As summer draws to a close the hopes of a September heat wave keep most of us from flicking the central heating switch to on. Our thoughts turn to those long dark nights, winter woolies and keeping nice and cosy on those evenings when temperatures drop below freezing.

Experts are warning that potentially thousands of homes across the country could be affected by Radon gas. This colourless, odourless radioactive gas is formed by the decay of small amounts of uranium that occurs naturally in all rocks and soils. When this occurs it produces another radioactive element called Radon’s Daughters, which can attach themselves to dust particles in the air and, if inhaled, they will stick to the airways of the lung.

According to the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), health studies have linked exposure to Radon to the increased risk of lung cancer.

Condensation damp is probably the most common type of damp found in the home. And whilst structural damp problems and rising damp are not good news, condensation damp is pretty grim too! Left untreated, condensation is followed by black mould, not an attractive look and most annoying if you have recently decorated.

EnviroVent, one of the UK’s leading ventilation manufacturers, has seen a major increase in demand for its domestic ventilation systems from people living in flats.

If you are a social landlord and want to ensure you are maximising profits and protecting your investment, we can help. As we strive to make our properties more energy efficient by keeping in the heat, we are losing fresh air and ventilation in our homes. Poor ventilation coupled with condensation and moisture can mean mould and damp problems, creating issues that could affect the health of your tenants and the value of your property. In this post, we look at why it is so important for social landlords to continually review the ventilation and energy systems in their properties, in order to maximise their profits, and minimise their problems.

Without a continuous flow of fresh air into and out of your home the relative humidity rises, and the internal atmosphere quickly becomes full of moisture. Eventually leading to condensation, especially with fluctuations in temperature which occur during winter. After a period of this cycle continuing, the water droplets that form on colder surfaces can lead to mould growth and, in some cases, damage to the building fabric itself.

The annual event, Clean Air Day, takes place on 21 June. Organisers are urging people to leave their cars at home for the day after pollution-busting data gathered on the day of the London Marathon showed a huge drop in air pollutants during the largely traffic-free day.

In building terms, ventilation simply refers to the process of changing or replacing air with external air in a given space over a period of time.