Features

Some of the warm air that your home produces can be lost through cracks and poorly sealed vents, so that's why having good ventilation can help you to save energy and money.

We’ve already told you how to keep the warm air in your home, but what good is it if cold air still manages to creep its way in? Basically, "infiltration" is the unintentional introduction of unheated outside air into a building. This happens because cold air gets in through cracks in the building envelope and through open doors and windows.

In case you didn’t know, ventilation is how we control the flow of outside air into the home. However, as we said, poor ventilation can see you lose precious energy. Roughly 15 per cent of your homes heat can be lost this way so draught-proofing attic hatches and sealing gaps will help eliminate the heat loss.

So how do you know that your ventilation isn’t the best? Well, if your existing wall vents are blocked or if they’re letting in too much unheated air they can be fixed either by installing a Demand-Controlled or a Mechanical Heat Recovery ventilation system with Electric Ireland.

But what’s the difference? Demand Controlled Ventilation continuously extracts stale air through ducts from 'wet' rooms (bathrooms, kitchen, laundry rooms) causing fresh air to be drawn into the house through air inlets in the 'dry' rooms (bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms) by the resulting negative pressure. It basically works like a vacuum – the air that’s pulled out sucks fresh air back in.

A heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system, however, ventilates the entire house using a heat exchanger that is linked to ventilation grilles in each room from a central location like the attic. With this your house can regulate the air that’s in the different rooms.

It's also a great way of controlling humidity, which can end up as mildew or damp which can often be a big problem in kitchens, bathrooms and well lived in bedrooms.

For more information on properly ventilating your home and how you can avail of a 10 per cent discount, give the lads at Electric Ireland a call on 1850 372 333. Or check out the ElectricIreland.ie website.

To find out more ways to save money around the home, check out the Electric Ireland website.