Ventilation Systems
How Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems Work:
There are a range of home ventilation systems available to improve the performance of NZ homes. Increasingly architects, designers, builders and homeowners are appreciating the links between ventilation, health, comfort and wellbeing inside the home, and energy efficiency:
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A mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MHRV) system is designed to deliver a range of inter-related services for a healthier living environment:
Remove stale air and pollutants such as CO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dust and pollens
Supply fresh, dry, filtered air
Manage consistent indoor temperatures, reducing heating and cooling demand
Reduce the build up of indoor moisture, humidity, condensation and mould, also contributing to reduced heating costs.
A MHRV system operates continuously in the background, extracting stale, humid air and bringing in fresh, filtered air. The two air streams pass through a heat exchanger, which uses heat from the outgoing air to warm the fresh air coming in. In winter, this process reduces the need for heating in the home. In summer, the system can bypass the heat exchanger for cooler ventilation temperatures.
A MHRV system can be integrated into your heat pump, heat pump hot water or other services in the home for further efficiencies.
The experience of a good ventilation system is very significant:
“We absolutely get a great night’s sleep. It is particularly noticeable in the winter or summer. No restless nights or disturbed sleep. This could be because there is no heaviness to the air, or stuffiness. The temperature is comfortable and uniform- no hot stuffy nights.”
Chatterton Homes client, Cashmere
“I don’t miss the musty, damp smell at all, and now hardly remember it. That’s one of the biggest pluses for me - the air feels healthy indoors.”
Chatterton Homes client, West Coast
“The stack effect is how we deal with natural air flow. Cool air is always more heavy, on the ground – it’s designing houses where that cool air is dragged into the house and it heats up, and it rises and exits via top light windows.”
Duncan Firth: Solarei Architecture
“Although we built a 2-storey house, we do use the principles of opening a window. We have windows on both sides of the house so there can be a natural draught, and that works.”
Victoria Mitchell: Statement Homes
“What the house does, it naturally heats, with its northern orientation, and then designing in specifically cross ventilation and stack effect – it’s designed either (1) you open it up and have cross ventilation which is a good Kiwi way of doing things in Northland, and (2) looking at stack effect, hot air rising and how we design that in throughout the house .”
Duncan Firth: Solarei Architecture
“We were really worried about overheating but it hasn’t been a problem. We have windows that slide across so airflow can really come through. The design of it really impacts, so if you can partner with a good architect who thinks about these things it doesn’t have to be a problem. It didn’t cost much to do, it was just the design of the window and where the air was pulling from – low windows on the bottom floor that open out to the ground, and skylights that funnel it up like a chimney – it comes down to design, if you get the right people involved early on then you’re winning.”
Victoria Mitchell: Statement Homes
