In modern buildings, the main heat loss occurs when heating cold air entering the room during its ventilation. We tell how to reduce these heat loss and make the house more economical.
Photo: Boris Bezel
In new, highly built houses, thermal insulation is usually so effective that the main heat loss (about 50%) go due to the forced supply-exhaust ventilation of the room (in the second place of heat loss through the windows, and heat loss due to the walls are less than 25 %). It turns out that the main costs of energy for heating during the winter season go to heat the cold street air, which then safely "flies into the pipe". Is it possible to reduce these costs? Designers offer two solutions.
1 heat exchanger heat exchanger
First, the air supplied to the room can be heated with air, outlined to the street. To do this, the heat exchanger heat exchanger is installed in the supply and exhaust ventilation system. In it and the heating of the air arriving from the street.
Exhaust fan. Photo: Boris Bezel
2 Smart ventilation
Secondly, the system of forced ventilation can be made to work more effectively, adapting the performance of the fans in relation to the real situation in the room. For example, to reduce to a minimum air supply to those hours when there is no one at home. If someone is in the room, increase the air supply (it is in those rooms where people are at the moment). And at the moments of active use of the kitchen or bathroom, on the contrary, to increase the local air supply to these rooms to the required maximum .. In general, to make a "smart" ventilation system.
Such a ventilation system is equipped with a control unit with the processor to which the relative humidity sensors (in the bathroom and kitchen) are connected, the concentration of carbon dioxide (in the kitchen), as well as motion sensors (in all rooms). The control unit sets the mode of operation for each of the exhaust pumps serving one or more rooms. The kitchen hood is connected to it.
What kind of winnings give a similar "smart" ventilation system with a recuperator? Competent adjustment of the performance of exhaust fans allows to reduce the total volume of air pumped during the day by about 50%. The application of the recovery allows you to reduce the energy consumption for heating the outdoor air entering into the room by another 50%. Thus, the energy consumption for cold street air heating will be reduced by about 75%, and the total energy consumption for heating during the cold season will be reduced by 35-40%. It turns out quite a significant amount!