Heat, Space and Light Ltd has completed the fabric airtightness permeability testing and design, supply and commissioning of an MVHR system at a new build in the beautiful Isle of Skye.
The low energy home, which faces a bracing cold wind from the ocean, was built in timber frame on site.
The home is located at the very northern tip of the Isle of Skye and has stunning views overlooking the Sea of the Hebrides.
Cold winds require an airtight home
Due to its isolated and exposed location it was very important the home was built as well-insulated and airtight as possible to conserve precious heat in winter.
One of the ways heat is lost from a home is via wind pressure, as wind strikes one side of a building, pushing in cold air and depressurising the other side, pushing out warm air.
Up to 35% of a home’s heat can typically be lost this way.
Build airtight, ventilate with MVHR
We helped design the fabric airtightness strategy and tested the air permeability of the building fabric at project end.
It turned out to be almost as airtight as a Passivhaus.
That means all the gaps and cracks in the building only add up to the size of a couple of mobile phones, so very little heat will be lost through draughts.
With such an airtight home a sophisticated ventilation strategy is needed to ensure the occupants have fresh, filtered air all year round.
MVHR installed with 96% heat recovery
Heat, Space and Light Ltd designed, supplied and commissioned the MVHR system.
The MVHR features up to 96% heat recovery, which means it will heat up the fresh outdoor air almost up to the ambient indoor air temperature.
On the day of commissioning the home was a little mild at 18 DegC, and as you can see from the MVHR unit data the heat exchanger core was heating the outdoor air from 10.5 DegC up to 17.5 DegC.
This is almost entirely passive, requiring only 22W of power to perform – less than half a kWh per day to raise the cold outdoor temperature up to almost comfortably indoor temperature, so the heating doesn’t have to be on as much.
Not all locations are as exposed and beautiful as the Isle of Skye, but if you would like an MVHR system for your own build project, whether a retrofit or new build, please get in touch with us at the top of the website.