Mechanical Heat Recovery and Ventilation
Seal it tight - Ventilate right! This is the maxim for modern energy efficient homes.
Once a house is fully insulated and triple glazed the fabric heat losses are minimised. The only method of heat loss is through ventilation. So after all the buildings fabric has been sealed the heat losses or the buildings heat energy requirement is absolutely minimised - with one major problem. Buildings need to breathe, for the health of the building and the occupants. Moisture needs to be prevented and odours need to be removed, but ventilation by its nature removes heat from a building. The solution is Mechanically controlled Heat Recovery and Ventilation. Heat and moisture is generated by cooking, bathing and by the occupants in addition to the heat provided by heat emitters like radiators etc. As the MHRV unit extracts stale air, odours and moisture via vents installed in kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms, it simultaneously imports fresh air from outside the building. As it does so it filters the air removing particulates like pollen and dust which is particularly good for people with allergies. It then diverts the fresh cool air through a heat exchanger where the warm extract air is also passed. This recovers the heat from the extracted air and preheats the incoming fresh air. The heat exchange process is not 100% efficient but it is about 60-70% efficient. Put in simple terms it reduces a building ventilation heat loss by about 2/3 which is a significant energy saving. The MHRV units themselves are very low energy consumption, they are completely automatic with manual override, just like a conventional heating control.
The average domestic MHRV retrofit installation costs approximately £3,000-£6,000 installed. Costs are affected by type and size of property and location of equipment and vents. They will provide all of the households ventilation requirement.
This reduces household fuel costs and cuts carbon emissions, saving money and the environment. It can give a property a higher score on its energy performance rating(see below) and help achieve a higher level on the code for sustainable homes (see below).
We are experienced installers and we Specify, Design, Install and maintain our domestic MHRV systems to best suit your individual situation and requirements.
We strongly recommend an independent SAP survey for your property before we undertake installation. This will indicate current energy usage and carbon production. It will provide an energy rating and highlight the most cost effective energy saving improvements. It can also demonstrate the likely energy and carbon savings made by those improvements.
For further independent consumer advice and information please see:
www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/greenerbuildings/sustainablehomes
