Home renovations to include a mechanical ventilation system

The major problem with ventilation in old homes is that, in past decades, air extraction was not taken into account. Many homes built in the past and that to this day have not been renovated - especially in apartment blocks - were designed with cost savings in mind and without considering air renewal. Cost savings in production were prioritized.

In most cases, instead of designing buildings prepared to withstand climatic conditions, the decision was made to install heating systems and air conditioning units. This achieved a reasonable climatic comfort in the home, but did not take into account the extremely high costs incurred for supplies and also the impact that traditional air conditioning has on the ecosystem.

When making renovations in the home, one way to offset part of the expense is to install equipment that reduces the necessary energy consumption, as well as installing a mechanical ventilation system. This way, in addition to improving health, it is also possible to reduce the electricity and heating bills.

By carrying out renovations that include the installation of a ventilation solution, we can achieve the following savings:

1. The installation of a ventilation system can reduce air conditioning costs to virtually zero, depending on the building and the area where it is located, for a large part of the year.
2. Part of the investment made in renovating a home can be recovered in the following months and years thanks to energy savings.

In efficient rehabilitation, it is also necessary to achieve, for the correct functionality of the ventilation, an airtightness in the rehabilitated building that provides better protection in the rooms against the elements.

The areas for extracting stale air must be the humid rooms, with fans that extract air in the kitchen and bathrooms. Likewise, in dry rooms - such as living rooms, dining rooms, or bedrooms - air admission points must be installed.

Some of the challenges faced by home renovations with ventilation systems stem from the very structure of the buildings, which are difficult to modify. It is common to encounter these problems in buildings to be rehabilitated. Therefore, it is important to propose a comprehensive design of the ventilation area, as it will be necessary to calculate ventilation flows depending on the previous structure of the apartment. And the power of the flows and the system itself will depend on the distance they need to cover to extract the air.

Double flow ventilation systems in efficient renovations

When installing a mechanical ventilation system in the rehabilitation of a home, the best possible option is to choose a double flow system. In this case, in addition to mechanically extracting air, the system introduces cleaned and pollutant-free air from outside.

Mechanical systems are automatic and detect when it is necessary to renew the air. Thus, we will no longer suffer from humidity problems or poor air quality in our home. At the moment it is necessary to extract the air, the system will do so automatically.

At all times, the double flow ventilation system in renovations made in the home is on. The flow is constant and adapts to the needs of the household.

For great energy efficiency, thanks to the use of a double flow ventilation system we can avoid using air conditioning units in summer. For this, when renovating the building, it is very important to ensure good airtightness so that when renewing the air, each room can maintain a moderate temperature.

In winter, it is also possible to not rely on heating systems and use the double flow mechanical ventilation itself to heat the rooms. This is possible due to the passage of air through the ducts, which heats the outdoor air before introducing it into the home.

In numbers, with a ventilation system we can recover up to 95% of heat in winter and save on heating costs. Considering that utility bills are the highest, when carrying out home renovations it is important to contemplate the possibility of modifying how the house is ventilated and installing a double flow mechanical ventilation system. Moreover, if the renovation is performed comprehensively, the cost of installation is more affordable, and, likewise, with subsequent savings on electricity and gas bills, we can offset the initial investment.