Build Tight - Ventilate Right

With a home that is built right, we need to ensure that we ventilate right.

For many years, home in UK and Ireland have been ventilated via natural air ventilation. The result of this has been high energy consumption for space heating (which accounts for over 50% of the energy used within a dwelling).

New energy efficient homes today are being built as airtight as possible through double or triple glazed windows, sealed doors, high levels of insulation and contributing towards enhanced U-values.

The objective of a good ventilation strategy is to provide a balance between energy efficiency and indoor air quality. This strategy should have an integrated approach, taking into account other factors such as thermal insulation, heating systems, controls and your own family requirements.

Poor ventilation in a home causes streaming windows, musty odours, dampness, condensation, mould growth and excessive carbon dioxide in the home - it is also the biggest cause of heat loss. Studies show there is a direct connection between the quality of air (caused by poor ventilation) and our ability to concentrate and perform productively as well as the effect poor indoor air quality has on asthma and allergy sufferers.

Beam offer the following types of Mechanical Ventilation Systems to help allow your home to breathe easier.

Fresh air is continuously drawn into the home via the low energy MVHR unit located in the roofspace/utility area of the building. The ventilation unit filters the incoming air to remove pollutants and insects. Once this air is passed through the high efficiency heat exchanger with the ventilation power unit, the warmed, clean fresh filtered air is distributed around the building through a series of ducts which run to each habitable room i.e. living room, bedrooms etc.

The quiet and compact central Mechanical Extraction Ventilation system is usually installed in a roofspace or cupboard and ducted to all wetrooms. The low energy unit runs continuously at a low normal ventilation rate, extracting stale polluted air from rooms where the most moisture is generated e.g. kitchens and bathrooms. A flow of fresh air from outside is supplied by a Positive Input Ventilation unit/s or window trickle vents to match boost extract rate from the MEV fan.

The sophisticated energy efficient whole home ventilation and condensation control unit designed to continuously gently ventilate from a central position on the landing or central hallway. Moisture-laden air is diluted, displaced and replaced with subtle fresh filtered air, forcing contaminants out of the property through leakages or extract points in wetrooms (if applicable). A PIV system is the ideal solution for condensation and mould issues in existing homes.

So it is easy to see why the concept of "build tight - ventilate right" has never been stronger.

Beam are here to help you achieve the right ventilation strategy for your home. Contact us for more information, a free no-obligation quotation or house survey.