Improve tenant air quality with SIEGENIA’S AEROTUBE ventilation unit

With the topic of air quality gaining in importance for end users and landlords, SIEGENIA’s compact single room heat recovery ventilation unit can now provide an even healthier indoor environment as it is available with CO₂ regulation on request.

Ventilation remains an ongoing challenge not just for private developers and self-builders, but also for those of us undertaking any refurbishment works on properties. With increasing airtightness standards in the UK for new build homes and the focus on procuring the most energy efficient products, we end up creating nothing more than highly efficient sealed boxes. This may sound ideal (and from an energy conservation point of view it is) but without a properly considered holistic ventilation strategy, poor indoor air quality and issues of condensation and mould will ensue and become a recurrent problem for housing managers and landlords.  

The need for ventilation

Ventilation specialists will generally quote a ‘maximum’ air tightness of 4-5m3/hm² as a healthy rate for a naturally ventilated house. That is, ventilated only with extract fans, trickle vents and windows. Anything tighter and some form of forced ventilation will be required. Furthermore, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the levels of indoor air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors.

The primary function of a ventilation system is to reduce the moisture in the air. The average family of four produces about 15 litres of moisture each day from activities such as bathing, cooking, washing
and breathing.

SIEGENIA’s single-room solution – no ducting or wiring

The AEROTUBE WRG from SIEGENIA is a tried-and-tested ventilation solution equipped with an integrated humidity sensor and it has now been adapted to offer optional CO2 regulation. This means that the ventilation level now adapts to the room temperature, air humidity, and the CO₂ content of the indoor air. This new function also does not negatively impact on the aesthetics of the unit: the optional sensors are completely concealed as they are integrated in the inner cover of the ventilator.

The integration of the sensors in the casing of the ventilation unit also benefits housing managers and landlords, as the installation and wiring of an external sensor are dispensed with making the unit easy to install as part of a refurb project. And as each unit is self-contained there is no need for a loft-mounted centrally managed ventilation device and the associated costly and time-consuming ducting. Once the wall opening is prepared, the installation of each ventilation unit is completed in less than one hour. There is also no need to route cables if you wish to operate the units in pairs, since they can communicate wirelessly. This makes the AEROTUBE an ideal retrofit solution.

The smart unit with up to 90% heat recovery

The AEROTUBE WRG can switch between supply air and exhaust air function on demand and provides integrated heat recovery of up to 90 percent. And with sky-rocketing energy bills looming, heat recovery is set to become a massive topic. Indeed, the Open University has estimated that approximately 30% of heat loss of a house is through ventilation, due to the fact that modern building regs require fans to permanently operate on trickle mode. Therefore, ventilating by means of the AEROTUBE WRG could cut this down to just 3%. This high rate of heat recovery coupled with its economical running makes it one of the most energy-efficient devices in its class.

Fans of smart home technology will also like the fact that the unit can easily be integrated into the SIEGENIA Comfort app and controlled conveniently via smartphone; both when users are at home or out and about. The unit is therefore user-friendly as well as offering benefits to housing managers, planners and installers.

For more information on the AEROTUBE WRG call 024 7662 2000, email info-uk@siegenia.com or visit www.siegenia.com