Healthier homes during the allergy season and beyond

While the City of Edmonton recently decided to postpone the pesticide ban for two more years, they do use a variety of integrated Pest Management programs to manage a range of pests including weeds, tree pests, and other plant diseases. The first choice in managing weeds focuses on improving soil quality and manual weed control; however, when other methods are not reliable or feasible enough for legal requirements and parkland standards, herbicides may be used.

Meanwhile the allergy season continues and for some, the symptoms last right through the summer—or longer. For those allergy sufferers, there are considerations when purchasing or renovating their home, which can start with a BUILT GREEN® certified home. Ventilation and indoor air quality are two important sections in the BUILT GREEN® checklist. For the home's inhabitants, this means less stress on the respiratory and immune systems, and for those who suffer from ailments like asthma, the focus on improved air quality can become quite important and result in a much more comfortable home life. A BUILT GREEN® home helps you breathe easier with improved health and comfort for your family.

For improved air quality, the BUILT GREEN® program encourages you to choose low- or zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) building materials, low- or formaldehyde-free building materials, and third-party certified floor coverings—all contributing to healthier indoor air quality with fewer of the toxins common to modern homes. In consideration of ventilation, a heat recovery ventilator circulates air in the home and remove allergens from the air. These ventilators replace old, stale air with filtered, fresh air, ensuring that odours, allergens, and dust don’t linger in the home. Heat is recovered from outgoing air, meaning a more energy efficient system.

Ultimate Vent has a pre-filtering furnace fresh air intake vent that enhances the furnace system and provides a more economical and effective way for less maintenance, less furnace problems, better efficiency, and another opportunity to affect long-term, superior indoor air quality for your customer.

Desert Spring's Canadian-made Pulse Humidifier system is a true water-efficient, flow-through humidifier. Water consumption is carefully monitored and controlled by its patented pulse control unit, which senses the by-pass air temperature and meters water flow to avoid potential standing water issues and/or reduction in output. A BUILT GREEN® certified home is more comfortable on various levels.

1) Our energy efficient homes have a significant reduction of drafts, cold spots, and temperature variance from room to room, due to the program's attention to the home's air tightness and ventilation.

2) Many BUILT GREEN® builders use triple-paned windows, which, in addition to offering superior energy efficiency, offer substantial sound reduction from exterior sources: noise transmission is greatly reduced and insulation and air tightness is improved.

3) Proper ventilation results in a reduced cleaning necessity: ventilation systems pull stale air and particles in the air (dust, etc.) out of the home, replacing these with fresh, clean air.

Derek, a BUILT GREEN® homeowner, says: “I love my BUILT GREEN® Platinum home. It’s efficient, comfortable, and has environmental features that I chose, like hardwood floors and an improved air filter. My kids breathe easier, and their asthma and allergies are not as severe in this home. Keep up the great work!" - Derek Satnik, BUILT GREEN® homebuyer, Ontario