EFFICIENCY IN MEDICAL & EDUCATIONAL BUILDINGS Low-carbon ventilation solutions for schools W
With the UK’s Net Zero target drawing closer and schools under growing pressure to improve energy efficiency while providing a healthy school environment, ventilation has rapidly become one of the most scrutinised elements of building design. Louise McHugh, product manager at Breathing Buildings discusses the latest trends and how the latest low carbon ventilation can offer a solution
hen it comes to school ventilation, today’s building services consultants must balance increasingly airtight buildings, indoor
air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, compliance and cost, all within tight education-sector budgets. At the same time, persistently high energy costs are driving end-users to look for solutions that deliver long-term savings without compromising occupant well-being. These pressures are accelerating demand for natural, hybrid, and mechanical ventilation systems that can deliver long-term energy savings without compromising pupil wellbeing.
Current climate
The ventilation sector is currently experiencing a good mix of new build and retrofit school projects. Extensions, phased refurbishments and modular classrooms, are becoming increasingly common, so many schools now consist of buildings of varying ages and layouts. This has created a growing need for adaptable ventilation technologies that can be moved or reused as a space changes function. Here, hybrid ventilation units, such as Breathing Buildings’ Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling (NVHR®) and its Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling and Heat Recovery NVHRe range, are proving particularly valuable. Hybrid ventilation provides the flexibility to relocate units when teaching spaces are repurposed, reducing the need for full system replacements. This lowers costs and helps schools reduce the environmental impact of refurbishment works. In parallel, there has been a notable rise in demand for ventilation servicing. IAQ is now recognised as important to pupil health, attendance and performance, yet servicing and maintenance were historically not a priority due to budget constraints. In the last Spending Review, the Government allocated more funding for school maintenance. Within the funding is £2.4 billion in each of the next four years to rebuild over 500 schools, as well as an annual maintenance investment to help improve the condition of the school estate. Meanwhile, schools are increasingly recognising the importance of operational efficiency and maintaining good IAQ, with planned maintenance now a core consideration in ventilation strategies. Ventilation systems designed with easy access to filters, fans and heat exchangers such as Breathing Buildings’ NVHR offer clear benefits, prolonging unit life and ensuring consistent performance.
Hybrid ventilation
Although funding for schools has recently increased, energy prices remain high, making whole-life running costs an important factor when specifying ventilation. Hybrid ventilation, which uses both natural ventilation and
mechanical ventilation in one system design, is an ideal solution for commercial buildings with high heat gains such as schools, colleges, leisure centres, offices, theatres and even churches. Hybrid ventilation makes use of free heat that accumulates naturally in a space, reducing demand on heating systems and cutting energy bills. It offers long-term value for both new schools and older buildings undergoing refurbishment. By installing hybrid ventilation, commercial buildings can maximise health, comfort and sustainability without having to invest in significant building works, making it ideal for retrofitting.
A new development in hybrid ventilation is the addition of a low resistance heat exchanger cell, providing both heat recycling and heat recovery thereby reclaiming even more heat, saving more energy, providing greater occupant comfort, and allowing users to include it within the building energy assessments (SBEM). Breathing Buildings’ Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling and Heat Recovery (NVHRe) hybrid ventilation unit boasts the lowest energy consumption for a hybrid heat recovery ventilation unit in the industry. It combines 46% heat recovery efficiency with low Specific Fan Power (SFP) of 0.075 W/l/s to help maximise a building’s energy savings. In addition, the NVHRe has several different operating modes to minimise energy use, enhance IAQ and improve occupant comfort. An intelligent hybrid system, the unit automatically decides when and if mechanical operation is required, ensuring it only operates when absolutely necessary. By incorporating a low-resistance aluminium
cross-plate heat exchanger, the NVHRe system significantly reduces energy costs by minimising reliance on space heating. The system operates in colder temperatures (below 7ºC), when mixing recycled air alone is not enough, to maintain the desired temperature for occupants.
In addition, the latest hybrid ventilation, like the NVHRe range includes models with heating coils and versions that include both heating and cooling coils for year-round comfort. These options allow designers to reduce or even remove the need for additional heating or cooling equipment, supporting broader Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) objectives. Designers are increasingly considering a broader set of IEQ factors, including temperature control, noise, and daylight. Importantly, the units are designed with a low profile, ensuring that natural daylight remains unobstructed, a key consideration for modern teaching spaces.
Mechanical ventilation
Hybrid ventilation is well suited to most classroom environments, but certain spaces
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such as gyms, canteens, libraries, landlocked rooms (rooms with no external walls) or spaces requiring fixed extract rates, need mechanical ventilation solutions to maintain consistent air quality and comfort levels. Air Quality Management Areas, where air pollution levels are higher than the national air quality objectives, also require mechanical ventilation and require higher levels of filtration. Recognising this need, Breathing Buildings recently expanded its portfolio with its MVHRe commercial heat recovery unit so it can provide the designs and supply the units for any setting.
Sustainability
As schools and local authorities focus more heavily on sustainability, there is growing demand for transparent embodied carbon data. Breathing Buildings has adopted the CIBSE TM65 methodology across its product portfolio, allowing specifiers to compare embodied carbon values against other manufacturers’ units more easily and to design ventilation strategies aligned with Net-Zero goals.
Design
With ventilation technologies becoming increasingly efficient, system design has become an important focus in delivering optimum performance. Building services consultants must navigate a complex regulatory landscape, with new and evolving legislation, including the Building Safety Act, Part F and Part L, driving compliance requirements. Breathing Buildings specialises in designing natural, hybrid, and mechanical ventilation, providing consultants with expert guidance to achieve the best, lowest-energy ventilation scheme for a building, while ensuring compliance with key standards such as: PSBP FOS; BB101; TM52; and CIBSE Guide A. To further support consultants, Breathing Buildings has invested in specialist consultant specification managers who provide essential services such as airflow modelling, 4DFlo thermal modelling, and sound calculations. Additionally, the company offers a suite of free, user-friendly design tools, including: a Cold Draught Calculator, CO2 Buildup Calculator, and BB101-aligned summertime overheating calculators, which further assist consultants in creating ventilation systems that deliver optimum performance. With Net-Zero targets fast approaching, achieving good IAQ, energy efficiency, and thermal comfort through effective ventilation design has never been more crucial. At Breathing Buildings, we offer the expertise and solutions to help consultants meet these challenges head-on.
BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2025 19
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