Ventilation?
why ventilation?
Because we have been building homes increasingly airtight since at least the 1960’s, and not addressing the resulting need for active ventilation. Most older homes that have had double glazing upgrades or fireplaces closed off will tend towards being poorly ventilated. Its an unfortunate statistic that indoor air is almost always more polluted than outdoor air. Ventilation has also traditionally been neglected when looking at the retrofit of homes. PAS2035 has put an end to that. A retrofit project begins with a dwelling’s condition report and ventilation assessment. Existing structural and ventilation issues need to be resolved before any retrofit work is begun, not least because retrofit work can easily exacerbate existing problems.
However, how we assess the adequacy of ventilation is still lacking.There is guidance on how much fresh air is required per person. What we lack is a way of knowing that ventilation is actually adequate, that the required amount of fresh air is entering the dwelling.
What we already know
The vast majority of older homes do not enjoy controlled ventilation. This means they are either under or over ventilated. There are recommended parameters for both relative humidity and co2 concentrations. Departing from these parameters can be harmful to both people and the dwelling.
Space heating is where about 90% of our heating goes to. There is therefore a need to get ventilation just right to minimise energy waste and maintain a healthy indoor environment. The modern building mantra is “Build tight, ventilate right.”.
Our Ventilation Monitor / Ventilation System
Our Home Ventilation Assessment Monitor is a device you place in bedrooms or living rooms. The average home will require 3-4 monitors for an assessment.
The Monitor continuously measures the concentration of co2 in the air to assess ventilation adequacy. It also measures temperature and relative humidity.
The Monitor produces a database ready report on the adequacy of ventilation in a dwelling, at the end of the 3 week data collection period, written on to micro SD cards.
The Ventilation Monitor also has the built-in ability to control a ventilation system, both wirelessly and directly, to maintain a healthy indoor air environment. Please see the products page for the complete Demand Driven, Mechanical Extract Ventilation System.