A sustainable approach to refurbishment of a century-old ‘Arts &
Crafts’ semi-detached home is on target to achieve a virtually zero
carbon footprint, through use of innovative technologies.
One of the key elements incorporated into Kit Knowles’ refurbishment
of his home in the historic garden village and conservation area of
Chorltonville, Manchester, is Passivent’s new iHybrid ventilation
system. Uniquely, Passivent iHybrid combines the benefits of proven
natural ‘intelligent’ passive stack ventilation with those of heat
recovery, to give a ‘mixed mode’ hybrid option, minimizing energy
consumption whilst ensuring the dwelling is effectively ventilated
with clean, pollutant-free fresh air.
Kit elaborates, “I estimate my carbon reduction for the home to be
around 80% already, and by the time I have included other renewable
of solar thermal and photovoltaic thermal panels, the figure may be
closer to zero! My aim has been to create a real home, that is a
showcase of sustainable strategies for renovations, and which can be
visited by people wishing to learn and include such technologies in
their own projects.
“Passivent’s iHybrid has been a key element of the scheme. My
research demonstrated the main technologies for energy efficiency
were passive stack and heat recovery, so I started looking for a
ventilation system which combined them both. Passivent was the only
company which made something appropriate available in the UK, and it
had the added advantages that it delivers the ventilation
requirement necessary for healthy living and its design is so
discreet, it is acceptable by planning for a conservation area.”
Passivent is the UK’s leading supplier of natural ventilation
solutions for domestic and commercial environments, and its iHybrid
is the only system of its kind, combining natural ventilation, with
heat recovery available as/when necessary.
Passivent iHybrid predominantly uses well-designed natural ‘passive
stack’ ventilation, harnessing natural air movement principles to
draw fresh air into a home and exhaust the ‘used’ internal air
without any electrical consumption, coupled with ‘as and when
necessary’ heat recovery.
An external thermostat monitors the outside temperature: when above
9°C, the natural ventilation wall vent remains open to provide fresh
air into the dwelling, with the humidity sensitive ceiling mounted
extracts drawing the ‘used’ internal air out only as and when
required via convection and the venturi effect (whereby warm air
rises, and air moves faster with height, creating suction). As
extraction automatically occurs only when necessary, there is no
occupier input, nor unnecessary extraction which would place a
corresponding demand on heating to maintain the ambient warmth
within the home.
When the external temperature falls below 9°C, the system senses the
coolness and switches to heat recovery mode, closing the wall vent
and switching air transfer to via the heat exchanger, transmitting
warmth from the exhaust air to the cooler incoming air to reduce
heat loss, and maintain a comfortable internal ambient temperature
AND air quality.
As a result, the energy-using heat recovery element operates only
when required: research by the Institute of Energy & Sustainable
Development at de Montfort University has shown the iHybrid thus
produces electrical energy savings of 55% a year, and a 8.5% saving
in carbon emissions as a result. Further, as the heat recovery
element is used less, and the natural ventilation has no moving
parts to need replacing or maintenance, lifetime costs in repair,
maintenance and replacement parts are correspondingly cut- by
approximately 39% over a 60 years lifespan of a dwelling.
Passivent iHybrid is complemented by the company’s established range
for domestic buildings including assisted and mechanical ventilation
solutions for single person to multi-occupancy properties, plus a
range of background window and through-wall ventilation solutions.
|
E-mail Passivent |