A Guide to Ventilation

Why is ventilation needed?

• We generate a significant amount of moisture in the home through cooking, washing, and breathing. This moisture often escapes through gaps and cracks around the home (draughts).
• This uncontrolled ventilation is significantly reduced when insulation is used, meaning that controlled ventilation is necessary.
• A well-designed ventilation system will monitor and remove excess moisture from the home, ensuring good internal air quality and reducing the chances of condensation and mould.

What is a ventilation system?

• Air is extracted from the bathroom/s and kitchen/s using extractor fans. The most common form of extractor fans is those that come on when the bathroom light is turned on.
• Dedicated air-inlets will be in the bedrooms, lounges, etc. to allow air into the home to replace the extracted air.
• The most common form of air inlets are ‘trickle vents’ in windows (small adjustable slits in the frame of the window), though a different type of inlet might be necessary or more desirable.

Things to consider

• Ventilation should be installed before or concurrently with any wall insulation, to remove the need to pierce the newly installed wall insulation, which could potentially lead to draughts.
• If there are open fireplaces in the home, any combustion ventilation requirements should be taken into account.