There are four basic mechanical ventilation systems for the entire house: exhaust, supply, balancing, and energy recovery. Natural ventilation is a healthy, cost-effective way to save energy and provide fresh air for building occupants. It is defined as the use of passive strategies to supply outdoor air to the interior of a building for ventilation and cooling without the need to use mechanical systems. Natural ventilation has become a key component of green building today and is required to obtain LEED certification and the Living Building Challenge (LBC).
Regardless of the part of the house where your remodeling project takes place, there are good work practices you can use to help minimize or prevent indoor air and other indoor environmental problems. In summer, an energy recovery ventilator can help control humidity in the house by transferring some of the water vapor from the incoming air to the air that, in theory, is drier and leaving the house.
