Category: Heat Recovery Units

Could a vertical heat recovery unit (HRU) make your building – and the planet – a healthier, happier place to be?

When it comes to making a property more energy efficient and reducing its carbon footprint, few choices will have a bigger impact than its heating and cooling system. At the same time, there is an increasing awareness of the dangers of poor air quality and the need to provide healthier indoor environments. That’s why HRUs have never been in a stronger position.

Here are five environmental benefits and incentives for choosing a vertical HRU in your next retrofit or new build project.

1 Use less energy

With up to 90% efficiency, our vertical heat recovery units include heat exchangers and can therefore retain up to 85% of your property’s energy.

Further steps can also be taken to ensure a HRU operates at its maximum possible efficiency. Selecting a unit fitted with EC motors will enable lower energy usage than those using traditional brush motors. A top-up heater battery can also raise the temperature from the plate heat exchanger, ensuring fresh air is delivered at the correct temperature for the space.

2 Generate lower greenhouse gas emissions

According to government figures, the built environment makes up 25% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

If your building currently relies on central heating or other high energy options, a vertical heat recovery unit can make a noticeable impact in your carbon footprint. HRUs provide heat without any need to use gas. To compound that benefit, the electricity needed to power a HRU can be generated from 100% clean and renewable sources. Installing a HRU is an easy way to contribute to creating a more sustainable planet and help the UK meet its target of a 68% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

3 Enjoy increased indoor air quality

Poor air quality is one of the biggest health issues facing the industrialised world and tackling dangerous levels of pollutants is a key aim of the World Health Organization, which has set a target for PM2.5 of 10 µg/m3 (WHO-10) by 2030.

In indoor environments, poor air quality can contribute to both allergies and respiratory problems. But modern HRUs are equipped to handle this issue much more effectively than traditional ventilation systems.

HRUs installed today contain powerful filters that remove allergens and pollutants before they have a chance to circulate in your building, thereby protecting those living and working in the property from potentially severe health consequences. They are also designed to operate with 100% fresh air, so contaminated internal air is never recirculated.

4 Access financial incentives

In recent years, the UK government has used financial incentives to try to encourage the installation of vertical heat recovery units. Schemes like the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and the Green Homes Grant were powerful persuaders, convincing many to make the necessary investment.

Today, those schemes are no longer active. But the government is still planning to spend the surplus budget allocated to those schemes on other green measures. Keep an eye out for local authority grants: these are expected to come increasingly to the fore.

5 Mitigate the effects of global warming

Temperature extremes are part of our new reality. In the summer of 2022, the UK baked in temperatures exceeding 40°C. The following year saw July 2023 confirmed as the hottest month ever recorded. The global mean surface air temperature record was broken on four consecutive days.

Thankfully, heat recovery units are dual purpose. As well as providing heat during the colder months, they can also cool a property’s air during warmer periods. This is likely to prove invaluable if further heat waves occur.

It’s time to invest in vertical heat recovery units

If you’re looking for a heating and cooling solution that improves air quality, minimises energy use, and creates a more sustainable environment, vertical HRUs are your best choice.

View our full range of market-leading vertical HRUs today.

Could good ventilation be the way to lower your energy bills as the UK’s battles with the cost-of-living crisis?

For many people, ventilation might not seem an obvious starting point when energy prices are sky high. But improving a building’s ventilation can significantly contribute to reducing energy bills.

If you’re a residential developer, homeowner, or commercial building owner, investing in good ventilation could be a strategic and prudent choice as energy costs continue to soar. Here are three of the most effective ways to use ventilation to put more money in your pocket.

Install modern heat recovery units

Investing in a modern heat recovery unit has two main impacts. First, it improves the air quality and thermal comfort inside a property. But it also helps to reduce your overall energy costs, because fitting a system with a heat exchanger can mean up to 85% of your property’s energy is retained.

The heat exchanger acts as a highly efficient way to maintain internal temperatures. As stale air leaves your building, the heat exchanger captures the warmth from that outgoing air. It then transfers that warm energy to the cool air coming into your building from the outside. Heat recovery units can dramatically reduce a building’s reliance on central heating or other high energy options.

Choose heat recovery units with pre-heaters
If the air from the outside is particularly cold, this can place a greater strain on the heat exchanger. But there is an answer. A pre-heater on a heat recovery unit cools the outdoor air before it reaches the heat exchanger, thereby making it easier and quicker to heat it to the required internal temperature.

Use EC motors in your heat recovery unit
While a typical heat recovery unit is very efficient at retaining heat, it still needs energy to power it. Choosing a heat recovery unit fitted with EC motors helps to improve the operational efficiency of the unit because the motors can run at lower temperatures than traditional brush motors. As a result, the overall energy spend for running the heat recovery unit is lower than if you opt for a model without EC motors.

Air Vent Technology’s range of heat recovery units features some of the best and most energy efficient models on the UK market. View the full range today.