Clean Air Day is a national campaign designed to raise awareness of air pollution and the damaging affect it has on our health. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution present different risks to our health but both are equally damaging.

Most of us devote a great deal of time and energy to making sure that our homes are safe and clean. But if you’ve never given any thought to ventilation, it may be that all the time, serious health risks have been escaping your attention.

Most British homeowners are aware of at least some of the reasons why proper ventilation is crucial. The British climate is the most obvious: with year-round rain, it’s nearly impossible to prevent the build-up of moisture in buildings without a ventilation system in place. The English Housing Survey recently found that more than a million English homes have a damp problem: millions more regularly experience higher than optimal levels of moisture.

As any architect, planner or developer knows, the process of building and maintaining any property is hedged around at every corner with various regulations to ensure the safety of occupants. Ventilation is no exception to this rule.

Bungalows and flats have all rooms on the same floor making it difficult to circulate the air, which can lead to condensation. In this article we discuss the problems with controlling the flow of air in flats and bungalows and the best ways to combat condensation.

We all know the importance of ensuring your house is well insulated; a warm and dry home, reduction in energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint so a happy environment. However, did you know that in order to well insulate your home the installation must act as a moisture barrier therefore trapping moisture which can cause condensation which leads to damp and mould.

Property developers and planning managers are increasingly looking to MVHR, Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation, as the ventilation system of choice for new build properties. MVHR provides clear benefits in efficiency, energy savings, and long-term cost, but in order to realise those benefits the right decisions need to be made at the outset, about which system to invest in and how to install it.

For managers working to maintain student accommodation, damp and mould are a recurring enemy. From within the property, moisture is generated by students’ everyday activities, including cooking, cleaning — and breathing. This makes the need for adequate ventilation of paramount importance.

When you’re planning your dream home, ventilation may not be at the top of your list of priorities. By definition, when ventilation is working well, it’s completely invisible. However, the best-designed home in the world can be rendered unliveable by poor ventilation, and by far the most effective way to guarantee a well-ventilated property is to incorporate your ventilation system at the design stage.