Anyone who suffers from allergies of any kind knows how frustrating it can be during months when allergens are at their highest. This is especially true in winter months when it is essential to keep the home closed up to keep warmth in. Seasonal allergies are another matter altogether as they can often be avoided by entering a home with an efficient air conditioning system and high-quality filters, but in the winter, allergens in the home can be impossible to escape unless you have an efficient filtration system. That’s where HRV systems offer the perfect solution in modern homes.
Most Common Allergens in the Home
It would be almost impossible to list all the allergens you could be exposed to in a home but there are those which a majority of sufferers are allergic to. These include such things as:
- Dust mites
- Dog dander
- Cat dander
- Mould spores
- Fabric
Typically, allergy sufferers aren’t allergic to a fabric as much as they are to the dust they can hold, but fabrics are a huge source of allergies when a home is closed up without adequate filtration.
How Heat Recovery Systems Work
To learn more about exactly how heat recovery systems work, check out this website. Here you will learn that these systems are most often referred to as an HRV unit (Heat Recovery Ventilation), because that’s exactly what they do. They exchange the heat between warm stale air filled with allergens in the exhaust with fresh cooler air brought in from outside. Not only can they recover between 60 and 95 percent of the heat being lost through exhaust, but they can filter allergens out of the air as well. Bear in mind that in the cold of winter, there are few outside allergens such as pollen from all those plants and trees people are allergic to. According to UK statistics, as many as 20% of the population suffer severely from allergies so an HRV system is a real advantage.
Beyond Relieving Acute Allergies
There is something else to be considered when seeking to reduce acute allergic reactions in the home. Some allergens can lead to ongoing health concerns and therefore reducing your exposure goes beyond immediate relief. For example, mould spores can cause lifelong problems with lung function. It has been found that continued exposure to mould spores can lead to such issues as memory loss, insomnia and even depression and anxiety. It is also known that a build-up of toxic mould spores can be next to impossible to remove. It takes special processes and chemicals and at best, the problems can be reduced, not totally eliminated. Doesn’t it make more sense to use an HRV that eliminates spores as they appear? It would certainly go a long way in reducing the long-term effects.
Installing an HRV unit is most common in new builds, but they can easily replace inadequate heating and ventilation systems in older homes. If you suffer from allergies and notice they are not relieved in winter months, this would be the ideal solution for controlling allergens in the home.
