To ventilate
Healthy and comfortable indoor climate in energy-efficient houses requires cleverly designed ventilation systems. With ventilation controls designed by Airios, we help our customers build best-in-class solutions to manage humidity, CO2 levels, VOCs, allergens etc. in the most energy-efficient way. Our controls are designed for all kinds of indoor demands and outdoor climates -from Italy to Norway- and always comply with local regulations.
Solutions
Zoning solutions
Our new valvescontrol for zoning (VMZ-02V02) offers benefits like more targeted ventilation in the living and/or sleeping zone. This is more energy efficient, it reduces noise and ensures a healthy indoor climate where it is needed at that moment.
The air distribution is distributed between the living zone and the sleeping zone on the basis of the measured CO2 concentrations. The CO2 concentrations indicate where the air quality in the house has decreased. This allows targeted ventilation. In many cases this means that there is more ventilation at night in the sleeping zone and less in the living zone and vice versa during the day.
Our zoning PCB supports 12V or 24V stepper with a max power of 4W. It is intended for a unipolar, 4-coil
stepper motor.
Exhaust and supply systems
Exhaust ventilation systems work by depressurizing the building. By reducing the inside air pressure below the outdoor air pressure, they extract indoor air from a house while make-up air infiltrates through leaks in the building shell and through intentional, passive vents.
Exhaust ventilation systems are most applicable in cold climates. In climates with warm, humid summers, depressurization can draw moist air into building wall cavities, where it may condense and cause moisture damage. The systems are relatively simple and inexpensive to install. Typically, an exhaust ventilation system is composed of a single fan connected to a centrally located, single exhaust point in the house.
A preferable option is to connect the fan to ducts from several rooms (especially rooms where pollutants tend to be generated, such as bathrooms). Adjustable, passive vents through windows or walls can be installed to introduce fresh air rather than rely on leaks in the building envelope. However, passive vents may be ineffective because larger pressure differences than those induced by the ventilation fan may be needed for them to work properly.
Spot ventilation exhaust fans installed in the bathroom but operated continuously represent an exhaust ventilation system in its simplest form.
Supply ventilation systems work by pressurizing the building. They use a fan to force outside air into the building while air leaks out of the building through holes in the shell, bath- and range-fan ducts, and intentional vents.
As with exhaust ventilation systems, supply ventilation systems are relatively simple and inexpensive to install. A typical system has a fan and duct system that introduces fresh air into usually one—but preferably several—rooms that residents occupy most (for example, bedrooms, living room, kitchen). This system may include adjustable window or wall vents in other rooms.
Supply ventilation systems allow better control of the air that enters the house than do exhaust ventilation systems. By pressurizing the house, these systems discourage the entry of pollutants from outside and prevent backdrafting of combustion gases from fireplaces and appliances. They also allow air introduced into the house to be filtered to remove pollen and dust or to be dehumidified.
Like exhaust ventilation systems, supply ventilation systems do not temper or remove moisture from the air before it enters the house. Thus, they may contribute to higher heating and cooling costs compared with energy recovery ventilation systems. Because air is introduced in the house at discrete locations, outdoor air may need to be mixed with indoor air before delivery to avoid cold air drafts in winter.
Balanced and recovery systems
Balanced ventilation systems, if properly designed and installed, neither pressurize nor depressurize a house. Rather, they introduce and exhaust approximately equal quantities of fresh outside air and polluted inside air, respectively. A balanced ventilation system usually has two fans and two duct systems. It facilitates good distribution of fresh air by placing supply and exhaust vents in appropriate places.
A typical balanced ventilation system is designed to supply fresh air to bedrooms and common rooms where people spend the most time. It also exhausts air from rooms where moisture and pollutants are most often generated, such as the kitchen, bathrooms, and the laundry room.
Like both supply and exhaust systems, balanced ventilation systems do not temper or remove moisture from the air before it enters the house. They do, however, use filters to remove dust and pollen from outside air before introducing it into the house.
Also, like supply ventilation systems, outdoor air may need to be mixed with indoor air before delivery to avoid cold air drafts in the winter. This may contribute to higher heating and cooling costs.
Energy recovery ventilation systems usually cost more to install than other ventilation systems. In general, simplicity is key to a cost-effective installation. To save on installation costs, many systems share existing ductwork.
Complex systems are not only more expensive to install, but often they are also more maintenance intensive and consume more electric power. For most houses, attempting to recover all of the energy in the exhaust air will probably not be worth the additional cost. Also, these types of ventilation systems are still not very common. Only some HVAC contractors have enough technical expertise and experience to install them.
In general, you want to have a supply and return duct for each bedroom and for each common living area. Duct runs should be as short and straight as possible. The correct size duct is necessary to minimize pressure drops in the system and thus improve performance. Insulate ducts located in unheated spaces and seal all joints with duct mastic.
Energy recovery ventilation systems operated in cold climates must have devices to help prevent freezing and frost formation. Very cold supply air can cause frost formation in the heat exchanger, which can damage it. Frost buildup also reduces ventilation effectiveness.
In addition, energy recovery ventilation systems need to be cleaned regularly to prevent deterioration of ventilation rates and heat recovery, and to prevent mold and bacteria from forming on heat exchanger surfaces.