Home Ventilation

Why ventilate my home? 

While CEE is dedicated to helping people make their homes more energy efficient, we also want people to live in homes that are safe, healthy and that have good indoor air quality.

根据明尼苏达州商务部能源资源部门的说法, “Good indoor air quality is important for a healthy home. 适当和有效的通风可以去除不健康的污染物(如烹饪产生的烟雾), moisture from bathing, 或加热系统的燃烧产物)并将新鲜空气带入生活空间.” 

没有适当通风的家庭可能会遇到各种室内潮湿问题, odors, and pollutants. 烹饪和洗澡产生的湿气需要在高湿度导致霉菌生长或对房屋造成物理损坏之前去除. Too little ventilation can allow unpleasant odors to linger. 甲醛和挥发性有机化合物等污染物会在通风不良的房屋中积累，并可能导致健康问题.

Typically, 较新的或最近空气密封的房屋从门周围的缝隙和开口等地方获得的自然通风较少, windows, and the home’s foundation, which means pollutants aren’t regularly flushed out of the home. 问题不在于这些房子太“紧”，而在于他们没有正确地“呼吸”. Mechanical ventilation, in the form of exhaust fans, allows homeowners to better control the breathability of their home. 

观看下面的视频，简要介绍绝缘和通风的重要性.

 

When should I add ventilation to my home? 

许多人在隔热或空气密封工程中增加通风，因为空气密封工作将限制家庭呼吸. Ask your insulation contractor to include ventilation in your project.

If you already have insulation and you need ventilation, typically an insulation contractor can install a ventilation fan, but for some cities a licensed HVAC contractor is required. 如果您需要帮助确定正确的安装程序，请使用下面的“询问我们”按钮联系CEE的能源顾问. 

如果您想帮助确定通风是否是您家的正确解决方案, consider having an energy audit. Your utilities may provide this service. 
 

What type of ventilation do you recommend?

For many existing homes, exhaust systems are an effective way to ventilate. Exhaust systems only remove air from your home, 像下面描述的那些平衡的系统在哪里既能排出空气又能从外部引入新鲜空气. 

CEE建议您安装能源之星评级的浴室排气扇或厨房抽油烟机，这些抽油烟机也被评为安静和连续运行. 这意味着风扇可以一直以低电平运行，并在需要时以高电平运行.

连续通风机的常见位置是使用频率最高的浴室. It should replace any fan already in the room. 如果一个家庭的结构不允许在浴室安装这样的风扇, sometimes a kitchen range hood rated for continuous use is an option.. 在大多数情况下，一个连续通风的风扇——无论是在浴室还是厨房——就足够了.

风扇安装人员可以根据居住者或卧室的数量以及房屋的密闭性来设置风扇的速度. 你的风扇转速是基于这些特定的条件，以确保水分和室内空气污染物不会随着时间的推移在你的家里积累. 

这些风扇的默认速度通常为每分钟30至50立方英尺(CFM)。. 洗澡或做饭会自动将其转到较高的速度设置20到30分钟. 较高的速度通常是50 - 100 CFM的浴室风扇和超过100 CFM的厨房风扇. 
 

How much does it cost to install? 

“能源之星”连续运转风扇的安装成本通常在1100美元到1600美元之间. 
 

Can I leave my current fan switched to “on” instead? 

让你现在的风扇一直开着，而不是安装一个新的连续运行的风扇，这不是一个好主意, 因为电机不是设计成一直开着的，可能会发生故障. Once this happens, you would need to switch the fan out anyway. Additionally, older fans are louder than continuous rated fans. 
 

How much will it cost to run the fan all the time? 

We recommend running the fan continuously, 24/7. By running it all the time, the fan can be set at a lower, quieter speed. It typically costs $7 – $15 per year in electricity to operate the fan this way. Additionally, 连续风扇将从家中排出少量已经加热或冷却的空气. 

虽然一开始这听起来可能适得其反，但总的来说，增加通风是非常有益的. 这对防止房屋结构损坏和你和家人的健康问题有很大的帮助, both of which would cost more than adding a ventilation system. 

If you add a continuous fan as a part of an insulation project, 要知道，从空气密封和绝缘工作中节省的费用通常比风扇从家中移除的少量空气要大得多. 
 

How do I adjust the fan settings? 

通常你可以通过移除栅格和调整刻度盘来改变风扇设置. Typically, 一个表盘将调节速度，另一个将决定风扇在被运动或墙壁开关触发后将保持多长时间. Some fans may have an external speed switch as well.

当室内潮湿或家中有异味时，可以加大风机的转速. In a bathroom, the fan may stay on longer if it is unable to keep the room dry. 
 

What maintenance is required? 

With most fans, you should clean the grill and fan body yearly. 按照风扇安装人员概述的特定型号的清洁时间表进行操作.
 

What are recommended humidity levels?

烹饪和洗澡产生的湿气需要在高湿度导致霉菌生长或对房屋造成物理损坏之前去除.

What are HRVs and ERVs? 

热回收通风机(hrv)和能量回收通风机(erv)是通风机器的类型, 通常用于强制空气炉和中央空调的管道系统. hrv和erv与仅排气的连续通气相比的主要优势, 是它们可以从从家里带走的热空气中回收热量，并为过敏原提供良好的过滤.

hrv和erv的主要区别在于hrv从气流中去除湿度, while ERVs recover humidity from the air stream. hrv和erv的安装成本可能是连续式浴扇的两到四倍，通常在1500到2500美元之间. Prices vary, 所以一定要和你的暖通空调承包商联系，了解更多靠谱的外围竞猜app价格和安装的细节.

Given their higher installation cost, 当浴室风扇或厨房风扇不足以使家庭通风，并且家庭已经有管道系统时，您应该考虑HRV或ERV. 这通常意味着将hrv和erv安装在新建或密封良好的房屋中. 

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