Our hearts go out to all those affected by the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. For many, this is an urgent and serious health matter. And for all of us, this crisis is affecting our lives and leading us to worry about the damage the smoke is doing.
We at New York Passive House believe that an airtight building with an energy/heat recovery ventilation system (ERV/HRV) running 24/7 is a healthy building. When the windows and doors are closed, the airtight building envelope prevents particle matter from penetrating the building through the envelope and the ERV/HRV with its excellent filters catches particulate matter as the incoming fresh air enters the house, so indoor air quality remains healthy.
In conventional buildings, this is not the case, which is something so many of us are experiencing now.
We advocate for the implementation of air-tight seals, high-quality insulation, and filtered fresh air—the elements that make up the core of the Passive House approach—in all new constructions and retrofits for the following reasons:
- reduce overall energy use and expenditures
- create a comfortable indoor environment
- create durable, resilient buildings
- combat climate change by reducing the use of all fossil fuels
- we can more successfully keep the negative impacts of poor outdoor air quality out of our buildings, when necessary, and feel secure and comfortable in our homes and offices.
We hope that in the coming years, we will continue to see a conversion to Passive House construction because that is a future that is safe and healthy for everyone.
