With
a steady rise in air pollution in many major UK cities, one two-bedroom
bungalow in Peterborough has been retro fitted with Xpelair’s Mechanical
Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system, Natural Air 180, to provide the
home with the freshest air possible.
The Natural
Air 180 raises the bar in innovative domestic ventilation, offering an easy,
efficient and incredibly flexible approach to whole house ventilation.
Purpose-designed
for consistent performance, the unit continuously extracts stale air and
moisture from dwelling wet rooms while resupplying habitable rooms with
filtered fresh air, transferring heat from the extracted air during the
process.
Paul
Johnson, who is developing his detached two-bedroom bungalow in Peterborough,
grew up breathing in the fresh countryside air so when he moved to the city he
found the hustle, bustle and air pollution a source of irritation.
He
comments: “Although you wouldn’t say Peterborough is particularly polluted in
comparison to some major UK cities, I did instantly notice the reduction in air
quality compared to home. I also work night shifts so often sleep during
the day and I found the background city noises a problem when having windows
and doors open on warm days.
“When
I began the renovation of my two-bedroom bungalow it already had the currently
recommend level of loft and cavity wall insulation so the next step was to
replace the existing inadequate double-glazed doors and windows with new units.
The combination of the dwelling now being well insulated and sealed but with no
moisture control in place I knew energy efficient ventilation was the next step
to take with the project.”
This
led Paul to many hours of internet research on moisture control and the
benefits of MVHR. He then discovered the ventilation solutions
from Xpelair and made contact to discuss if the recently launched
Natural Air 180 would meet his requirements. The team at Xpelair advised
the Natural Air 180 would significantly improved indoor air quality by
extracting stale air, odours and moisture. At the same time the Natural Air 180
delivers filtered fresh air from outside the dwelling whilst recovering heat
generated from inside the dwelling, saving on energy.
Paul
added: “With the bungalow being smaller in size I needed something that
wouldn’t take up too much room and cause minimal disruption as it was being
retro fitted. The Natural Air 180 has been fitted into an old airing cupboard
and the ducting has been run through the loft, which was perfect for my
requirements. It’s only been a few months but I’m convinced every home should
have one.
“The
improvement in air quality is quite noticeable compared to before the unit was
installed. The moisture control is excellent, for example if you’re drying
clothes inside the dwelling the windows no longer get condensation and the
clothes dry a lot quicker, I barely use the tumble dryer now. The heat recovery
is noticeable too as the Natural Air 180’s built in display can show the inlet
and exhaust temperatures, recovering heat back into the dwelling. This equates
reduction on my heating bills, which is a saving compared to the minimal
running costs of the Natural Air 180.”
Paul
chose to add the Xpelair Ventimiser, which is a demand control device
that has a temperature sensor fitted to the shower’s hot water pipe and a
current sensor fitted over the live conductor to the cooker. This enables the
Ventimiser to automatically boost the Natural Air 180 fans whenever it detects
that the cooker or shower is in use. In addition it has momentary boost
switches conveniently located in the bathroom and kitchen to provide a manual
boost control option timed for 25 minutes at the press of a button.
The installation took just two days to complete and it was carried
out by VentfiltersRus, whose engineers are all BPEC registered. The Natural Air 180 has been designed for easy installation and
hassle-free handling and it comes in two sections rather than one, making it a
lot more portable than all-in-one units.
But
what really differentiates the Natural Air 180, however, is its unrivalled
level of flexibility. From NOX filtration for optimised safety through to PIR
sensor activity for enhanced efficiency and cold-climate pre-heating, each unit
can be customised with an extensive range of Xpelair add-ons and
integrations in line with each unique user requirement.
Lee
Stones, Category Manager for Xpelair, commented: “Air pollutants are often
getting trapped inside our homes and we need an efficient method of removing
them as well as returning fresh and filtered air back into properties. The
benefit of the Natural Air 180 is that it provides balanced ventilation,
producing healthy indoor air quality.
“The
product has been especially popular in highly populated areas and is often
fitted into new builds but the MVHR system is also ideal for retro fitting
into properties to allow a steady flow of air extraction and ventilation,
providing a clean and fresh environment.”
The
Natural Air 180 system features Xpelair’s Ghost Air Movement technology to
deliver near-silent running, ideal when looking to minimise disruption to the
family. It also boasts Xpelair's Intelligent Adaptiflow Sensing
for Assured Installed Performance through constant volume technology, and
an active humidistat, which will boost the unit when there is a rapid increase
in humidity.
The system
is a compact size of just 552mm x 609mm x 285mm (WxHxD) and comes complete with
a two year warranty.
