Residents living in the recently developed ‘Ogden’s Tobacco’ building in Everton, Merseyside are benefitting from MVHR units from ventilation manufacturer EnviroVent that provide good indoor air quality and protect the fabric of the building by controlling condensation.
The historic Grade II listed building has been converted into 19 apartments by social housing provider Liverpool Mutual Homes. The apartments have retained many of its historic features, meaning that ceilings in all rooms were high, which presented issues with heating.
Housing Maintenance Solutions, who form the contracting arm of Liverpool Mutual Homes specified EnviroVent’s energiSava 250 MVHR unit because of its intelligent vapour tracking humidity control (Intellitrac). This feature constantly monitors the humidity levels in the dwelling and reacts instantly to even the most minor of changes in humidity levels. The intelligent system does not wait until a room has reached a fixed level of humidity (typically 70%) before increasing the airflow rates. The system also reduced the load on the space heating as the incoming air is tempered by the heat recovery units, which reduces the need to re-heat incoming air, therefore saving on heating bills.
Nineteen energiSava 250 units were installed to ensure there is a supply of fresh, clean air, providing a healthier living environment for occupants and eradicating issues with condensation and mould growth. The unit has a five-year warranty, which is supported by the EnviroVent team of in-house engineers.
Liverpool Mutual Homes have been specifying the company’s products for the past 12 years, so the organisation was confident of the reliability and quality of its systems.
Peter Henerty from Housing Maintenance Solutions, explained: “It was very important that we specified a ventilation solution that would create a high level of indoor air quality in our homes as part of enhancing the health and wellbeing of our residents. We have specified EnviroVent’s systems for many years, so were aware of the high performance and low maintenance of the units and the technical support that the company provides.”
Keith Walton, New Build Manager at EnviroVent, said: “These MVHR units are renowned for their reliability and are the ideal solution for enhancing indoor air quality and space heating at this refurbished historic building. Our MVHR systems are widely used by social housing providers for major refurbishments and within new builds to reduce issues of condensation and mould growth in properties, with all the associated health benefits for occupants.”
The Ogden’s Imperial Tobacco building is an impressive example of the late 19th century eclectic Queen Anne style, with high-quality design and craftsmanship displayed both externally and internally. The façade includes a landmark clock tower with spire.
Ogden’s Tobacco Company was founded by Thomas Ogden in 1860 when he opened a small retail shop in Park Lane, Liverpool. Within a short time he had established several branches throughout the city and in six years his own factory in St James’ Street. This factory was built in 1899 and all operations were concentrated at this site when it opened in 1901. It employed around 2500 people over the years and is a place with fond memories for many, it closed in March 2007.
