The Spooky Truth about Indoor Air Quality
Last year around this time, we told a harrowing tale about the hidden energy “vampires” that could be sucking the life-blood out of your home. This year, we want to continue the tradition of telling spooky stories about the things that go bump in the night… or in this case, the things that go “ACHOOO!” in the night.
There are many potential threats to the health and energy efficiency of your Nashville home. Some of these are right in front of your face, under your nose, and in plain sight. But when it comes to the air you breathe during the fall season, the spooky truth is that you might not be able to see the tiny particles and contaminants that are threatening the health of the people in your home. Here is what you should know about your indoor air quality in the fall.
“I can feel it, coming in the air tonight”
(What is scarier than a Phil Collins reference?) The summer is winding down — the kids are back in school, the leaves around the city are changing colors, and families are gathering each Sunday to watch another football season or enjoy an end of summer bonfire.
Daily schedules and calendars aren’t the only things changing around here, through. The air around us is changing too! Fall air contains an elevated amount of mold spores and seasonal allergens, which can irritate your allergy-like symptoms and have you feeling a fall cold coming on.
So how does this relate to the air in your home? It’s pretty simple really. If there is an increased amount of harmful particles in the air outside, those particles can find their way into your drafty house. If there is not a way for those particles to escape once they have infiltrated your breathing air, they will continue to circulate your home and cause the same annoying symptoms over and over again. For this reason, the EPA estimates that “concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.”
The Symptoms of Poor IAQ
When the air you breathe contains elevated levels of mold, contaminants, pollutants, and allergens, you may experience a number of symptoms, such as:
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Trouble sleeping
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Frequent headaches
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Sneezing
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Coughing
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Sinus congestion
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Postnasal drip
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Wheezing
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Dry, itchy eyes
No one wants to wake up with a stuffy nose after a night of tossing and turning, and it’s just no fun to greet trick-or-treaters with a Kleenex® in your hand! There are also other non-health related indicators, like air that feels stale, a musty smell in the house, or if every room in the house is stuffy no matter what you do.
Thank goodness you’ve come to the right place. E3 INNOVATE can get you out of this horrific scene!
Conquer Your IAQ Fears
Like we mentioned before, once those contaminants enter your living space they will accumulate and then recirculate. In the decade-plus since E3 INNOVATE began, we have taken the whole-home approach to increase the indoor air quality of countless homes here in Nashville. Firstly, we need to understand how these outside contaminants are infiltrating your home.
Energy Audits & Air Sealing
An energy audit, in short, is a diagnostic test of your home performance. Consider it an MRI for your home; it will uncover any existing air leaks, and provide a clear picture of where your home is losing energy. Once your energy audit is complete, an E3 INNOVATE technician will walk you through your energy audit results, and help you move forward with sealing up the air gaps in your home. Additional air sealing measures may be required in problem areas, like the attic and the crawlspace.
Ventilation
Once your home is properly guarded against the outside air, your home will need a way to exhaust the contaminated air outside while receiving a steady supply of fresh air. This is proper ventilation and can be accomplished with a number of different solutions, depending on your home's specific needs. We may recommend installing specialized equipment, like an air purifier to actively remove the contaminants from your air. Or perhaps your home requires a little more help in the problem areas, like the kitchen and the bathroom. For this, we recommend a system of smart exhaust fans that can detect humidity and motion, and are whisper quiet.
Give This Horror Story a Happy Ending
Laying the foundation for healthier living begins at home. Don’t subject your family to the horrors of poor indoor air quality. E3 INNOVATE is here to answer all of your healthy home questions, like “Does a dehumidifier help with a musty house smell?” or “What are the health symptoms of mold in my house?” Not only has our team nearly seen it all, but we are also passionate about finding and creating the perfect solution for your specific needs.