It would be very easy to be biased and say that there are only pros and no cons when installing a ventilation system, but we want to give you the truth about mechanical ventilation systems and some small problems that you could come across.

You may be wanting to know the pros and cons before deciding on what system you will require, but you firstly may be wondering what mechanical ventilation is.

What Is It and How Does It Work?

A ventilation system with heat recovery (HRV) or (MVHR system) is an energy efficient, controlled, and balanced ventilation system. It extracts the moist, stale air from all the wet rooms in your house and replaces it with filtered, fresh, recovered warm air to all your living areas and bedrooms without letting the heat escape.

Your home is fully ventilated throughout the year with up to as much as 95% of the normally wasted heat being recovered providing you substantial energy savings. A heat recovery system allows your property to stay airtight with no window vents or bathroom extractors being required, creating a healthier and quieter environment.

Of course, we will say there are many many pros, but this is true! And even the cons (as small as they are) are not that bad!

Pros

Features of MVHR systems include:

- Air quality and filtration

- Constant supply of fresh, healthy, filtered air to your home

- Can be installed in both new and existing properties

- Reduces heating costs

- Recovers normally lost heat

- Energy efficient

- Lowers humidity and condensation

- Recovers normally lost heat

The main advantage of any mechanical ventilation system is the improved indoor air quality.

Other advantages include that you do not require trickle vents or bathroom extractor fans. Your system will supply, and extract as required throughout your home without the need for additional fans and vents. Everything that you require for extracting and supplying will be included in your system.

MVHR can help alleviate allergies and asthma. The incoming air is filtered meaning that allergy and asthma symptoms are reduced. It can also help people that suffer from bronchitis, rhinitis, hay fever and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Cons

As mentioned above, there may be some small issues to overcome in terms of your ventilation system, here at BPC we believe these are small problems that also have solutions and they do not outweigh the benefits that you will gain from installing a ventilation system.

Maintenance - Filters need changed once every 6 months to a year, this might not be considered as a con as this will ensure that you ventilation system is running properly and providing you with the best indoor air quality. It is more a problem to remember to do this. Maintenance is essential on most home appliances, for example you wouldn’t wash your clothes in a dirty machine or hoover with a full bag and dirty filters, therefore you wouldn’t let your ventilation run too long without checking and changing or cleaning your filters.

https://www.bpcventilation.com/blog/mvhr-system-maintenance

Price – ventilation systems may seem to have an expensive up-front cost, but ventilation systems are energy efficient and will save money over time. Their cost is covered during operation, modern units use much less electricity than ones in the past. As they have high efficiency they can run less and lower for shorter periods of time. Afterall can you really put a price on clean indoor air?

Open fires & stoves - Some people think there are issues when installing a ventilation system when having fires and stoves in living spaces. But this problem has a solution - properly placed extract and supply valves in the room where the fire is will allow the system to work as it should. Our experienced design team will be sure to place your valves in the best of location for your installation.

Installation - All systems need installed; this can be done DIY but might incur extra costs if you require an installer. Again, this is not really a con because it is a worthwhile investment but just an added extra to price.

Space - you will require a space for your unit and ducting runs. Luckily, our systems are not that large, and we have compact systems if size is a problem. For example, we have units that will fit in your ceiling void space if you do not have an attic, loft space, cupboard space to house an MVHR unit. Our ducting is also low profile and will not take up too much room!

Ventilate with BPC

Whatever your ventilation problem we have the solution

Here at BPC we have solutions for all budgets and applications. We have ventilation suitable for installation in domestic and commercial premises. To find out how you can begin improving your indoor air quality via ventilation contact our team 028 2827 5150 or visit our website for more info. You can send us your plans to receive a free, no obligation ventilation proposal directly tailored to your project.