Home ventilation is something that needs to be considered from the very start of a project, whether you're building a new home from scratch or renovating an existing property.
But what do we mean by ventilation in the home? Home ventilation usually refers to the removal of air and new fresh air from outside replacing it. Ventilation removes stale air, ensuring your home feels fresh and comfortable, as well as helping to remove moist air that can lead to issues such as condensation and damp.
Home ventilation can take many forms, and often your home's ventilation won't rely on just one.
Why is Home Ventilation Important?
Adequate ventilation is essential in maintaining a healthy environment, as it:
prevents the build-up of excess levels of humidity (which can lead to condensation, mold and can consequently result to health issues)
provides air for fuel-burning appliances, such as log burning stoves
removes cooking smells
in some instances it can help remove allergens and other irritants, such as tobacco smoke
Buildings are ventilated through a combination of uncontrolled ventilation (draughts, air bricks and trickle vents, etc) and, increasingly in new homes, controlled ventilation solutions such as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MHVR). Another solution, which needs designing in from the start, is passive ventilation.
Uncontrolled ventilation is, in essence, ventilation that's always active — you can't turn it on and off. For many existing homes, airbricks and trickle vents have been the solution of choice. They are cheap to install, comply with building regulations and are understood by most builders.
Controlled ventilation are active with fans to create either positive or negative pressure in the home. Often, carefully designed ductwork is used to balance the system across the building. Whole house mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) has become the ventilation ‘must-have’ for self-build projects.
One of the key benefits of MVHR is improved air quality. Plus, the removal of pollution and airborne allergens, such as pollen, means such systems are highly beneficial for allergy suffers. However, MVHR systems are not suitable for all new homes. Your new home needs to be suitably airtight to ensure a MVHR system will work efficiently.
@Airios we create the heat recovery controller for these MVHR systems. Next to that we also deliver the applicable sensors that go with it!
