Ventilation must be part of rental housing WOF

31 August 2017

Councils wasting money if whole house ventilation not part of rental housing WOF

The continued focus on insulation and heating is not going to solve the health problems caused by New Zealand’s poor quality rental housing unless proper ventilation is part of the mix.

“Without properly designed and installed whole house ventilation, mould can continue to grow in a home, despite the landlord’s best efforts in heating and insulating the property,” says Tony Sandes, managing director of DVS. DVS have over 20 years of experience in the domestic ventilation industry and are recognized leaders in the field.

Tony’s comments come as health data released yesterday shows diseases linked to cold, damp, overcrowded homes are killing more New Zealand children than car crashes or drownings.

“It's all very well having a rental warrant of fitness that includes heating, insulation and occasional ventilation via an open window or extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, but without properly designed ventilation throughout the house you can still end up with dampness issues and mould growth occurring,” says Tony.

“Traditionally, the Kiwi approach to ‘home health’ has been single room heating, opening the windows or inadequate, intermittent extractor fans for ventilation. We want Kiwis to be aware that insulating a home on its own won’t stop mould or dampness. Heating a home on its own won’t keep a house dry and ventilating a home on its own won’t keep a house toasty and warm.

“A well-insulated home will allow less heat to escape, however it could also be more airtight. This tends to trap moisture inside and often, despite the home being warmer, condensation forms. This is also due to people keeping their windows shut to keep out the cold, or for security reasons. Condensation creates an ideal environment for mould growth.”

DVS have also noticed excessive condensation and mould growth in homes which have been retro fitted with insulation. Although the home is made warmer, installing the insulation (and heating) may not make the home a drier or healthier place to live.

A DVS ventilation system only costs, on average, around eight cents a day to run and, because a dry home is easier to heat than a damp home, families can end up having a home that’s more energy efficient.

“We’re hearing of more and more Kiwi families struggling through winter, their houses riddled with mould which severely affects their health. There’s been a lot of talk about tenants not being able to afford the heating their landlords are installing for them as well – a factor that could be reversed if the house was properly ventilated, insulated, and was drier.

“Take the onus away from the tenant. If you’re a landlord, especially in lower socio-economic areas, you should do the right thing by addressing the three key factors needed to create a healthy home; insulation, heating and whole house ventilation. This will help bring electricity costs down so tenants will actually use their heating, while also keeping your investment free from damage caused from dampness and mould. And most importantly will help keep your tenants healthy through winter. When all three factors are working together, homes throughout New Zealand will be warmer, and much healthier” says Tony.

The typical New Zealand house produces about 12 litres of water a day from cooking, showering, and general day-to-day living. That’s equal to a big bucketful of moisture sloshing around a house and it’s that moisture that causes dangerous mould, mildew and damp.
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