Heat Recovery Ventilation system

Bill2

Hi,

I'm in the process of building at the moment and am thinking strongly about installing a heat recovery system in the house, main reasons for this are that herself suffers from dust alergies, i don't like the idea of having bulky radiators taking up wall space in every room and just the idea of fresh warmed air throughout the house is appealing.

My questions are as follows.

Has anybody installed one of these systems in their homes.
Have they incorporated whole house heating into the system.
What are the rough costs associated with a system like this
Are they hard on electricity as they run 24/7 and are they DIY Install or should they be installed by the experts.
Can anyone recommend a supplier for a system like this.

Thanks in advance..

CJhaughey

Bill2

In answer to your Q's
1, Yes just fitted the Ducting for supply and extract, actual temovex unit will be installed and run after the floor is fitted in the laundry room.
2, No I didn't opt for the 900w duct heater as we already have electric UFH and a woodburner planned.
3. I bought mine as part of the componentry in our Scanhome, but I believe it to be in the region of €4000
4.Running costs are based on 2 x 30w Fans running continuously, They are DIY install but it took 2 handy guys with tools the best part of a day and a half to install the ducting, following a plan!, I would say that if you are not confident about cutting spiral galv tube and putting T junctions on then it may be best if you employ a duct installer.
It isn't rocket science but it requires a fairly high degree of head scratching.
Try contacting Lars at scanhome.ie/091555808 and asking him if he will supply a Temovex system.

Mothman

Have a look at this thread

Won't answer all your Qs, but may help.
My mum has same system as well, and I meant to see what the power consumption is of hers, as mine is a little higher than 2 x 30w, (c. 2 x 40-45w) Since mine is now 7 odd year old perhaps they're a little more frugal now.

Personally I wouldn't use it for house heating. I have the 900w duct heater, but don't use it.

rooferPete

Hi,

Out of general interest and learning of course, does noise travel from one room to another through the ducting ?

Regarding uninsulated ducting has anyone tried insulating foam similar to the one you see on copper cylinders ?

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Bill2

Folks,

Many thanks for your replys, Mothman, mind if i ask why you don't use your duct heater and why wouldn't you recommend it for house heating. i have some concerns around this myself as to wheather it will heat a house sufficiently but i'm open to advice and comment.
Is there any other type of system available without using rads and not underfloor..

Ta..

Mothman

Out of general interest and learning of course, does noise travel from one room to another through the ducting ?

I've heard of this, and was reason given for installing diffusers just inside the door of 2 bedrooms in my mother's house. So to me, the fresh air comes in and straight out the doorway, without really ventilating room.

And to answer Q specifically, I've heard occassional noise coming from bedroom into office, a distance of 11m, so can certainly be an issue.

why you don't use your duct heater

I heat my house using timber off the farm, (renewable, carbon neutral, and pletyful supply) so not going to add to my electricity bill by having duct heater on.

i have some concerns around this myself as to wheather it will heat a house sufficiently but i'm open to advice and comment.

With a well insulated air tight, and incorporating passive heating in design, I believe that you can get away with it, though depends what yo comfort temp is, size of house etc, and I'm not qualified to give an answer.

why wouldn't you recommend it for house heating.

I just think that radiant heat coming from UFH is my first choice. The issue I see with heating through the ventilation ducting is that the diffusers are set into ceiling and to me thats not the best place comfortwise for a heat source into a room. And convective heat is not as comfortable as radiant heat.
Having said that, I heat my house with a wood burning stove, which is convective.

rooferPete

Hi Mothman,

Thank you for the info, I can recall a heating system that used to blow warm air into the rooms, obviously not as well filtered as today's systems because it left the walls and ceilings black around the vent covers.

I think your convection heat from the wood burning stove is a different job because it is at low level and wouldn't be circulating anything that isn't in the room already.

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mariaWright

someone please give us advice on this question:
is it advisable to fit a house with a back boiler when the house is already fitted with a heat recovery system?
we are in the process of buying a house at the second fixing stage, there is still a bit of work for the builder to do but we are short on time. cant find the answer to this question on the net- just dont know where to start. some people say " great idea " others say pointless!! head wrecked any advice would be great

CJhaughey

Yes, I would fit a back boiler and actually intend doing so.
HRV is great but it won't heat water, it only circulates air and recovers heat from the outgoing air.
The backboiler will make a big difference to heating your DHW or are you using it for Rads?

mariaWright

CJhaughey wrote: »

Yes, I would fit a back boiler and actually intend doing so.
HRV is great but it won't heat water, it only circulates air and recovers heat from the outgoing air.
The backboiler will make a big difference to heating your DHW or are you using it for Rads?

thanks so much for your reply - we were thinking of using it for the hot water and rads, keep the oil costs down !!