RESIDENTIAL HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS (mvhr)
MVHR provides fresh filtered air into a building whilst retaining most of the energy that has already been used in heating the building.
AN INSIGHT INTO RESIDENTIAL MVHR
Moving air around the home and enabling good air change rates is critical to maintaining a comfortable and healthy living environment. If air movement is stifled, your home will become stuffy which, in turn, can lead to health problems such as asthma and lethargy.
MVHR extracts warm stale air from bathrooms, toilets, utility rooms and kitchens which then passes through a heat exchanger unit before being expelled to the outside atmosphere. At the same time, it draws fresh air from outside which passes through the same heat exchanger and therefore warming it up to be delivered as warm fresh air to living or working areas. In effect, recovering heat energy rather than letting it go to waste.
MVHR KEY INFORMATION
- With building regulations moving towards better-sealed homes, the need for mechanical ventilation is growing.
- It is vital that the system is designed with a clear understanding of the design requirements when ventilation air heating input is to be considered.
- The installation of MVHR in a building will also affect the heating system design.
- One of the effects of heat recovery ventilation is to equalise the temperature throughout the building. Therefore, it is important to prioritise the heat supply to the rooms that should be warmer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No – MVHR is first and foremost a mechanical ventilation system used to manage air changes in a property to keep the internal air quality fresh.
No – whilst MVHR can provide some heating (and also cooling) it cannot be relied upon to maintain a certain temperature.
No – if the system has been designed correctly for the property then there wouldn’t be any noise issues (such as whistling through vents, vibration from the units etc).
Building regulations require certain air change rates to keep internal air fresh. With buildings becoming so well sealed, air changes need to be managed mechanically and MVHR is an excellent method of doing this.
Yes – a good MVHR system will have pollen and NOX filters which help to ‘scrub’ or clean the incoming air.
No – it simply uses a low-draw fan to move the air around the building.
Not easily as there are ducts that need to be run around the building, typically in ceiling or floor voids. Also, for MVHR to work most effectively, the building needs to be well sealed and this is usually not the case with older buildings. However, there are ventilation systems on the market that can be retrofitted – ask us for further details.
It can certainly help significantly.
Case Studies
