When the summer rolls around in Toronto, and throughout Ontario, it can usually mean high humidity, high temperatures, and some awfully uncomfortable days. When they are upon us, and if you have central air conditioning, or several window air conditioning units, that means you’ll tend to keep your windows closed to avoid dealing with the oppressive heat.
Once many people close their windows for the heat, they don’t open them again until there is a break in it, usually sometime at the end up August. This can have a direct impact on air quality, because when you close the windows, air conditioning systems rely on a recirculating air system, meaning they do not draw in fresh air from outside, but recycle the indoor air, keeping your home cool.
This means that unless you take a few simple steps from time to time, the air quality in your home will deteriorate. Fresh air is good for our health and can help you feel energized, revitalized, and feeling great.
Turn off the AC and open the windows on cool nights.
When the temperature drops to 22-degrees C or below, open your windows. Don’t forget to turn off the air conditioning systems. If there is no breeze, place a window fan in the open window to draw that fresh air into the home.
If you don’t want to bother with that, and you have window air conditioning units, you can turn the AC off and turn it to the fan setting and open the vent. This will do the same thing, drawing fresh air into your home.
Open windows before an approaching storm.
When you have a storm that is approaching, even if the temperature is still high, opening a couple of windows will help to push fresh air into your home. Just make sure that you close the windows before the rain arrives.
Storms tend to push fresh air out in front of them, which is a great opportunity to fill your home with that wonderful, fresh air.
Assign one room in the home to have an open window.
Usually this room should be far from the thermostat. This will add some heat to your home, but if you use a fan and you keep blinds closed to keep the direct sunlight out, it should be minimized. You only need to do this for a short amount of time every day. Just a small amount of fresh air moving through your home can have a big impact on your health and well-being.
During the summer, don’t forget to bring in that nice, fresh air as often as you can when you’re running the air conditioning system in your home.