Low consumption heating: advantages of double flow ventilation

A low consumption heating system must be accompanied by the installation of an efficient ventilation system that prevents heat loss in winter. This way, the increase in the home's energy consumption is avoided. Double flow mechanical ventilation systems are systems capable of promoting savings in energy consumption.

They operate differently in winter and summer. In winter, the clean air introduced from the outside recovers the heat from the polluted air extracted, thanks to the presence of a heat exchanger, which is capable of conducting this heat transfer without mixing the two air flows. Thus, when the outside temperature is 5 °C and 20 °C inside, the new air enters at 19 °C. In summer, the double flow system uses the exchanger to cool the clean air entering the interior, preventing the overheating of the home. When the external temperature is 30 °C and the internal one is 21 °C, the air enters at 22 °C, thus managing to refresh the interior spaces. Especially efficient are double flow mechanical ventilation systems with by-pass. At night during the summer, they let in fresh air, naturally cooling the home.

Components of a double flow mechanical ventilation system to achieve low consumption heating

In the case of ducts, they can be distributed linearly or in a star shape. Generally, linear distribution is done with galvanized steel or thermoplastic ducts. This distribution has the advantage of using less material for installation, but the drawback of potentially transmitting noise between different rooms of the house. To avoid this, it is necessary to incorporate acoustic insulation into the installation. In the star distribution, independent ducts are used between the distribution box and each room of the home, which leads to higher material consumption. In this case, the ducts are usually made of high-density polyethylene, maintaining the same section throughout the entire layout and eliminating the possibility of acoustic transmissions between different rooms of the house.

There is also the option of using the double flow system through individual units for air intake and extraction. Their installation is simpler as it avoids the placement of ducts, but it requires openings in the facade, which has a visual impact on the exterior of the buildings, especially when it comes to existing ones.

It should be noted that double flow mechanical ventilation systems are essential when constructing passive buildings or buildings with a high degree of energy savings. In this sense, the 2010/31/EU directive promotes regulatory changes in the different countries of the European Union so that from December 31, 2018, all new buildings that are occupied or owned by public authorities must be Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB).