Indoor air quality / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

A beautifully finished straw bale home with natural plaster walls
Wall assemblies - new construction

Straw Bale Homes: A Complete Guide for Homeowners & Professionals

...Indoor air quality and material sustainability The materials used in straw bale homes are natural and non-toxic, which contributes to excellent indoor air quality. Straw is a byproduct of grain farming and is free of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals often found in modern building materials. By ...

Lead paint peeling off a wall being scraped
Healthy indoor air quality

How do You Know if Your Home has Lead Paint and What to Do About It?

...airs, where the rubbing of surfaces creates lead dust. Older fixtures: Radiators, mantels, and built-in cabinets may also have layers of lead paint. Lead-based paint may not be immediately visible; it can be buried under many newer layers of paint. A thick, layered look to the paint, or paint that chips in large, 'all...

An Old Brick Faced Home Tricky To Air Seal - Image © Blackstone Edge Studios
Air and vapour barriers

How to Air Seal Older Homes for Better Energy Efficiency

...air inside during the summer, and most importantly, improves indoor air quality. Uncontrolled air leaks can draw in pollutants, dust, and allergens from basements, crawlspaces, and attics. A properly air-sealed home is a healthier home because it helps keep the air you breathe clean. Air sealing also reduces unwanted n...

Vermiculite Insulation In An Attic
Healthy indoor air quality

How to Know if Vermiculite Insulation has Asbestos, and do I Leave It Undisturbed or Have it Removed?

...air quality risk to the conditioned space below. That does not mean it is entirely risk-free, specifically for homes with very poor air sealing. Particles falling through the ceiling is not the concern for exposure, the risk of airborne asbestos particles is more attributed to minor air currents in the attic caused by ...

A hazy New York, New York, skyline & bridge colored by orange wildfire smoke
Healthy indoor air quality

How to protect your home & family from wildfire smoke

...airtight construction. As the quality of our exterior air becomes less reliable, the quality of our interior air is more important than ever.   Now you know more about how to protect your home air quality and how to keep wildfire smoke out of homes. Find more pages about healthy indoor air quality and sustainable home ...

Green building certifications

A practical guide to green home certifications: Passive House v LEED v BREEAM

...Indoor air quality: a tale of two strategies Both approaches deliver excellent indoor air quality, but in different ways. LEED & BREEAM focus on "Source Control". They have stringent credits that push builders to choose materials that are inherently less toxic. This means specifying paints, adhesives, and cabinetr...

Closed cell spray foam insulation being applied to basement walls
Insulation and soundproofing

How to choose between open cell and closed cell spray foam and which is best?

...air quality, honestly that would be never. Other deciding factors are if you want : The most cost effective The highest per inch R-value To allow or prevent the movement of moisture To reduce sound transmission The lowest environmental impact The safest air quality When to use open-cell spray foam:   Open-cell spray ...

Zehnder ERV installed in a laundry room
HRV and ERV

Top HRV and ERV Ventilation Units: 2026 Buyer's Guide for Homeowners and Pros

...air barriers and air sealing measures that still rely on air leakage to change the air in homes. Natural ventilation does remove moisture as well as a certain amount of indoor contaminants, but that's not a reliable way to provide fresh air to homes, nor is it an energy efficient one. And new contaminants can be introd...

A woman connecting the battery of a carbon monoxide detector
Healthy indoor air quality

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Prevention: How to Protect Indoor Air Quality in Homes from CO Contamination

...indoor air quality, consider the benefits of centralized hydronic heaters for whole-home comfort. Now that you know more about carbon monoxide prevention and detection, find more info about indoor air quality & green building techniques in the Ecohome Green Building Guide and these pages below: Home fire safety: ...

Green building certifications

What is the WELL Green Building Standard?

...Air The Air concept focuses on achieving high levels of indoor air quality (IAQ). This involves rigorous requirements for ventilation, filtration, and pollutant source control. For professionals, this means specifying high-efficiency air filters (e.g., MERV 13 or higher), ensuring adequate outdoor air exchanges, and te...

Smart Homes, Technology & UV can Help Reduce COVID-19
Cleaning and maintenance

Keep homes cleaner & safer with smart home features & UV light

...indoor air quality here: Smart homes & devices - energy efficient automated home design Choosing better home furnace filters to help stop virus spread 'Smart' sewage backup and flood prevention devices How to maintain healthy indoor air quality Find more about green home construction in the Ecohome Green ...