You know that good air ventilation is key to avoid mold in your home, but according to a recent email from indoor air quality consultant Bob Blanchard, the best strategy to improve air quality is to make your home as air tight as possible by caulking or using weather-stripping around doors and windows.
Other tips for weather proofing your home include: caulking where plumbing, duct work, or electrical wiring comes through walls, floors, and ceilings; installing foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on walls; covering single-pane windows with storm windows or replacing them with more efficient double-pane windows; and keeping the fireplace flue damper tightly closed when not in use. If your home is not air tight, then your HVAC system could be pulling dirty air in from the attic or crawl spaces which can negatively affect that quality of the air you breathe. Variable speed HVAC systems are becoming more prevalent in the marketplace as well. These systems Can save up to 50% more energy than minimum efficiency units.