Lee Nurse, Marketing Director at Vent-Axia, explains which types of ventilation products are best suited for developments in light of the new Building Regulations.
The new Approved Documents Part F (Means of Ventilation) and Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) of the Building Regulations have changed the outlook on the choice of ventilation solution for housebuilders.
Part L and Part F feature a number of major revisions that include minimum energy efficiency levels for all ventilation systems. The launch of Part L’s new Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide highlights ventilation performance levels. Here, a specific fan power requirement of less than 0.5 watt/sec is now included for intermittent fans which are used in new build developments.
The Regulations also require that homes are increasingly air tight to further lower dwelling emission levels, but not at the expense of good air quality. So, Part F offers guidelines for airtight properties with infiltration rates tighter than 5m3h/m2 at 50pa. For Intermittent System 1 and Passive Stack System 2 approaches, in airtight dwellings the guidance increases background ventilation rates by up to 50%. Since this level is difficult to achieve with trickle ventilators in windows, this new demand will increase the uptake of continuous ventilation solutions at the expense of intermittent fans. Continuous ventilation performs better in SAP, is easier to specify and easier to standardise.
The result will be a growth in whole house and decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation systems (MEV and dMEV) plus Mechanical Extract Ventilation systems with Heat Recovery (MVHR).
Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon™ Centra provides a near silent dMEV solution incorporating the latest DC technology and so delivering the lowest specific fan power in its class. The Centra, complies with Building Regulations Part F for continuous mechanical extract ventilation (System 3) and is capable of achieving ventilation at only 1.4 watts, so offering homeowners not only literal peace and quiet, but also peace of mind electrical bills won’t hit the roof. Offering virtually silent operation, a fresh design and a reduction in the requirement for trickle ventilators potentially to zero, the energy efficient Centra fits discreetly in modern homes and is simple to install.
Meanwhile, the Sentinel Kinetic range of residential mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems offers a SAP Appendix Q eligible ventilation solution capable of up to 92% heat recovery. This will help reduce the DER (Dwelling Emission Rate) of new build properties and deliver points to meet Level 3 of the Code.
A whole house, multi-room ducted solution, this MVHR system combines supply and extract ventilation in one unit. Warm, moist air is extracted from ‘wet’ rooms through ducting and passed through the heat exchanger before being exhausted to the outside. Fresh incoming air is preheated via the integral heat exchanger which recovers up to 92% of the heat energy that would otherwise be wasted. The unit’s energy saving Vent-Axia LoWatt DC motors further improve its efficiency and carbon reducing capabilities.
Lightweight, with very low noise levels the Sentinel Kinetic unit is suitable for cupboard or loft installation. The exact ventilation rate can be set on the LCD display at normal and boost speeds, supply and extract, to match the volume of the property, while a ‘delay-on timer’ prevents unnecessary boosting and a ‘delay-off timer’ ensures effective moisture removal.
Centra and Sentinel Kinetic are part of Vent-Axia’s comprehensive Lo-Carbon™ range. In fact, Vent-Axia is the only ventilation company offering a full range of products which will meet the Approved document’s specific fan power requirement of less than 0.5 watt/sec for all applications. For more information on Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon™ please click http://www.vent-axia.com/range/vent-axia-lo-carbon-ventilation-range