplier is. You want to ensure that future ventilation upgrades and repairs will not be negatively impacted by a relationship with a poor supplier. Home-owners also need to be aware that most legal requirements allow contractors to "trade off" the characteristics of units with different functions. Installing a system using only the minimum performance statistics for all units will not usually add up to a fully compliant home build.