How can the rooms be properly ventilated in winter without losing the heat? With these tips you can keep your living spaces fresh and warm in the cold season!
If there is inadequate ventilation in any home, there is a risk of moisture, dust and pollutants accumulating indoors. This is an important aspect when it comes to maintaining good indoor air quality for a healthy living environment. In order to create such a microclimate between your own four walls in the winter, you should act cleverly and strategically. This not only allows fresh air to flow in constantly, but also maintains the heat in the room. But when and how would it be best to ventilate the apartment in the winter season, taking into account some influencing factors? Below you can find out more about it to stay comfortable and not increase your heating costs.
What should you pay attention to in order to be able to ventilate properly in winter?
At first glance this seems like a simple, everyday matter, but in reality many people make mistakes. Modern window frames and window panes have many advantages, but leaving your heaters running at full blast without ventilation can cause problems. Depending on your lifestyle, location and needs, you should act strategically to prevent possible heat loss. Through optimal air circulationreduce the formation of condensationand therefore also mold formation and odors, which is very important for health. Here are some factors to consider:
- Ventilation of the rooms is very important if you have a wood or pellet stove, or a fireplace with gas or alternative fuels.
- Proper air circulation can prevent the accumulation of pollutants and thereby some of the health hazards.
- In addition, well-thought-out room ventilation has numerous advantages, regardless of whether it is warm or cold outside.
- There are also some influencing factors to consider in relation to controlled heat recovery. This is currently the most efficient ventilation method, although many homes do not have it. A large part of the warm exhaust air is transferred to the fresh supply air, which means that the indoor air quality remains high and heat losses remain minimal.
- Depending on whether it is a single-family home or an apartment, the presence of a basement or ground floor also plays a crucial role. Such rooms also require occasional ventilation as moisture often accumulates there.
- You should also be able to properly ventilate your bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry room in the winter to prevent increased condensation. On average, people excrete from 0.5 to 2 liters of water every day, which is an equally important and related factor.
- Logically, when there is an attic, the temperature differences caused by ventilation in winter also affect the thermal efficiency.
To deal with the situation practically and cheaply, you can use the following guidelines.
What options are there for natural ventilation?
Although modern window frames have ventilation slots, you should avoid them, especially during the heating season. The reason for this is that it causes the outer chamber of the window to cool down. In this way, condensation forms in the space between the window sash and the window frame, which then begins to freeze. The better option would be to achieve shock ventilation by opening windows and balcony doors at the same time. This means that a lot of fresh air flows in for a short time and replaces the room air without prolonged heat loss. This is a natural and effective method because it prevents the room walls from cooling down so quickly. This will not increase heating costs as the interior can warm up quickly afterwards. Otherwise, you can also consider the following options:
- So that you can ventilate properly in winter, you should open as many windows and doors as possible 3 to 4 times a day for a maximum of 20 minutes. Depending on whether the outside temperature is above or below 10 degrees, this can take either 15 or 10 minutes. Such intensive ventilation should last a maximum of 5 minutes at sub-zero temperatures to prevent heat loss.
- As for the optimal times of day to do this, it would be best to ventilate after waking up, after work and before going to bed.
- The most efficient way to circulate air is to open opposite windows and doors. The main idea is to leave no obstacles to air circulation in this short period of time. You can also open your front door to speed up the process.
- To create vertical and horizontal airflow, you can also open windows positioned next to each other for a short time. This improves the air exchange in the living space.
- You should manually turn off the temperature controls on your radiators while ventilating and only then increase the heating temperature again. Nowadays there are also modern devices where you can pre-program this using a specially designed setting.
Follow other tips and ventilate your apartment properly in winter
In addition to the strategic approach described above, it's a good idea to adapt your home's ventilation to your daily activities. For example, if you cook or clean, you can ventilate properly in both summer and winter at the same time. In this way, you ensure that unpleasant odors, dust and allergens do not accumulate in your living spaces. In addition, in the cold season you can also include other options such as extractor hoods or bathroom fans to optimize the air in the room. Here are a few more steps you can take in this regard:
- Maintain an optimal temperature in the individual living spaces, which is closely related to ventilation.
- Also try to keep the doors of less habitable interiors closed.
- It can also help to use blinds and curtains at night to prevent the heat generated from escaping through the windows. However, if there are radiators there, they should remain free for the same reason.
- The optimal room temperature for the living room, children's room and bedroom is between 19 and 22 degrees Celsius. In hallways and bathrooms the values can vary from around 17 to 25 degrees.
All in all, it is advisable to provide the appropriate air intake depending on the situation and your own needs. Natural ventilation of rooms through half-open windows is not always efficient, which is why forced ventilation would be more advantageous in the winter season. Of course, you can also invest in a specially developed heat exchanger that heats cold air masses naturally. This not only prevents health risks and heat loss, but can also improve your sleep quality and general well-being.
