California Energy Consultant Service

Keeping your home energy-efficient reduces energy costs and helps improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home. Some homeowners, however, believe that reducing their energy consumption could have an adverse effect on their home’s IAQ. This is definitely not true as you can simultaneously increase both energy efficiency and IAQ with the right measures. 

In this post, trusted window replacement contractor California Energy Consultant Service discusses how you can improve your home’s IAQ and energy efficiency at the same time.

Utilize your Ventilation Effectively

Ventilation uses less energy than your heating and cooling system. However, it’s important to note that the amount of outdoor air that enters your home can influence the heating and cooling loads. For example, if outdoor airflow is increased on a hot summer day, your air-conditioning system would have to work harder to compensate for the extra heat entering your living spaces. The same thing happens to your heating system if ventilation is increased on a cold day in winter.

When it comes to your IAQ, letting an appropriate amount of outdoor air into your home can effectively reduce the concentration of air pollutants in your indoor air. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is usually 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air.

The health consequences of indoor air pollution can range from minor to severe. While pollen, pet dander and VOCs may simply irritate healthy people’s airways, these pollutants can cause severe reactions in those who suffer from allergies or respiratory conditions. 

Upgrade your HVAC Systems to Improve Efficiency and IAQ

Indoor air pollutants may reach higher concentrations when ventilation rates are reduced arbitrarily. Fortunately, you can use a professional energy audit to identify energy-saving measures that do not affect IAQ as well as measures that will help improve IAQ.

Examining utility bills is one of the first steps in a home performance audit. This allows you to estimate how much you spend on your water heater, furnace, air conditioner and all electrical usage based on your bills. This also helps in identifying potential areas for improvement.

Many ventilation systems are of the constant air volume (CAV) variety, which means that the fans are always running at full capacity. Ventilation can be optimized with smart controls by converting them to variable air volume (VAV) systems. If the ventilation control measures the concentration of air pollutants, the indoor air quality will not suffer.

Some high-efficiency filters are also capable of removing particles as small as 0.3 microns in diameter that are invisible to the naked eye. These high-quality filters can improve air quality in any home, especially if a member of the family suffers from asthma, allergies or a weakened immune system. Apart from that, these filters can keep contaminants out of your HVAC system too.

Let’s make your home more energy-efficient. California Energy Consultant Service can provide an energy assessment for your home. We will help you determine where and how you are losing energy and money. Call us at (916) 852-8132 (Rancho Cordova) and (916) 281-0548 (Sacramento). You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We serve homeowners in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova, CA.