Council upgrades with heat recovery ventilation

Ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has helped Hillingdon Council decarbonise its social housing properties by providing efficient heat recovery ventilation for residents’ homes.

In the first phase of upgrades, heat recovery ventilation was installed in 150 properties as part the council’s refurbishment roll-out through the government’s social housing decarbonisation programme, which targets properties with a lower energy efficiency (EPC) rating and funds a range of improvements to bring them in line with modern standards of Band C or above.

Depending on each property, the refurbishment works can include cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation, loft insulation, A+ double-glazed window replacement, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), reducing cold bridging and replacement canopies.

To provide the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery Hillingdon Council opted for two products from Vent-Axia’s Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution, the Lo-Carbon Heat Save and the Lo-Carbon Tempra. The range has been designed to deliver decarbonisation to social housing providers, offering increased ventilation, while minimising unnecessary heat loss through heat recovery technology. 

In addition to providing energy efficient ventilation, it was also crucial to protect the fabric of the properties and Hillingdon Council’s investment in its housing stock. Vent-Axia’s Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution helps with this too by protecting homes from condensation and mould, with the Heat Save single room alternate flow heat recovery units chosen for the habitable living room areas in the homes and the Tempra single room heat recovery units selected for the wet rooms (kitchen and bathroom). As well as the Heat Save and the Tempra, the Lo-Carbon Revive filter-less continuous running extractor fan was installed in single WCs. PFL Electrical is a framework contractor for Hillingdon Council working on the upgrades and has installed the ventilation in the homes.

The Lo-Carbon Heat Save, above, is designed to offer either single room heat recovery or form part of a whole house heat recovery ventilation solution for existing homes. Achieving up to 84% heat recovery, the Heat Save uses the warmth from outgoing air to heat incoming air to avoid heat loss and to reduce energy bills for households. Using two or more fans within a property, the unit uses a reversible fan that alternates between supply and extract every 70 seconds. 

The Lo-Carbon Tempra single room heat recovery unit, above, is a discreet, low energy, continuously running alternative to traditional extractor fans that offers affordable heat recovery of up to 78% and improves air quality on a room-by-room basis. The through-the-wall mounted unit simultaneously extracts stale air and introduces fresh air – warming the incoming airflow with heat recovered from the exhaust air.