The Essentials of Indoor Air Quality in Knoxville Custom Homes

The Essentials of Indoor Air Quality in Knoxville Custom Homes

One aspect of your home that doesn’t always get noticed is your air quality. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an essential aspect of your home, as your home should always keep you safe, comfortable, and healthy.

When building your custom home, Red Door Homes puts the utmost care into designing your home to have the best IAQ possible. Below is some more information on factors that can affect your IAQ even after building, and what you can do about it.

What is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the quality of the air within and around your home or other buildings. In particular, IAQ is important when it comes to the comfort and health of the building’s occupants. IAQ is determined by the concentration of pollutants, humidity levels, and ventilation rates in the building.

Having a good IAQ is always essential for any building you occupy. We spend lots of time indoors, and even more at our own homes. Spaces with poor IAQ can lead to health issues including headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritation of your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

Here in Knoxville, we have a mix of urban and natural surroundings, which can create a large spectrum of IAQ. From dust and pollen to chemical vapors, there are many things that can pollute the air you breathe.

Factors Affecting Indoor Air Quality in Knoxville

There are several factors that can affect your IAQ in your Knoxville home. The two most common are the local climate and your home’s building process.

Local Climate

Knoxville has a unique climate compared to other areas of the US. Our high humidity can encourage mold growth in buildings, and also cause an increase in indoor pollutants.

We also tend to get more pollen during the spring and fall compared to other areas, which can greatly affect individuals with allergies. Seasonal maintenance can help reduce these allergens throughout the year.

Building Materials and Process

Did you know the materials used to build your home can potentially cause a poor IAQ? Some materials can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can decrease IAQ. Plus, poorly designed homes may have inadequate ventilation systems and poor overall construction, leading to all those pollutants being trapped in your home.

What Can I Do to Manage My IAQ?

Luckily, there are many things you can do to try to manage your IAQ both during and after the building process. Here are a few of the most common:

Increase Ventilation

One of the most important things you can do to improve your IAQ is properly ventilate your home. If you can’t ventilate your home, you’re going to have a hard time controlling your IAQ.

Make sure you have a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation systems throughout your home. Natural examples would be opening windows or exposing screen doors, while mechanical would be the actual vents in your home.

Make sure that when you move in you don’t block any of your vents with furniture or other items! This can lead to poor ventilation and IAQ very quickly.

Control Humidity

Here in the south, it gets humid pretty regularly. You’ll likely want to get a dehumidifier for your home - if not several. Decreasing the humidity can help prevent mold growth and allergens in the air, which can affect your health if not treated quickly.

Remember: Optimal air humidity indoors is between 30-50%!

Get an Air Filter or Air Purifier

You’ll likely have an air filter in your home if you have any sort of central heating or air. Always check these filters regularly to determine when they’re dirty and need to be replaced. Leaving dirty filters can not only decrease the IAQ, but also cause your HVAC to work harder than it should, increasing the chances of machine failure and higher electrical bills.

If you don’t think your current filtering system is enough, or if you’re prone to more pollutants than others (pets, anyone?), you can always get an additional air purifier for your home. From large units that sit on the ground to small tabletop units, there’s a variety of choices out there.

Choose Better Building Materials

Finally, you should work closely with your home builder to make sure you’re choosing responsible building materials. Look for low-VOC materials for paint, flooring, and cabinetry in particular. You should also ask about your builder’s construction practices, and see what they can do during the build to minimize dust and chemical exposure during building.

Final Thoughts

Indoor air quality is a crucial part of having a healthy and comfortable home. With Knoxville having such a unique climate, it’s even more important that you consider these strategies to keep your IAQ as clean as possible.

At Red Door Homes, we take your comfort seriously. Reach out to us today to learn more about our building processes and how we can help you build the healthy home of your dreams.

FAQ

How often should I replace my air filters?

We recommend checking your air filters every 1-3 months and replacing them if they’re dirty. However, this can vary based on several factors like the filter type, overall air quality, and whether or not you have pets.

Can indoor plants improve the air quality in my home?

Yes, but only to an extent. Indoor plants can help absorb some pollutants and produce more oxygen, but their impact on IAQ is relatively small compared to proper ventilation and filtration systems.

How can I monitor the air quality in my home?

You can monitor your air quality with smart home devices that measure particle matter, VOC levels, and humidity. Some air filters and dehumidifiers can also tell you this information and run automatically based on these levels.

What is the best way to ventilate my Knoxville home?

We recommend a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation strategies like windows, vents, and HVAC systems to get the best of both worlds. The more ventilation methods you have, the better.