In many European countries it is mandatory to have fresh air exchange with heat recovery levels of 90 per cent or greater.
In Australia homes are becoming more energy efficient and as a consequence more air tight. As a result the need for fresh air (without heat loss) as well as the need to eliminate moisture and condensation is becoming increasingly important.
This is driving demand for heat recovery ventilation systems, according to Stephen Shanahan, the managing director of Atlantic Australasia Pty Ltd, an Australian owned company representing the Atlantic Group of France.
Globally, the Atlantic Group has 19 manufacturing plants employing over 5,000 staff.
“Due to new energy efficient home design we are seeing an increasing demand for heat recovery ventilation systems particularly across the colder latitudes,” Shanahan said.
Atlantic's home heat recovery ventilation system, which is called Duolix Max, extracts stale, moisture-laden air from toilets, bathrooms and kitchens and replaces it with warm, dry filtered fresh air ducted into bedrooms and living areas.
In winter fresh air is drawn from the outside. The heat exchanger transfers the warmth from the air being expelled to the air coming in. This saves on heating costs. The fresh air is also filtered.
Over summer, during the early morning and evening, cool dry air is drawn in, filtered and circulated into bedrooms and living areas. The incoming air bypasses the heat exchanger.
Shanahan said Atlantic's high performance heat exchanger is up to 91.5 per cent efficient. He said smart seasonal management is controlled by the automatic bypass.
“Duolix Max has C02 monitoring, 92 per cent heat recovery and high quality air filters,” Shanahan said.
“There is also automatic flow regulation, summer bypass and auto defrost to prevent damage to the heat exchanger.
“The system also comes with a radio-controlled remote and a mobile phone app will be released later this year.”
Shanahan said the high performance DC fan motors consume about $125 worth of electricity over a 12-month period.
“Clients are also installing geothermal systems in conjunction with the Duolix system,” he said.
The Atlantic geothermal kit connects directly into the ventilation system. It uses the temperature in the soil to heat and cool the home.
“The geothermal unit switches automatically depending on the outside air temperature,” Shanahan said.
“In Victoria, the subsurface soil temperature at three meters ranges between 14 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees. By drawing air through a pipe laid underground, air is naturally heated in winter before entering the home.
“In summer air is naturally cooled before circulating in your home. Underground heat exchange substantially reduces the amount of electricity required to heat or cool a building.”