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	Cooking Ventilation Basics - The truth about efficiency and indoor air pollution
	The Home Ventilation Institute has indicated that the main source of pollution in the home is produced in the kitchen. Grease from cooking is a main contaminant. Studies show that a household of four people will produce a gallon of grease per year because of improper ventilation. Spatter around the cooktop or left in filters is about 15% and the remainder is in the form of vaporized grease. A small amount of vaporized grease is some of the reason why there are odors in the home. Most grease particles are three microns in size.
	A micron is a millionth of a meter. A human hair is 100 microns. A grease particle could float in a home for  up to three days. Controlling grease can also help in controlling moisture, heat and odors. The height of a kitchen ventilation hood should generally be about 30" to 36" from the cooking surface, or maximum 72" from the floor. The width of the hood should match the width of the cooking surface. In some cases, it is desirable to have a wider hood, but never one smaller. To determine the proper ventilator size, there are two facts to consider. First, if the total btu is less than 60,000 then the unit should be 100 cfm per linear foot. Example, a 36" cooktop would require 300 cfm. If btu is greater than 60,000 it is 100 cfm per btu, which would equal 600 cfm. If the noise of some lower end vent hoods bothers you, consider a hood with the fan located in the attic. Energy Efficiency Some think that ventilators waste energy because they are pulling conditioned air outside the home (assuming you have a ventilator that truly vents to outside the home). Studies have shown that this not to be true. In the case of cooled air (air conditioning), removal of the heat from the cooking area is more efficient than trying to cool the heated air from cooking. Clean Home If possible, try to cook fried foods outside the house. For indoor cooking consider using splatter guards over cook pans. Keep the inside of vent hoods and filters clean. Use your vent hood whenever you are cooking items that are prone to produce grease particles.