Ventilating your home

Try to make ventilation a part of your daily routine. Here’s a simple checklist for ventilating your home.

Open doors and windows

Air your house a few times a day with wide open doors and windows to create a cross-draught - even in winter. This will quickly replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air, and remove moisture from your home.

Overnight

Ventilating your bedroom overnight is also important for a better sleep by maintaining air quality, reducing excessive moisture and the risk of mould growth. Keep a window slightly ajar - a finger’s width should be enough in winter. Use security stays, bolts or latches for your peace of mind. During cold winter nights, use an electric heater on a low thermostat setting in your bedroom.

When you turn off heating

To avoid condensation problems, ventilate when you turn off the heating, for example before you leave the house in the morning and just before you go to bed.

Extractor fans

Use extractor fans that vent to the outside in your bathroom, kitchen and laundry. Fans should not vent into your ceiling space. Make sure extractor fans are:

• properly sized and located for the type of room. Undersized fans or ducting will be noisy but ineffective. Ask your supplier for advice.
• turned on before having a shower or bath - and shut the bathroom door. Leaving the bathroom window open slightly allows air flow into the bathroom and will improve the extractor fan's effectiveness.
• left running for a few minutes after a shower or bath - until most of the moisture has cleared, with the bathroom door shut and the bathroom window open.
• cleaned regularly - to maintain their performance.

Visit here for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's advice on Home ventilation systems