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The energy-efficient solution for ventilating air-tight houses — Vent-Axia’s Air Minder. |
In response to the energy-efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations for houses to be increasingly air tight, Vent-Axia has developed a whole-house ventilation unit with heat recovery.
Don Spearman, Vent-Axia’s product director, explains that the new requirements make it necessary to use mechanical ventilation rather than depend on natural air leakage and infiltration.
The Air Minder is described as the most advanced domestic ventilation system to be brought to the market for at least a decade. Made of plastic materials for low weight, Air Minder is available in two sizes — 290 and 400 m3/h. Between the exhaust and inlet airstreams is a crossflow plate heat exchanger that can transfer 90% of heat in the exhaust air to the incoming fresh-air stream. For ease of installation, all the 160 mm duct spigots can be rotated through 270°.
There are three speed settings to provide 0.6 air changes an hour by day, 0.3 by night and a boost of 1.1.
To minimise power consumption, a balanced pair of centrifugal fans with Vent-Axia LoWatt motors is used. Any condensate is disposed of via a small bore condensate tube.
Seven models offer a choice of features such as variable-speed control, anti-vibration mounting feet, auto-defrosting, summer bypass ventilation, filter-cleaning and service indication, automatic run-time logging and fully programmable operation.
To enable it to be installed in loft through narrow loft hatches, an Air Minder can easily be taken apart and reassembled.
Air is removed from the bathroom and kitchen and supplied to other rooms via insulated ductwork containing a sound-deadening material. An attenuator can be supplied if necessary.
Routine maintenance is confined to pulling out and washing the two filters.
info@vent-axia.com
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There is an obvious need for the industry to be more energy efficient and pay more attention to the ways in which energy is both used and wasted. Do you think we have the products on the market to meet our needs?
