Almond Housing Association is the second largest landlord in West Lothian with a stock of over 2,500 properties. When the housing association was looking for energy-efficient upgrades of existing ventilation in 32 of its properties in Laurel Grove, Livingston, West Lothian, it turned to Vent-Axia’s Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution.
The housing association opted for two products from the Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution, the Lo-Carbon Tempra and the Lo-Carbon Heat Save, to be installed on the social housing project. The driving force behind this project was to introduce energy-efficient ventilation into these properties, which would improve indoor air quality (IAQ) for the residents, as well as providing heat recovery benefits and energy savings.
In addition to providing energy-efficient ventilation, protecting the fabric of the properties and Almond HA’s investment in its housing stock was a crucial factor on this project and Vent-Axia’s Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution helps with this. The work started in early March 2023 and was completed within four weeks by Saltire FM, the contractors on the project. Architectural services were provided by MAST Architects, Glasgow.
Vent-Axia launched its Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution to help deliver decarbonisation to social housing providers. The range has been specifically developed to provide increased ventilation, while minimising unnecessary heat loss through heat recovery technology.
The Tempra single room heat recovery units were chosen for the wet rooms (kitchen and bathroom) and the Heat Save single room heat recovery units for the habitable living room areas in the homes.
The units replace existing “extract-only” ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom areas. The single room heat recovery units offer greater payback to both resident and housing provider through energy savings, as well as protecting the properties from condensation and mould.
“The Vent-Axia fans were easy to install and good quality. We also had great service and after sales provided by Vent-Axia”, said Andrew Moxen, Electrical Supervisor at Saltire FM.
Stewart Fisher, Asset & Development Officer at Almond Housing Association, commented: “At Almond HA we are delighted with the performance and efficiency of the Tempra and Heat Save units installed in our Laurel Grove project. By improving indoor air quality, it helps protect the health of our residents and the fabric of the properties. We would have no objections using Vent-Axia products on future planned and reactive programmes.”
The UK is committed to meet Net Zero targets by 2050, setting a tough challenge for social housing providers to improve their energy efficiency and so lower the carbon emissions in their properties, without detrimentally affecting the IAQ in their homes. Increasing airtightness in homes to improve energy efficiency, without providing adequate ventilation can create areas where moisture condenses, leading to mould growth which blights many homes across the UK. Social housing providers recognise the challenges and are looking for solutions to protect their housing stock and residents. This is where Vent-Axia can provide the right ventilation solution to support their journey towards Net Zero and healthier homes.
The Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon Heat Save is designed to offer either single room heat recovery or as part of a whole house heat recovery ventilation solution for existing homes. This innovative technology is a first, alternate flow heat recovery offers a balanced, modular, customisable ventilation system that can be easily retrofitted, providing both supply and extract while recovering heat from the air. Achieving up to 84% heat recovery, the Heat Save uses the warmth from outgoing air to heat incoming air to avoid heat loss and to reduce energy bills for households. Using two or more fans within a property, the unit uses a reversible fan that alternates between supply and extract every 70 seconds.
Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Tempra single room heat recovery unit is a discreet, low energy, continuously running alternative to traditional extractor fans that offers affordable heat recovery of up to 78% and improves air quality on a room-by-room basis. The through-the-wall mounted unit simultaneously extracts stale air and introduces fresh air — warming the incoming airflow with heat recovered from the exhaust air. Allowing simple installation through a 100mm diameter hole in a wall, the innovative design of the unit enables standard bathroom, kitchen, toilet or utility room fans to be easily changed for a Tempra without the need to make the install hole larger. The unit’s performance, using a low carbon DC motor, brings significant energy savings and will help reduce a home’s carbon footprint.
The Heat Recovery Retrofit Solution has been specifically designed for easy, lower cost retrofit of heat recovery to save maximum energy and emissions in the social housing sector. The range consists of three different Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery units, which can be used together to help improve IAQ and maximise energy savings by introducing heat recovery to the property. The range comprises: the Lo-Carbon Heat Save and the Lo-Carbon Tempra, which are both wall-mounted through-the-wall units and the Lo-Carbon Calido, which utilises a simplified ducting system that can run within the home to supply fresh filtered air to a different room.
Header image: The Lo-Carbon Tempra installed in an Almond HA property.
