The Benefits of an MVHR System

An efficient MVHR system can even out the temperature between rooms in a dwelling while also helping reduce energy use. Discover the best info about heat recovery system.

MVHR provides controlled ventilation through constant air movement, unlike background ventilators (trickle vents).

MVHR systems provide an adequate whole-building ventilation rate and can increase airflow temporarily when a toilet, bathroom, or kitchen is being used.

Ventilation

An MVHR system serves an essential purpose by continuously providing fresh, filtered air to living and working spaces, thus preventing heat loss, minimizing condensation that leads to mold growth, and improving air quality. Furthermore, its regular operation ensures reduced heating costs and carbon emissions.

MVHR units feature fans and heat exchangers designed to extract and filter stale indoor air before returning it through filters, heating it back up again before blowing it through filters into a fresh supply of fresh air pumped out by fans throughout a building, including habitable rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms.

MVHR systems are especially suitable for buildings designed and constructed to a high standard of insulation and airtightness, such as new buildings or significant refurbishments, with excellent air tightness ratings. Such airtight properties need adequate ventilation to avoid health problems like Sick Building Syndrome resulting from unintentional air leakage through cracks in walls, ceilings, or poorly insulated surfaces.

Ventilation is essential in bathrooms, where excess moisture can lead to mold and rot growth, but also in kitchens and living rooms. An MVHR system offers the ideal solution for these applications by continuously providing fresh air flow that prevents condensation while keeping humidity manageable.

As part of any new build or retrofit project, specifying an MVHR system early can maximize its efficiency. Doing this early will reduce installation costs while minimizing disruption; additionally, the ducting must be designed carefully to achieve maximum system performance.

An MVHR unit should be placed in an easily accessible central location close to its thermal envelope, such as in a utility room, plant room, or warm loft space, to reduce supply and extraction duct length as much as possible. Furthermore, maintenance access for filter changes should be readily available either through a hatch in the ceiling (requiring careful planning of ceiling joist placement) or via an internal wall-mounted unit’s doorway on ground level.

Heat Recovery

Modern buildings are constructed to higher air tightness standards than two decades ago to minimize unintentional air loss and keep energy bills down. Unfortunately, this can hurt indoor air quality; toxins build up quickly without adequate ventilation, leading to health issues such as asthma.

MVHR systems address this problem by extracting polluted air from wet rooms (kitchens, bathrooms, and utility spaces), passing it through a heat exchanger, and pumping it back into living rooms, bedrooms, etc. Cold outdoor air is pre-warmed before being introduced directly into the home, helping reduce heating costs while keeping a consistently comfortable temperature inside your property year-round.

Various manufacturers offer multiple MVHR systems on the market, but when selecting, it is essential to consider both performance and functionality before looking at prices alone. Cheap MVHR units may not always perform as efficiently or even be capable of recovering any heat at all!

The ideal placement for an MVHR unit should be as close to an exterior wall as possible to reduce drafts, maximize heat recovery, minimize supply, and extract ducting noise. Loft placement would also be preferable as this helps avoid thermal bridging while decreasing heat losses.

Retrofitting an MVHR system into existing homes is often possible if their building fabric is airtight. Retrofit installations tend to go smoothly in bungalows and one-and-a-half-story houses with open eaves/attics; it may be easier in places. Due to costs and difficulty concealing ducting within the fabric of buildings, MVHR systems tend not to be included with new builds; however, we have overseen many retrofit installations during renovation projects with excellent results for both building performance and occupant wellbeing.

Filtration

An MVHR system constantly ventilates a property, extracting daily moisture that would otherwise settle on surfaces and eliminating condensation and mold growth. Not only can an MVHR help prevent structural damage while keeping occupants warm in wintertime, but it may also filter airborne pathogens and pollutants out for healthy living environments.

MVHR systems bring fresh air from the outside while extracting moist air from wet rooms such as bathrooms, kitchens, and utility areas using filters. Stale extracted air passes over a heat exchange cell that recovers energy that would otherwise be lost through exhaust. This energy is transferred back into fresh air via ventilation ducts, resulting in minimal heat loss while providing consistent ventilation.

Filtered air is circulated throughout the house and living spaces, providing fresh, breathable air and improving indoor air quality (IAQ). Supplementary heating or cooling may be added if necessary to achieve maximum performance.

Filters that become clogged significantly reduce the performance of an MVHR system, forcing its fans to work harder and increase power consumption as they try to overcome resistance. Regular filter changes will prevent this, decreasing noise levels and energy use.

MVHR systems can be tailored with various filters designed to address specific issues in a home. Hay fever sufferers might benefit from pollen filters to remove allergens; activated charcoal filters can capture rural and traffic fumes.

New builds often incorporate MVHR systems seamlessly into the fabric of their building and are typically concealed within the ceiling or floor ducts – this makes installation far less disruptive than using conventional extractor fans in each room and avoids problems associated with running through insulation ducting. Such systems must be planned correctly during the construction phase to ensure all necessary details and installation dates are included on drawings and that one builder is responsible for its implementation.

Installation of an MVHR system in existing homes may prove more complex, as the ducting must be incorporated through openings such as doors and windows. Achieving this successfully requires engaging the services of an experienced installer who can ensure all requirements are fulfilled to comply with current building regulations and achieve optimal system efficiency and performance.

Noise

MVHR systems provide a perfect solution for modern homes. As insulation and airtightness standards tighten up, opening windows is becoming less feasible; therefore, a good quality mechanical ventilation system must be in place to rid living spaces of moist air that has become stagnant over time.

MVHR systems differ from older ventilation systems in that they must work harder to supply fresh air and control humidity levels, making them noisy as the system works to change it.

Noise pollution from an MVHR unit depends on many elements, from its owning unit and installation methods to ducting, installation methods, and building layout. To find a quiet team, it is often wise to speak with suppliers and choose models that Eurovent has independently tested; this will give a good indication of its performance.

An important consideration when installing an MVHR unit is choosing an installation location that doesn’t back onto or directly above a kitchen or main bathroom to minimize vibrational amplification by building structures. Anti-vibration brackets may help mitigate noise by stopping noise transfer through the ductwork into homes.

Even in trickle mode, too high of a sound level may irritate occupants to the point that they switch it off altogether. The most successful MVHR systems are inaudible due to the excellent design of both their units, ducting design, and appropriate attenuation (silencers).

Good quality filtration systems not only filter out unwanted particles like dust, dirt, pollen, and mites but can also capture odors that pollute the air quality in your property, improving air quality by reducing dust and allergens, especially helpful for hay fever sufferers. It should be noted that MVHR systems require some aftercare, such as replacing filters every so often, so selecting an installer with whom you feel you can entrust this responsibility is vital.

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