Vent-Axia Launches Net Zero Retrofit Solution for Social Housing

Vent-Axia, the leader in low carbon ventilation, has launched its Net Zero Retrofit Solution to help social housing providers meet carbon targets.

The range has been specifically developed to provide increased ventilation whilst minimising unnecessary heat loss through heat recovery technology. The UK is committed to meet Net Zero targets by 2050.

This sets a tough challenge for social housing providers to improve their energy efficiency and so lower the carbon emissions in their properties, without detrimentally affecting the indoor air quality (IAQ) in their homes. Increasing airtightness in homes to improve energy efficiency can create areas where moisture condenses, leading to mould growth which blights many homes across the UK. 

Furthermore, from June 2021 compliance with PAS 2035 and PAS 2030 became mandatory for all companies installing energy efficiency measures, including domestic retrofit.

PAS 2035

PAS 2035 covers a range of ventilation solutions, but if the proposed energy efficiency measures are intended to reduce the air permeability of the building below 5m³/m²h at 50Pa then only MVHR, MEV (with background ventilators) or PIV (with background ventilators) would be allowed.

But there are possible challenges in the social housing sector including limited data, limited space, funding availability, and meeting the PAS 2035 requirements. 

The new Net Zero Retrofit Solution from Vent-Axia is the first in the UK and has been specifically designed for easy, lower cost retrofit of heat recovery to save maximum energy and emissions and comply with the requirements of PAS 2035 in the social housing sector.

Vent-Axia is offering three different types of dMVHR: the Lo-Carbon Heat Save, Lo-Carbon Tempra and Lo-Carbon Calido – by using these units together as a Net Zero Retrofit Solution it will help maximise energy savings by introducing heat recovery to the property.

Natasha King, RMI Product Manager at Vent-Axia, comments: “We are delighted to launch our Net Zero Retrofit Solution to the UK Social Housing Sector to help meet carbon targets and comply with PAS 2035 and PAS 2030. The new range from Vent-Axia has been specifically designed for easy, lower cost retrofit of heat recovery to comply with the requirements of PAS 2035:2019.

“This technology is the first UK compliant decentralised ventilation solution making installation much simpler and removing what has, up until now, only been achievable with complex, high-cost duct installation. Replacing what has historically been a central ducted heat recovery unit, with smaller easy to install wall and ceiling units, dramatically reduces the complexity and cost of installation.”

Lo-Carbon Heat Save

As part of the Net Zero Retrofit Solution, the Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Heat Save is designed to offer either a single room or as part of a whole house heat recovery ventilation solution for existing homes.

The decentralised heat recovery ventilation unit is ideal for retrofitting, providing extract and supply ventilation to improve IAQ and supply fresh air to rooms as part of a modular system. 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 in habitable rooms, the unit uses a reversible fan that alternates between supply and extract modes every 70 seconds to extract dirty air from the room and replace it with outside air that has been passed through a filter to ensure that clean air enters the room. It’s also easy to expand as needed, adding more units to contribute to a whole house solution, all controlled from one controller which can operate up to eight units in synchronization.

Tempra

Meanwhile, Vent-Axia’s Tempra single room heat recovery unit (pictured at the top of the article) 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 Tempra unit simultaneously extracts stale air and introduces fresh air – warming the incoming airflow with heat recovered from the exhaust air.

Allowing simple installation through a 100mm diameter hole in a wall, the innovative design of the unit enables standard bathroom, kitchen, toilet or utility room fans to be easily changed for a Tempra without the need to make the install hole any larger, saving on installation time and cost.

Available in two different spigot sizes, the Tempra can be fitted through wall depths of up to 320mm, or up to 460mm. The unit’s performance, taken together with Tempra’s integral Lo-Carbon DC motor, brings significant energy savings and will help reduce a home’s carbon footprint with a low power consumption of just 3.2W on trickle rate and almost silent running at only 20dB(A).

Calido

Finally, the recently launched Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Calido is a decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (dMVHR) unit. Offering up to 80% heat recovery, the Calido is designed for retrofit properties, allowing landlords to easily install discrete decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in existing homes, improving IAQ and energy efficiency.

Providing continuous ventilation, the Lo-Carbon Calido is designed to remove stale air from any habitable room and replace it with fresh filtered air. Unlike traditional dMVHR units the Calido has been developed to be ducted therefore it can benefit more than one room at a time, for example, if installed in a bathroom, stale and moist air will be extracted and fresh filtered air will be supplied to other habitable rooms via installed ducting.

With three airflow options, the Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Calido can be installed in many types of properties and its compact design means it will ventilate and recover heat quietly in the background. It can also be wall or ceiling mounted depending on space availability, making it perfect for many retrofit applications. Altogether the Heat Save, Tempra and Calido add up to the first UK Net Zero Solution for social housing providers.