Getting Ventilation Right for Summer and Avoiding Overheating
Every year as the seasons roll around, we inevitably switch from a desire to keep our home warm to keeping it cool. While a ventilation system isn’t a heating or cooling system, it can help your home achieve more comfortable outcomes. Depending on the smarts built into your ventilation system it should be able to harness the ambient air to help get you closer to comfortable temperatures while also bringing in fresh air.
It’s a bit like cooling your cup of tea by adding some cold water to your mug. In summer this means when it’s cooler in your air source (often roof space) than indoors (uncommon during the day), and your home is warmer than your set temperature then your system will try cool your home by bringing in fresh air. Because having a cool roof is uncommon, we encourage people to install outdoor air kits, also known as a SmartVent Summer Kit or Flexi-Air Source. This means your system can choose the most comfortable air source to get you closer to your target temperatures.
Overnight this works even better. As the outside (and your roof) cools down, your system can bring in cooler air and help make sure you get a comfortable night’s sleep, removing the stuffiness and CO2 from the space. But all of us are different, and our summer comfort needs vary, so how do we make sure our system works the best for us?
Pictured: A 5 room Smartvent positive pressure system with a summer kit/ flexi-air source installed. This enables the system to choose the best air to bring inside.
SmartVent summer settings:
-
In summer, change your maximum temperature to 30C or below. When your air supply (roof space or outdoors) reaches this temperature, your system will stop blowing air inside.
-
Make sure your ventilation set temperature setting is less than your typical aircon setting (or change your set temp to 22C or less). This is the temperature your system will aim to achieve, using your source air.
Not sure how to change your settings? Look for your relevant installation manual here or send us a message!
Other good practices:
-
Shift your aircon into cooling mode only, set it to 24deg or less.
-
Check your filters, we’re going through pollen season which can cause your filters to clog up fast, which reduces the efficiency of your system.
Remember, ventilation systems aren’t heating or cooling systems. But if they’re a smart ventilation system they can harness your local air to deliver healthier more comfortable home environments, without costing a kidney to run. Our heat recovery systems can take this saving even further during summer! Because they are designed to recover and retain the temperatures (not just heat!), they can provide all the benefits of fresh air while maintaining your existing, cooler indoor air temperature. Find out more about ventilation and air conditioning here.
So ask us about a SmartVent system today, or find out if you can add an outside air kit to your home for better summer ventilation.
Note: the lower set temperature will help the system aim for that temperature but because home ventilation systems are not cooling devices, your results will depend on the temperature of the air in the roof space. You'll likely see the most impact in the evenings and overnight when outside is cooler.