Here’s how to ventilate your home in winter without experiencing significant heat loss.
The first cold weather of winter has arrived and with them the first radiators are starting to work. However, ventilation of the house remains extremely important, not only to keep our space smelling good, but above all to stay in good shape. While in summer we may leave windows and patio doors open for hours, in winter we are almost tempted to set a timer to count down every time this happens. But how many minutes does it take to properly ventilate an indoor space and what other factors influence this?
For starters, opening windows in winter allows fresh air to circulate, improving indoor air quality and eliminating pollutants, odors and humidity. It is extremely important to open windows and patio doors at regular intervals throughout the day for approximately 5-10 minutes. In particular, experts argue that daily ventilation for 5 to 15 minutes can significantly improve indoor air quality without causing significant heat loss.
Of course, there are factors that indicate whether a space needs more minutes of ventilation. For example, the size of the space and the activities that may take place there, such as cooking or exercising, significantly increase the time needed for ventilation.
Weather conditions also play a role. On mild winter days, it’s easy to ventilate your home without significant heat loss. But what happens when there are bad weather conditions or very low temperatures? So, the duration must be reduced to minimize heat loss and prevent the house from getting cold.
In general, prefer to “open” your home during times of day when the outside temperature is not very low. It is not necessary for windows to be wide open to achieve effective ventilation of the space. Even when you have them open in an inclined position, this allows the air to renew in the room, without causing a significant drop in the interior temperature.