As the spring temperatures warm up here in Nashville, the cherry blossoms and magnolia trees are beginning to bloom. And though their beautiful flowers and spring fragrance signify the end of winter, the greenery of spring makes for an easy scapegoat for your sinus sniffles and allergy symptoms. But did you ever consider that your home could be the root cause behind your symptoms?

Inefficiencies in your home can plummet your indoor air quality (IAQ) and lead to symptoms that closely mimic the common cold and seasonal allergies. These symptoms can include:

• Irritated sinuses (sinusitis)

• Nasal congestion

• Fatigue & headache

• Cough

• Dry skin, eyes & throat

If you’ve been experiencing symptoms that seem worse than previous years, it may be time to study up on your spring home health!

Understanding IAQ

One way to measure the health of your home is to determine your IAQ, as well as how much outside air is allowed to freely infiltrate the air in your living space. Controlling the air seal of your home is one of the first steps in E3 INNOVATE’s holistic, whole home approach. With the amount of humidity that the middle Tennessee climate contains all year round, any infiltrating air will add to the moisture in your home. And with the added rain that comes with spring, there is even more opportunity for indoor moisture issues as the ground becomes saturated, creating standing water and humidity in your crawlspace. In the end, the more moisture that is in your home, the greater your risk of mold growth — a common agitator of most allergy symptoms.

Holes and gaps in your home combined with poor ventilation also add to the number of outside contaminants that are in your home. This can include allergens, dust, pollutants, and other harmful particles that enter through the cracks, then recirculate in your breathing air via the ductwork of your heating and cooling system.

Increasing your IAQ for Spring Home Health

So, how can you fix your IAQ? It all starts with an energy audit from the whole home performance experts at E3 INNOVATE. This diagnostic test provides a thorough scan of your entire home, using specialized diagnostic equipment to determine if there are any lapses in your home performance. This helps us locate specific areas of concern. After you receive your detailed audit report, your E3 INNOVATE home performance technician will walk you through the recommended upgrades to improve your IAQ. These upgrades include:

Air Sealing

A proper air seal within your home involves locating any cracks, holes or gaps that exist around your recessed lighting, appliance wiring, or attic access, for example. These holes are then sealed up using expanding spray foam insulation.

Insulation Upgrades

Insulation and air sealing go hand in hand when it comes to keeping the unwanted outdoor temperatures where they belong. This helps reduce the load on your AC and prevents short cycling. When an AC runs for short bursts of time, its ability to dehumidify the air is significantly reduced. So, by insulating your home, you could actually help prevent summer humidity problems. What's more, is with lower humidity comes better indoor air quality!

Crawlspace Encapsulation

At E3 INNOVATE, we spend a lot of time in crawlspaces. When you can control the humidity and temperature of a crawlspace, you can gain greater control over your IAQ. You can see how our advanced sealed crawlspace system looks and operates in an actual crawlspace by watching this video.

Dehumidification & Ventilation

After your home is sealed and airtight, there may still be a need for ventilation, dehumidification, and air purification to actively remove existing mold or off-gassing volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) from your furniture, cleaning products, and building materials. Installing ventilation, dehumidification, and air purification systems are an important step in gaining control over your indoor air quality.

Stop Your Sniffling at Home — With E3 INNOVATE

A healthy home isn’t just about managing the symptoms. It involves finding the root cause that is undermining your home comfort and IAQ. If you suspect your home is making you sick, call in the whole-home experts at E3 INNOVATE, and breathe easier in your Nashville home!

Don’t blame the flowers when your home could be causing your sniffles! Understand your IAQ with Nashville's whole home experts. Call 615-876-5479 or contact us today!