MVHR and building physics knowledge for healthy, comfortable and energy efficient homes
This article will explain MVHR’s compatibility with other mechanical services within the home such as underfloor heating, air conditioning, heat pumps and cooker hoods. An MVHR system is a future-facing home technology that will help achieve the UK’s low carbon climate change goals, so it’s important that it works well. MVHR and underfloor heating An … Read more
Heat, Space and Light Ltd technicians have conducted forensic airtightness testing on a renovated London Victorian end-of-terrace. The results of the four-hour visit will have improved its comfort, energy efficiency and acoustics by up to 30 per cent, and lowered the home’s heating bills for life. The forensic airtightness pressure test was conducted over four … Read more
We have completed the design and first fix installation of a Zehnder Q350 MVHR system with ComfoTube ducting into a 100-year-old cottage that’s undergoing a low energy retrofit upgrade. The MVHR system will improve the indoor air quality, comfort and energy efficiency, but also protect the century-old building fabric by ensuring indoor humidity is dealt … Read more
It is subtle and understated in its impact on UK housing, but this new build bungalow home is one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world – and represents the future of housebuilding in the UK and Europe. We pressure tested the home this December using a calibrated airtightness testing fan and it … Read more
If you’re researching installing a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system for your project, you may have heard of an Enthalpy heat exchanger or ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilation). But what is an “Enthalpy” heat exchanger? How does it change humidity in the home? And is it expensive to install? The basics of enthalpy heat … Read more
If you’ve ever seen black mould in your home, you’re not alone. The problem with black mould is that unless it’s dealt with correctly (as I’ll explain below), it’s hazardous to health, not nice to look at – and will keep coming back. Mould is formed when a surface provides the right conditions for it to … Read more
Have you spent this summer struggling to sleep in the heat, unable to choose between the security and noise issues that come with opening your windows at night, or closing them and lying in bed sweating? You’re not alone. We often hear about how dangerous cold weather is for those suffering from fuel poverty in … Read more
I’ve written before about the average price of a high quality Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) installation, which includes an itemised price for each detailed ductwork layout, materials supply, installation and commissioning (airflow balancing and client handover). Today I’m going to explain (with photos) why the cheaper MVHR units are a false economy, and can … Read more
There’s a big problem in the plastic recycling industry. Oil companies are desperate to convince us that plastic recycling is possible, because it removes the guilt from us using so much of it in our daily lives. But in reality, there’s no such thing as plastic recycling. In the UK, we’ve made plastic recycling at home far too complicated. If you … Read more
30 years ago house-builders in the UK would have never considered how airtight they were building new homes. “Aren’t all homes fairly airtight, once you put the windows and doors in and pump the gaps with insulating foam?” Well, not necessarily. Fireplaces used to be for both heating and ventilation Traditionally, homes built before our … Read more