With the winding down of the hot summer season, many homeowners are grateful for the cooler weather. But as the autumn months in Greencastle and Lancaster arrive, so do fall allergy symptoms. Are you noticing your indoor allergies flaring up? Did you know that poor indoor air quality can exacerbate existing asthma and allergies, and that your family’s health can be tied to home performance? Here are just a few upgrades Central PA homeowners can make to improve their health and their living areas this fall.
Proper Insulation Means More Control Over Indoor Air
The fall is a great time to check the effectiveness of your home’s insulation, or even completely replace it if it’s too old to function properly. Proper insulation will prevent heat from passing between the thermal boundaries of your home for more consistent temperatures inside. Additionally, some types of insulation materials, like cellulose, can even act as a fungicide, keeping mold at bay and helping maintain high indoor air quality (IAQ).
Air Sealing Keeps Pollutants and Allergens Outside
Combined with insulation, air sealing is one of the most important upgrades you can make to your home performance. While insulation is an effective way to combat heat transfer, air sealing addresses the other side of the home performance coin: the transfer of hot and cold air between the air holes, gaps, and spaces that exist in your home. Air sealing is especially useful when combating indoor air quality issues, as it helps to keep air carrying harmful air pollutants and allergens from getting inside.
Prevent Your Crawlspace From Growing Mold
Crawlspaces largely go ignored in a home, but they are actually one of the most common contributors to indoor air quality issues in a house. Crawlspaces can be dirty and many are particularly susceptible to moisture. Even though you can’t see your crawlspace, it’s not difficult for that dirty and moisture to get from a hidden part of your home into your living space, decreasing your IAQ and increasing the buildup of mold and other pollutants. Here are a few of the signs that your crawlspace is not properly sealed and could be contributing to air quality issues:
Cold floorboards above the crawlspace
Mold, musty smells, or dampness near or in crawlspace
Mice or other pests in or around the crawlspace area
Crawlspace encapsulation, which includes installing a vapor barrier in your crawlspace, helps prevent moisture from building and will keep your home comfortable and with higher indoor air quality.
Better IAQ Starts with a Home Energy Audit
Retrofitting your Pennsylvania home plays a major factor in keeping fall allergies outside your home, but where should you start? At Energy Smart Home Improvement, our home energy audits can pinpoint the specific problem areas in your home performance. Our building science experts can also conduct comprehensive air quality testing to let you know exactly what is in your air inside your house, improving the overall quality of air and comfort in your home.