It is an easy task to improve the indoor air quality of
your home while improving its energy efficiency at the same
time. Knowing some basic steps is all you need to get
started.

Improve Air Quality and Energy Efficiency by Eliminating
Drafts

The first order of business is to eliminate as many drafts
as possible. This will limit the quantity of airborne
allergens that can enter your home from outside. Draft
prevention can improve air quality inside our homes, and
has the added benefit of improving the energy efficiency of
our heating and cooling systems. Much of your high energy
costs is due to loss of heat in the winter and in the
summer, the loss of air conditioning, generates higher
energy bills and it wastes your money and our natural
resources.

Reducing drafts helps reduce the outside irritants and
toxic particles that can be found suspended in outdoor air
and have less chance of getting into your home.

Air Circulation Improves Improve Air Quality and Energy
Efficiency

Circulating the air inside becomes very important as it
allows the air to move around and the rooms will not become
stuffy, stale and full of odors. Using an air conditioner
to control the humidity in your home will also reduce or
eliminate humidity and reduce the need for a dehumidifier
which is very expensive to operate.

Create a Save Haven in Your Home

Your ability to control your indoor air quality and energy
efficiency will allow you to create a safe haven in your
home, This will help protected from airborne microbes such
as small pox, anthrax, botulism, toxic gas, and radio
active particle that can be released by terrorists or by
accident.

Improve Air Quality and Energy Efficiency by Leakage Testing

A simple air leakage test is your first step you need to do
to improve your indoor air quality and energy efficiency.
All that is needed is a fan set up near an outer doorway.
After placing the fan in the outer doorway, you will
observe that eh amount of air that flows through the fan is
equal to the air that is flowing through any leaks in the
outer shell of the building.

If you use white smoke while you perform the leakage test,
you will see openings in windows or door that are allowing
your air conditioning and heating to escape or toxins to
enter. These cracks are also places where dust, insects,
pollen and mold spores can enter the home.

Most people are aware of the fact that older homes are
often drafty due to multiple leaks, but believe it or not,
newly constructed homes can also have air leaks. It is
estimated that new homes can have upwards of 300 square
inches of air openings in the outer shell. If you have a
ducted air circulation system in your home, these openings
can create a significant level of pressure inside the home
that will drive air through these openings. Don't fall
into the trap of thinking that since you have a new home,
you don't have any leakage problems.

Conclusion

One final caveat. If you are planning on sealing up your
home to improve the air quality and energy efficiency of
your home, you must think about reducing the amount of
chemicals that you use. More and more studies are showing
that the air quality within our homes is often worse than
the air we breathe outside. Carpeting that gives off toxic
fumes, cleaning products, personal care products and
electronic equipment are only a few of the products that we
use indoors that is contributing to "sick house syndrome".
So before you tackle the job of improving your air quality
and energy efficiency, use more natural products in your
home to keep you and your family safe.

There are some very important facts about air pollution
that you should be aware of that can ultimately keep you
from serious harm and could actually save your life. When
you dig deeper in to studying air pollution facts, you will
find them very disturbing. It will become very evident
that the move you planned on making to a major city, or the
type of hairspray that you use will require some serious
thought.

One pollution fact that is the scariest is that if you live
in any of the major cities world wide, you will live 2-3
years less than those people who live in the suburbs where
there is cleaner air. This reduced life expectancy is
directly due to the health consequences of continually
breathing polluted air. We all agree that life is short
enough. Don't subject yourself to unhealthy situations
that can obviously shorten your life?

Many people still believe that industry is the biggest
cause of air pollution. This is only partly true, They
only contribute about 10 percent of the total cancer risk
in major cities. The other 90 percent of the risks related
to cancer come from the emission from the various methods
of transportation. Not only does this inclde the major
polluters, it also includes automobiles, buses, trucks
ships, and trains. While major cities don't have a lot of
lawns like the suburbs do, you would be shocked to find out
how much pollution you generate by the simple act of mowing
your lawn. The fact remains is that most air pollution is
generated by humans burning fossil fuels.

Another scary fact is that children breathe at a faster
rate than adults and as a consequence, they breathe in much
more polluted air than an adult. This increased exposure to
air pollution has been directly connected to increase
incidence of childhood asthma. Asthma has been noted to be
the leading reason that children miss school.

It has also been estimated that 6.In the United States
alone, every year from one million to a staggering 51
million work days are lost, all attributed to air pollution.

Health problems caused by air pollution costs more than
money and lost time in school or work, it can actually cost
you our life. If your home, office or school is located
near a high traffic area, you have an increased risk for
lung disease, bronchitis asthma and even cancer.

If you are armed with solid air pollution facts, you will
better understand the reasons you should be cutting down on
the pollution levels in the air that you breathe. Car
pooling is one of the most effective ways to reduce air
pollution. Many people are lucky enough to have other
co-workers who live in the same area. By car-pooling you
not only save money in gas, you also save wear and tear on
your automobile. On a larger scale, you are also cutting
down on the amount of emissions you are pumping into the
atmosphere. If more people made the effort to carpool,
there would be a measurable decrease in the amount of air
pollution in major cites worldwide.

Add to this the fact that chemicals used in the homes such
as aerosol hair spray, and copy machines used in offices,
are also a major contributor to air pollution. Switching
to environmentally safe products will eventually become the
norm as the toxic chemicals that are found in nearly
everything we use on a daily basis, are eliminated.

Conclusion

The fact remains that air pollution is a huge problem and
although great strides are being made to reduce the
situation, most people are overwhelmed by the scope of the
problem. If everyone took small steps to reduce air
pollution, the air we breathe would be in much better shape
than it is now.