Advice about ventilation in the workplace and the classroom says: "It is important to ventilate to minimize the risk of getting mould" - but is that the only truth?
It is important to ventilate, even if it is cold outside. In winter, there is a greater risk of moisture damage if you do not ventilate. That's true, but there's more to the story.
Correct ventilation in the workplace, the classroom is essential - and here we are not just talking about making drafts.
The recommendations are: Air out more than 2-3 times a day with drafts for 5-10 minutes, i.e. with at least two opposite openings - then it won't increase the heating bill either.
Why does the draft not go beyond the heating bill?
When drafts are created, the air is replaced and in winter it is colder air. The short interval means that only the air is cooled – not the walls or the interior. If you only open a window in a pinch or have drafts for too long - you cool the walls and the interior down! There it goes beyond the heating bill, because extra energy must be used to heat up the walls and the interior again.
But the wrong way to ventilate not only affects the heating bill - it also increases the risk of mould!
When can ventilation cause a risk of mould?
In winter, there is a big contrast between the temperature of the outdoor air and the indoor air. If you ventilate incorrectly – i.e. have drafts for too long or have the window closed, condensation forms, which increases the risk of getting mould.
Therefore, we can conclude that you must remember to ventilate with drafts in order not to get mold - but you must also remember to close the window in time.
Our experience at ÅBN is that, firstly, it is difficult to know when it is time to air out, and secondly to know when sufficient air has been aired out.
Fortunately, we have created a solution for that, which we call " THE CLOUD ". SKYEN is an intuitive plug-and-play solution that measures the indoor climate and lights up blue when the indoor climate is good, and changes to red when the indoor climate is bad.
Curious about more knowledge about indoor climate?
Would you like to read more about how to properly ventilate the office? Then you can read our blog post about ventilation in the office here.
How do you handle sitting in a listed building without ventilation - and at the same time maintain a good indoor climate? This is a situation that we were in, and you can read how we dealt with it right here: the indoor climate of an office in a listed building.
