Vent-Axia’s ground-breaking Lo-Carbon™ Centra and Quadra fans have helped improve the indoor air quality for residents at a block of flats. The flats known as Spencerbeck are located in the Ormesby area of Middlesbrough. They were refurbished by Coast & Country as part of the Decent Homes programme.
Coast & Country is one of the largest regeneration and social housing providers in the North-East of England. Based in the Tees Valley, the housing company is responsible for 10,082 dwellings, comprising a mixture of flats, houses and bungalows, in addition to other premises such as shops, offices and depots in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, and beyond. Since the successful installation of Vent-Axia’s Centra and Quadra fans into the nine-storey tower block of 72 high-quality, affordable flats at Spencerbeck, Coast & Country now specifies both products as standard for all its investment works.
The aim of the refurbishment at this development was to bring the flats up to modern standards, making them more sustainable and improving residents’ quality of life. Old intermittent fans in kitchen and bathroom areas were replaced by new continuous running Lo-Carbon™ Centra and Quadra products to provide an ultra-quiet, energy efficient and easy to fit alternative.
“After significant evaluation and testing, Vent-Axia’s Centra and Quadra fans came out on top as the most beneficial to residents to improve the air quality within our properties whilst also proving to be pleasing on the eye” said Robert Baillie, Procurement Manager at Coast & Country “Since the products’ installation, the constant trickle and boost facility has successfully removed condensation and mould growth within the flats.”
Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon™ Centra is ideal for retrofitting, providing a near silent dMEV solution with the lowest specific fan power in its class. It complies with Building Regulations Part F for continuous mechanical extract ventilation (System 3) and is capable of achieving up to 90% energy savings and a 62kg carbon reduction, so offering tenants not only literal peace and quiet, but also peace of mind that electrical bills won’t hit the roof.
Offering virtually silent operation, a fresh design and a reduction in the requirement for trickle ventilators, this type of fan not only helps improve efficiency, but fits discreetly in modern homes and is simple to install.
Meanwhile, Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Quadra is suited to through-the-wall or ducted applications. A breakthrough in unitary fan technology, this type of unit has been designed to successfully reduce carbon emissions while keeping maintenance requirements firmly in mind. Following a one fan fits all ethos, the Lo-Carbon™ Quadra is equally at home in kitchens, bathrooms, toilets or utility rooms, providing a guaranteed installed performance that comfortably meets the requirements of Building Regulations Part F for intermittent fans (System 1) and continuous mechanical extract ventilation (System 3).
Simply replacing old inefficient fans with new fans efficiently powered by DC motors has had a huge impact on reducing Coast & Country Housing’s carbon levels and lowering the energy bills of its properties. Both the Lo-Carbon™ Centra and Quadra not only boasts DC fan technology but also offers time and cost savings on maintenance – key in helping Coast & Country to stay within tight budgets, while successfully maintaining high quality housing stock.
Compared to traditional intermittent ventilation options, continuous ventilation systems such as these are energy efficient, near silent in operation, simple to use and discrete. That’s why both the Centra and Quadra fans offer specifiers a clear route to reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency in their existing housing stock.