Healthy homes: main characteristics of these houses

In the 21st century, houses must be much stricter in health and also in comfort, in addition to maintaining control of energy consumption. Apart from the obligations of the Technical Building Code, in 2020 the mandatory European standard will come into effect, which will ensure that every building constructed in Spain is a Nearly Zero Energy Building. Part of this regulation is focused, in addition to finding energy efficiency, on achieving that we live in healthy homes.

These healthy homes must ensure the best health indoors, preventing us from contracting diseases or developing ailments related to the respiratory tract. An unhealthy home can cause colds, promote the proliferation of bacteria, or even create allergies.

What are the main pollutants and problems that can endanger health at home?

• Stale environment. If we do not have proper air renewal, what can happen is that the air gets trapped and loses quality, becoming stale air. This can occur when cooking fumes or cleaning chemicals mix in a closed environment.
• Poor quality air. In direct relation to the previous point, if the air we bring into our home is of poor quality, we will also be endangering our health. We need to know when to open the windows and if we should close them at specific times. Likewise, when we do renovations or cook, we need to extract the pollution created outside the home.
• Humidity. It is important to take into account the water vapor in the air. Excess humidity can be harmful to our homes, but above all for health. Comfort is also reduced, as humidity causes the sensation of heat or cold to be more intense.
• Poor thermal insulation. It can lead to increased costs for climate control, but above all makes us suffer more from weather conditions in summer and winter. Unwanted air movements can even occur due to poor tightness.
• Costly climate control. Heating or air conditioning can create irregular situations. For example, excessive heating -besides being very costly- causes hot air to accumulate in high areas, for example in our head, while our feet remain cold.
• Noise pollution. Non-insulating walls can produce discomfort from excess noise.

Until very few decades ago, almost all homes in Spain suffered from these problems. Today, thanks to the regulation of the Technical Building Code and European guidelines, there is a commitment to healthy homes in addition to efficiency. For example, through Nearly Zero Energy Buildings, it is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%, energy consumption by another 20%, and achieve a 20% increase in renewable energy use.

When analyzing what the healthy homes consist of, we should consider that they will be those that provide solutions to the previously mentioned problems.

Characteristics of healthy homes

The most important thing to be able to say that we inhabit a healthy home is to be aware of the importance of air renewal and good energy efficiency. It will depend on this that we have good indoor temperatures and that we avoid the formation of germs that may cause colds.

• Healthy environment. With good air circulation, we avoid generating stale air and eliminate pollution in the home. By using a mechanical ventilation system, we can renew the air automatically without needing to open windows or worry about its operation.
• Clean, odorless air. Usually, unpleasant odors indicate that there is a problem of pollution or humidity in the air. Healthy homes must have clean air, which can be achieved through pre-filtering the air before it enters the rooms, possible through the use of double flow mechanical ventilation systems.
• Controlled humidity. Thanks to dehumidifiers and proper air renewal, we can control excess water vapor in the air, which improves health and comfort at temperatures.
• Efficient climate control. With good tightness and also efficient ventilation systems, we can climatize without needing traditional systems, at least in most cases.
• Noise-free. Thanks to thermal insulation, we can enjoy a noise-free environment, which translates to greater well-being inside the home.

It is important to note that healthy homes are also those that have high energy efficiency and use sustainable energy sources. To improve life in cities, we must inhabit homes that are more respectful of the environment.