Residential HVAC
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MVHR: what you need to know
Lee Stones, senior product marketing manager at Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation, which includes the Xpelair brand, gets to grips with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems
of the energy and sustainability agenda and MVHR systems are an increasingly popular solution for new build and refurbished properties. But what is an MVHR system? MVHR systems are suitable for buildings
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where insulation levels are high. Available as a centralised heat exchange system, the technology extracts moist, stale air from inside the property and replaces it with fresh, incoming air. Crucially, it uses heat from the outgoing air to warm the incoming air, with high efficiency systems able to warm air up to more than 90% of the internal air temperature.
How does it work?
Correct specification is key. Heat recovery is a system comprising two components – the heat exchange unit and the ducting. The design and quality of both is equally important in achieving maximum performance. Because the heat exchange unit is often
installed in an isolated space, equally important is how the device is connected to the spaces within the building requiring ventilation. Since the role of the system is to remove stale air and replace it with fresh air, the suitability of the ducting that travels in and out of the unit is vital. Appropriate specification of the MVHR unit and the ducting to operate alongside it requires an overall design view, in the context of the property it is destined for, to ensure the correct heat exchange unit and optimum ducting is selected. If you specify a certain duct run, the MVHR unit needs to be able to be operate effectively alongside it. If excessively long ducting is used or the duct has too many bends or a completely inappropriate type of duct is fitted (for example flexi ducting) then an MVHR unit will not be able to perform correctly. This is why our dedicated in-house Xpelair System Design Service works with clients,
July 2019
ith a growing awareness of the dangers of poor indoor air quality, effective ventilation has become a key component
reviewing their building design and ventilation requirements to help them get this right.
MVHR benefits
Part F of the Building Regulations states that there are four categories of ventilation product that an installer can choose from: Intermittent extract fans and background ventilators, passive stack ventilation, centralised or de-centralised mechanical extract, or MVHR. As a cost-effective, mechanical, balanced
ventilation system, MVHR offers the benefit of providing ventilation that extracts air from a building, whilst also supplying fresh filtered air – addressing key health concerns commonly associalted with high levels of insulation and poor ventilation. To increase their effectiveness, the latest MVHR systems offer a host of features including ultra-fine filters, PIR sensor activity for enhanced efficiency, and cold-climate pre-heating. Xpelair’s Natural Air 180 also uses adaptiflow technology to deliver a constant volume of extracted air, giving assurance that the specified performance is being delivered.
Maximising the opportunity
Ventilation is not a one-size-fits-all approach and the one constant of a modern ventilation system – whether in a domestic or commercial setting – is the need to balance energy efficiency with management of indoor air quality. MVHR provides an opportunity for outstanding performance in this area when significant refurbishment or new building design is taking place. Evolving building regulations and a greater
focus on management of indoor air quality make this a fantastic opportunity for installers to add value and boost their income stream. It is now easier than ever to help your customer understand the benefits of investing in a ventilation system that will pay dividends for decades to come.
The installation of an MVHR system
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