MVHR and building physics knowledge for healthy, comfortable and energy efficient homes
In my role as the lead MVHR technician at Heat, Space and Light Ltd we receive lots of questions and queries about MVHR systems. I’ve collected together my responses to some of the most pressing concerns that people have with a home ventilation duct system – from airborne spores to cleaning, maintenance, kitchen extraction and … Read more
When you have decided to specify a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system for your home, it can quickly become confusing which type of ducting to use. There are two main types of MVHR ducting to choose from, explained below: MVHR ventilation ducting in a “branch” layout This is the classic ventilation system, also … Read more
Building Regulations Part F wants to know how much air (in m3hr) passes through each metre square area of the fabric (m2). This is the Air Permeability (AP or m3.hr/m2) figure of the building. To get the AP figure, one calculates the volume of air in the property. Then one calculates the total external envelope … Read more
Building Regulations requires that an MVHR’s intake grille (bringing fresh air into the property) and the MVHR’s exhaust grille (exhausting air from the property) should be 1.5 metres apart from each other. This is to prevent the system from sucking in the warm, humid exhaust air back into the property, also known as “cross-contamination”. The … Read more
Shipping containers in conceptual architecture have become shorthand for “recycling” and “environmental sustainability”, and yet they are neither. You should run a mile from any architectural company that is genuinely enthusiastic about the potential of shipping containers, for the reasons I’ll explain below. The most important point: you’re not “recycling” shipping containers at all. Architects think they … Read more
14 June 2017: Today we finished the final stage of what was a complete design, supply, install and commissioning of a Zehnder ComfoAir Q600 Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system – that also features cooling air-conditioning. Although we’ve commissioned many Zehnder and PAUL MVHR units in the past, this was the first time we … Read more
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery systems (MVHR) are actually very straightforward to install yourself, as long as you’re reasonably handy with a drill and you aren’t afraid of heights. Here’s a step-by-step process for how to install your own MVHR or HRV system, safely, without leaks and saving a lot of money. If you’d like … Read more
We’ve been chatting with people at the 2016 Homebuilding & Renovating Show in London all this weekend, and one of the cool toys we’ve had on offer has been one of the newest, top-of-the-range MVHR units from German-manufacturer Zehnder. The HRV unit had its panels removed and mounted in plexiglass, and the unit’s internal heat exchanger was … Read more
If you’re building or renovating your home and making the property’s building fabric more insulated and airtight then you may be wondering where, how and from which company to buy MVHR (it stands for Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery) system products. Also known as Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV), the premium brands in MVHR systems are … Read more
If you would like to learn more about what’s involved during a building airtightness test in the UK, please read on. If you have a new build project or renovated building which requires an airtightness test for any reason, please contact me on Patrick [@] Heatspaceandlight.com for pricing. Any new build in the UK has … Read more