If you’ve been studying the concepts of building science, you’ve probably heard of the four control layers, water, air, vapor, and thermal. Thinking about each of these building envelope control layers individually, and how they interact together helps in the planning and execution of building a better home.
This concept of separating a home’s assemblies can also be applied to a different topic, the air inside a home. Most of us probably take air for granted, we breathe it, it’s always around us, but with regards to inside our homes, airflow needs to be managed. I recently caught a presentation by Pat Huelman, a respected building science educator and researcher from the University of Minnesota. Part of his discussion focused on the need for projects to include an “air manager”, someone paying attention to how air interacts with the built environment and mechanical equipment. He discussed the importance of four different types of air in our homes and how each contributes to the quality of the indoor environment, energy conservation, and durability:
- Combustion Air
- Make-Up Air
- Ventilation Air
- Circulation Air
Continue reading “Do You Know About the Four Different Airs Inside Our Homes?”
