Healthy Home Guide

In light of National Safe Work Month, let’s take a look at how ventilation can improve workplace safety and productivity. Creating a comfortable indoor environment is essential to an employee’s health and well-being. We spend most of our time working indoors. It is important that the air we breathe indoors is clean and fresh. 

Indoor air pollution

According to the World Green Building Council more than half the air you will breathe in your lifetime is inhaled indoors. Polluted air from outside is blown inside, and indoor air pollution can be more harmful than outdoor air. 

In fact, indoor air quality is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. The main contributors to poor indoor air quality are chemicals, mould, particulate matter and poor ventilation. 

As an employee...

Poor indoor air quality at work can cause serious health effects. Symptoms include irritated eyes, nose and throat, worsened asthma or allergies, fatigue and nausea. This can affect your well-being, lead to poor work performance and productivity, sickness, missed work and loss of income. 

As an employer...

You owe a duty of care to your employees, it’s your responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Poor indoor air quality can impact the health of your employees, resulting in increased absences, reduced productivity and safety hazards. 

Employers can improve workforce performance by up to 10% just by improving the indoor air quality. 

SolarVenti Professional

SolarVenti Professional units manage indoor air quality by pumping in fresh, natural warm air. It can work in conjunction with your current air conditioning system to properly ventilate and heat the space. The SolarVenti filters out pollutants and irritants to help reduce cold and sickness. SolarVenti Professional units are perfect for office buildings. The system removes air pollution caused by people and machines and maintains a comfortable indoor temperature of 20-22ºC. 

SolarWhiz Commercial

A SolarWhiz roof ventilator protects the roof structure by preventing mould and mildew or termite damage. SolarWhiz extraction fans help to remove toxins, fumes, humidity, heat and moisture. SolarWhiz Commercial Units are perfect for warehouse ventilation, factory ventilation and office building ventilation. Eliminating the heat build-up in your roof space stops heat from penetrating into the workspace, improving the efficiency of your existing air conditioning system.

Solar Powered Ventilation

 The SolarVenti Professional units and SolarWhiz Commercial fans are solar powered ventilation systems. Not only will the units improve air quality in your office, it will also reduce your carbon footprint. Carbon-free, eco-friendly ventilation solutions for a more sustainable business. You can ventilate, dry, heat and cool your workplace every day without relying on fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gases or contributing to global warming. Solar powered ventilation also reduces your business’ energy costs. The SolarVenti and SolarWhiz systems have no running costs and reduce the need for traditional heating and cooling methods. 

As summer approaches, it’s time to think about your home cooling system. In Australia, we rely on split system, reverse cycle and portable air conditioners. But these systems are expensive to run and can have huge impacts on the environment. That’s why it’s important to look at low cost, eco-friendly alternatives to air conditioning.  

Air Conditioning 

The use of air conditioners has risen in the last few years. According to the International Energy Agency, cooling is the fastest growing use of energy in buildings. By 2050 around 2/3 of the world’s households could have an air conditioner.

A report from the International Energy Agency states that efficient air conditioners can cut investment, fuel and operating costs, and also help reduce emissions. 

Environment 

A recent article by The Guardian states that “warmer temperatures lead to more air conditioning, more air conditioning leads to warmer temperatures”. Air conditioners contribute to global warming by using 13% of electricity worldwide and producing 2 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. An article from the BBC states that air conditioners contain refrigerants that are the “fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in every country on Earth”. 

Daytime temperatures across Australia are likely to be warmer than average for the rest of the year, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. It is important to consider eco-friendly alternatives to air conditioners to ensure home cooling doesn’t further contribute to temperatures rising.

Eco-friendly cooling 

Air conditioners are a technology to cool the home that actually contributes to heating the globe. Sustainable alternatives to air conditioners offer economic and environmental savings.

There are many methods of eco-friendly cooling including sustainable building design for passive cooling, insulation retrofits and using renewable energy sources such as solar power.

Solar panels provide a good payback on investment. According to the World Green Building Council solar panels take 1-4 years for a typical US home to reimburse the investment. However, solar panels provide 30 years of clean energy. 

SolarVenti Ventilation Kit for Cooling 

SolarVenti is a solar ventilation system used for heating, cooling, dehumidification and ventilation. Cooling with SolarVenti is simple, environmentally friendly and cost-effective. 

SolarVenti can be used to fan in the cool air from the shaded side of your house, then filter out excess humidity along with any air pollutants. The system is completely solar powered, meaning no running costs and no carbon emissions.

The SolarVenti Ventilation Kit for Cooling improves air circulation and reduces heat and moisture build up. This results in a healthier and more energy efficient home. 

In addition to providing whole home cooling in summer, the SolarVenti system can be used for heating in the winter months. SolarVenti is a long-term heating and cooling solution that ensures energy savings all year round.

The current drought is the most severe drought on record according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Climate scientists demonstrate that Australia would need record high rainfall for the next three months to brake the drought, which is unlikely as forecasts predict below average rainfall, warmer than average temperatures, low streamflow and increased fire risk until October. 

What does this mean for your home? 

While your home may look dry, there could be underlying air quality and ventilation issues that you may not notice. There could be mould growing in out-of-sight places in your home such as inside walls, under carpeting, above ceiling tiles and inside heating and air conditioning ducts. 

Flooding is very likely after the drought period ends, as water flows continuously instead of seeping into the ground, due to cracks in soil or footings and dry garden soil. Several inches of water can become trapped or “tanked” in the subfloor area of your home. When heaters are used and internal temperatures rise, moisture from the wet subfloor can be drawn into the air. Flooring and dampness in your home will lead to mould growth, which poses significant health problems for your family. 

Home Ventilation

While your home may be dry now, it is important to take preventative measures to ensure your home remains dry, even after the drought breaks. The best way to do this is to install a home ventilation management system. 

This is also the best time to combat annual damp issues in your home. While your home dries naturally, installing a ventilation system will help to manage and dry out the brickwork to achieve an impermeable effect. It can take only minutes to flood your subfloor but it will take weeks to dry out naturally. 

What about the cost?

While a home ventilation system may be an expense to install, the SolarVenti system has no running costs, relying on solar energy to ventilate your home. A carbon-free ventilation system also helps to reduce your household energy consumption, replacing your need for heating and cooling systems. The added benefits to a SolarVenti include filtrated air, healthier conditions for your lungs and respiratory system, whole house drying and a more balanced comfort level.

Not installing a home ventilation system may actually prove more costly in the long run. Instead of taking preventative measures, you may need to address issues such as mould, termites, structural deterioration, dry rot and more importantly, ill-health.

Sir Isaac Newton created a formula to calculate the temperature of an object as it loses heat. The heat moves from the object to its surroundings. The rate of the temperature change is proportional to the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings. The formula can be used to find the temperature at a given time. The SI unit of temperature is the Kelvin (K), but degrees Celsius () is common.

T(t) = Ts + (T0 - Ts ) e(-kt)

T(t) = temperature of an object at a certain time (Kelvin, K)

t = time (s)

Ts = temperature of the surroundings (Kelvin, K)

T0 = starting temperature of the object (Kelvin, K)

k = a cooling constant, specific to the object (1/s)

(10 Celsius = 283.15 Kelvin)

The best way to describe what a whirlybird does is by saying it is like a boat on the open seas without an oar or motor. It is controlled by the wind and the current for direction and flow, with no control over which direction, speed flow or timing.. That’s not what you want controlling your home temperatures, humidity or energy bills.