When your home is sick, so are you. With the amount of time that you and your family members spend breathing in the air that circulates in your home, it is no wonder that the health of your home has a drastic effect on how you feel — both physically and mentally.

But what are the causes that plummet your home’s health, and what are the symptoms to look out for here in the southern climate of Music City, USA? As the Nashville experts in whole-home health, E3 INNOVATE is here to walk you through the pathology of what makes a home unhealthy, and how it can affect your own health.

Dust, Mold and Radon — Oh My!

One of the first steps in creating a healthy living space in your home is developing an airtight building envelope. An airtight building envelope separates your living space from outside contaminants. A common mistake with Nashville homes is not including the attic and crawlspace in that building envelope,. This is one of the most important parts of the whole home approach that E3 INNOVATE takes when it comes to increasing your indoor air quality (IAQ) and the overall health of your home.

Existing air leaks, cracks and gaps in your home allow for excess dust, mold, allergens, chemicals, and even dangerous radon to infiltrate the air you breathe. And when each breath you take contains unwanted contaminants, you could be experiencing a myriad of symptoms all year round, such as:

• Headaches

• Fatigue

• Dry sinuses or post nasal drip

• Nasal congestion

• Cough

• Dry skin

• Dry & itchy throat

These are the steps we take as part of the whole home approach to keep your air clean, and your home and its inhabitants healthy:

The Sealed Crawlspace System

Since the very beginning of E3 INNOVATE, we have focused first on the crawlspace. Many homeowners overlook this dark and musty area of the home, and for good reason. — it’s unpleasant! But with a sealed laminate ground cover, a proper air seal and insulation, you can semi-condition this area to control the humidity and temperature of your crawlspace. If you’ve spent even one summer day in Nashville, you know humidity is a problem. High humidity along with warm temperatures in your crawlspace promote mold growth, which can increase your allergy symptoms. Plus, mold is a pain in the neck to remove once the mold spores have begun to grow on the materials that make up the structure of your home.

Dust, Dirt and Ductwork

The ductwork that is connected to your heating and cooling system is like the lungs of your home. Because ductwork usually deals with both hot and cold air, the expansion and contraction that occurs with the temperature change cause air leaks to form. When you combine those air leaks with the fact that ductwork usually runs through unconditioned and dirty areas of the home, ductwork is prone to collecting dust and dirt that will then recirculate throughout your home. Cleaning, sealing and insulating your ductwork is essential to increasing your IAQ.

The Attic

After taking care of the space under your home and the ductwork that runs through it, it is equally important to keep the space above your ceiling from threatening the health of your home. Air sealing your attic will prevent additional outside air from infiltrating and will keep your conditioned air where you need it. With proper attic insulation, you can enjoy a more comfortable home with benefits like:

• More reliable indoor temperatures

• Reduced heating & cooling costs

• Less wear & tear on your HVAC system

Understand Your Home Health

Before E3 INNOVATE makes any upgrades to your home’s health, we want to make sure we are on the same page. With a professional energy audit, we can show you exactly how your home is performing and which upgrades will have the greatest impact on your home’s energy efficiency, IAQ, and overall health. After your energy audit, we may uncover that your home suffers from high levels of radon and is in need of radon mitigation. Or, after creating an airtight building envelope, your indoor air may be in need of proper ventilation and air purification. No matter the state of your home performance, you can trust that E3 INNOVATE will take the whole home approach to ensure your family is breathing easy, all year round!

Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired in your own home? Trust the whole home approach with the healthy home experts at E3 INNOVATE. Schedule your energy audit by calling (615) 697-4883 or contacting us today.