The new homes of today have greatly reduced levels of natural ventilation which reduces heat loss, positively contributing to the energy efficiency of the property. However, a lack of proper ventilation can lead to a build up of contaminants that can affect the health of a building’s occupants. The need for ventilation in new homes is so important that a section of the building regulations (part F) is devoted solely to this issue. Part F recognises the role to be played by heat recovery ventilation to not only meet the ventilation requirement but also to comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the building regulations.

 

Each and every one of us requires fresh air to survive, with each person exhaling between 10 and 75 litres of carbon dioxide and 175 grammes of water vapour per hour. A family of four produces between 10 and 15 litres of water vapor each day through cooking, washing and breathing. Dust mites have proven links with over 80% of asthma cases and thrive when humidities are high. What’s more within a typical home there are traces of ammonia, acetic acid, methane, nitrogen monoxide and formaldehyde from cleaning products and building materials.

Unless ventilation is added these contaminants will linger within the home and will affect both the health of the occupants and can lead to damage to the fabric of the building itself. A well designed fresh air system can reduce these levels significantly, replacing contaminants with clean fresh air.