Ventilation technology has a long history of which has continually evolved to meet the changes in the way we live and the way we build. The word Ventilation comes from the Latin term Ventialtio, which in 1660 was described as a process in which you “replace the air in an enclosed space with new and clean air. Up until the mid 1900’s airing & heat driven ventilation was the accepted form of ventilation for homes. It was quite simple!
With the fireplace lit, the warm less dense air would rise up through the chimney and the atmospheric pressure would bring fresh air into the building via vents and opening in the building. Since then the most common way of ventilation in Australia was simply by opening windows and also having exhaust fans in bathrooms, this is effective for air changes however it is very inefficient, as energy within the home literally blows out the window. It can also lead to very cold draughty winters. When humidity levels are high outside natural ventilation is not ideal either. In the modern-day, homes are built to a high energy efficiency standard which includes a well-insulated, much more airtight home. Therefore, mechanical ventilation becomes a necessity! After all, there is no point installing thermally broken double glazed windows if they are going to be chocked open 100mm for ventilation is there?
