Healthy homes: Ventilation systems - do they work?

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If you want a true energy recovery ventilator for your home, a balanced system with a real heat exchanger is the only way to truly recover energy which is usually wasted, to warm or cool your home.

This is no more evident than in the findings of a comprehensive Otago University Report commissioned for EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), researching the heating and cooling potential of ventilation systems.

The study carried out by the Department of Physics at Otago University was published in May 2011. The report specifically focused on current domestic residential systems, measuring the amount of heating and cooling available for capture from roof space air. The report states, "The majority of the time, it was calculated that pumping air from the roof space into the house would provide no heating or cooling benefit."

If you are looking to purchase a ventilation system and you are considering heat recovery as part of this, make sure you do your homework. Most ventilation systems will work best in conjunction with another heat source such as a heat pump. The best systems on the market are those that recover heat through a heat exchanger. This means that the stale air is passed over the fresh air, recovering energy from the air being extracted to supply your home with fresh, tempered air.

The Mitsubishi Electric Lossnay Balanced Ventilation System works by extracting stale air from inside your home to remove excess moisture, odours, dust, bacteria and CO?. This stale air is then replaced with allergen reduced fresh air from outside - unlike systems that recycle it from the dust-filled attic. The really clever technology behind Lossnay is its core which is an integral part of the environmentally friendly 'Energy Recovery' system. The stale air being removed is passed through the heat exchanger recovering only the useful energy which is then transferred to the new outdoor air, providing fresh clean air to your home. This air is filtered and passed through the Lossnay Core - which pre-heats it in winter or pre-cools it in summer - using only the energy recovered from the old air! Amazing!

For more information visit www.lossnay.co.nz