December 12th, 2017
PURPOSE OF VENTILATIONAll homes need ventilation—the exchange ofindoor air with outdoor air—to reduce indoormoisture, odors, and other pollutants.Contaminants such as formaldehyde, volatileorganic compounds (VOCs), and radon thatmay cause health problems can accumulate inpoorly ventilated homes. Inadequate ventilationallows unpleasant odors to linger. Excessmoisture generated within the home needs tobe removed before high humidity levels lead tophysical damage to the home or mold growth. VENTILATION STRATEGIES To ensure adequate ventilation, theAmericanSociety of Heating, Refrigerating andAir-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE)says that the living area of a home should beventilated at a rate of 0.35 air changes perhour or 15 cubic feet per minute (cfm) perperson, whichever is greater.