Fresh air inside the home is also vital in Covid-19 battle

With winter arriving many householders are spending more time indoors to keep warm and to avoid the coronavirus.

But a Midlands expert has warned that to beat the pandemic people must not only wash their hands regularly and maintain social distancing, they must also think about the air they breathe inside their homes and other buildings.

“Good ventilation matters,” said Ron Fox, “because if there’s not enough fresh air, it increases the chances of being infected by Covid-19.”

He said the problem is that recent research shows that tiny virus particles can linger in the atmosphere and scientists believe everyone should get 10 litres of fresh air every second.

Another difficulty is that air conditioning units, which draw air from the room and then recirculate it by blowing it back out, may be a risk if a person spends a number of hours there.

“I accept that some modern ventilation systems have filters, but these are not fool-proof,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park.

So what can be done by residents worried about their homes having poor ventilation and indoor airflow?

Ron advises getting an expert in to give a one-stop health check. They will check that there is a good flow of fresh clean air indoors; the quality of the ventilation; fireplaces and gas stoves are adequately vented; the state of the insulation and ensure there are no mould problems.

To show how technology is improving the air in homes Ron said the latest advanced solar aerovoltaic panels on a roof not only provide green electricity, but also works as a filter to purify the inside air.

He said the front of the panel harnesses the sun’s rays to generate electricity – just like a standard solar panel. But the back of the panel captures heat from the atmosphere, where it is filtered through a ventilation and energy module before being used to heat the home and purify the air inside it.

It is effective even on cloudy days and at nights as it works all the year round by absorbing atmospheric energy, not direct sunlight.

Although traditional solar photovoltaic panels lose around 60 per cent of the sun’s energy available to them, an aerovoltaic panel recovers the solar energy which would otherwise be wasted and uses it to regulate the temperature inside a building and provide a steady supply of fresh air throughout the property.

And Ron added: “In summer it can even be switched to reverse with a thermostat that provides cool, fresh air during the day and a more comfortable night’s sleep.”

For more details about green energy and a one-stop health check for your home, call Ron on 01782 756995.