Common Winter Indoor Air Quality Issues

December 20, 2022

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Common Winter Indoor Air Quality Issues infographic

If you are concerned about the health and cleanliness of the air you breathe at home, you’re not alone! Homeowners all over New York are looking for ways to make their homes healthier, and as fall turns into winter it’s important to pay attention to how your home and the systems inside it could be affecting your indoor air quality (IAQ) during the colder months of the year.

Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality in the Winter

First, there are plenty of ways that your heating system can heavily affect your indoor air quality:

[Cross section of a home with heating system]

Callouts:

Dirty ductwork introduces contaminants
Dirty air filters
Poor ventilation increases accumulation
Poor maintenance reduces efficiency

But even if your home doesn’t have ductwork or a forced air heating system, it could still be contributing to poor indoor air quality. By spending more time indoors in the winter with all the windows closed to stay warm, your air in your home will become stale with higher concentrations of pollutants.

Have you noticed...

An increase in asthma or allergy-like symptoms

Unseen contaminants that accumulate in your indoor air can cause allergy-like symptoms all year round and will exacerbate asthma symptoms.

Frequent headaches

Do you get headaches at home? A nagging partner or whiney children may not be the only source of your headaches—it could also be something in the air.

Odd smells and musty odors

One telltale sign of poor IAQ is the musty smell that can come from mildew and mold growth.

Make Your Home Healthier

Making your home healthier can also mean it becomes more comfortable and more efficient. Depending on your particular indoor air quality needs, Healthy Home Energy & Consulting may recommend a combination of:

...so that you can breathe healthier air!