In winter, your indoor air quality takes a nosedive. The best way to get clean, fresh air into your home is by opening a window. How long can you keep your windows open without impacting your furnace’s efficiency? Is it worth the sacrifice? Here’s what you need to know.
Winter Air Contaminants
In Arizona, you probably don’t seal your home like those who live in subfreezing temperatures. Still, you don’t leave the windows open either. As a result, there’s less fresh air in your house. Instead, the same stale air circulates through your HVAC system over and over. That stale air then fosters contaminants, which cycle through your system as well.
Some of those contaminants get picked up by your air filter — but not all of them. Every time the air cycles through, more moisture is removed, lowering the humidity, which leads to dust, viruses, allergens, and more. All of these extra contaminants will clog your filter more quickly, causing poor airflow and poor IAQ.
Open Windows and IAQ
There are ways to reduce contaminants in your air, such as vacuuming and dusting regularly or investing in an air purifier with a HEPA filter. However, the best way to combat poor IAQ has always been to open windows. The air outside is much cleaner than the air in your home. Opening a window brings that fresh, clean air in to displace the old, stale air and reduce contaminants.
This isn’t always easy to remember when the weather is colder. Plus, letting cold air in will undermine your furnace and make your house less efficient. Still, while few things are more important than your energy bill, your health is definitely one of them.
Fortunately, you don’t have to have open windows very long. Opening a couple of windows for just 10 to 20 minutes per day can make a world of difference to your air quality without affecting your energy efficiency too much.
For advice about open windows and other help improving your IAQ throughout the year, contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We keep Yuma homes comfortable, healthy, and efficient.
