Low carbon buildings
www.heatingandventilating.net
Back to the future
With the Future Homes Standard currently under consultation HVAC contractors working in the New Build Residential sector need to prepare for the changes now. Steve Pearce, product manager at Vent-Axia explains how mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) will play a vital part in reducing carbon emissions and meeting the future transformation
P
repare now… Despite the Government appearing to slow down on its route to Net Zero the UK still has the legal target to meet Net Zero by 2050. It is therefore important to make changes now to ensure we meet this goal. Buildings account for 40% of energy use in Europe and approximately 35% of emissions. To meet the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target, buildings need to decarbonise which will involve the wide-scale electrification of heating, a move away from fossil fuels, as well as significant improvements to air tightness and building insulation. Heat recovery ventilation will be a key technology to help deliver another means of carbon avoidance by preventing heat loss, so as a technology it is set for significant growth. The Government has already been taking measures to reduce building
carbon emissions. In 2021 it amended Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and Part F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations, reducing carbon emissions from new build homes by 30%. With housebuilders keen to cut carbon emissions in line with the Building Regulations, there has been a significant trend towards developers specifying a combination of centralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) in combination with decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation (dMEV). However, MEV is very much an interim stage on the journey as we move towards Net Zero and more advanced ventilation systems. The next step will be the introduction of the Future Homes Standard in 2025, which aims is to ensure that new homes built from 2025 will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes built under the current Building Regulations. The Future Homes Standard is currently under consultation, closing on the 6 March 2024. To meet the necessary carbon reductions buildings are becoming more
thermally efficient as they are insulated, and their air tightness is increased to avoid heat loss. Airtightness looks set to be a critical feature of energy efficient homes going forward with new homes adopting the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard to measure energy efficiency. However, an airtight building envelope should allow controlled air exchange and air permeability to give suitable ventilation, yet still prevent condensation and heat loss. Without considering ventilation alongside these measures a building can end up with condensation, mould and poor indoor air quality (IAQ). Energy efficient heat recovery ventilation
16 February 2024
Above: Steve Pearce, product manager at Vent-Axia
therefore supplies a solution that provides healthy filtered air while recovering heat that would be otherwise lost.
MVHR Specifiers will therefore be pleased to know that the latest MVHR, such the Lo- Carbon Sentinel Econiq, have been designed to be highly energy efficient with industry-leading low specific fan powers (SFP) and low embodied carbon but that they also ensure occupant comfort is a priority by operating quietly and effectively improving IAQ. Recovering as much as 93% heat recovery efficiency this type of unit saves huge amounts of energy that would be otherwise wasted, good news for carbon reductions.
Installation
MVHR units are also becoming easier to install and commission. Designed to make install easy for contractors and to maximise space the Sentinel Econiq range, for example, includes a horizontal duct option for space-saving installations. Plus, the range also includes handed left or right via the app rather than separate L/H and R/H units, thus making specification easier in
DOWNLOAD THE HVR APP NOW
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
