Air_plus: Simple ventilation systems – energy- and resource-efficient, affordable for the renovation of residential buildings

The relevant costs, existing of additional planning-, installation-, maintenance- (change of filters, cleaning, fire-protection) and running costs (high power consumption), are a big challenge for the housing associations to invest in residential ventilation systems. These costs, in their view, bear no proportion to the energy savings and user satisfaction.

During the last years there has been a consensus under experts that, because of energy savings and comfort reasons, a „comfort“- or similar high performance ventilation system would be the best to install for maximizing the air rates and -quality in flats. Inbetween it is recognizably, that the application of systems offering highest indoor air quality missed the aim of getting more energy efficient ventilation systems into renovated residential buildings.

So the main target is the development of simple, affordable, energy- and resource-efficient ventilation systems for the retrofit of residential buildings. They will use little resources, will be simple in assembling, maintenance and cleaning. They will use the heat of the exhaust air, protect from moisture and ensure a minimum of indoor air quality and comfort being at the same time cost-effective over the life-cycle.

Methodical approach

1. Analysing existing alternative ventilation systems, their pros and cons, key figures, values and assessment, data-collection, definition of reference-systems with benchmark figures, criteria for new and optimized system-developments
2. Development of simple ventilation systems, components, further optimisation – alternative solutions by including evaluation and assessment.
3. Assessment and evaluation of promising ventilation systems by simulations (for selected reference rooms and conditions) and tests in a laboratory (climate cabin), life-cycle-analysis (LCA) and life-cycle cost (LCC) calculations.

Expected results

At least three alternative ventilation systems using waste heat from the indoor air will be developed and specified for the market of residential building renovation. They will be scientifically compared with three existing reference-ventilation systems being state of the art. Further they will be analysed by simulations and lab-measurements to know something about their performance regarding thermal comfort, draught risks and indoor air quality (for selected reference rooms).

The so generated new and optimized mechanical ventilation systems will be assessed by LCA and LCC.

Some results out of the investigations of the project should be a benefit for questions of other mechanical ventilation systems and solutions in renovated residential buildings, e.g. for comfort-ventilation systems.

First results of the project Luft_Plus.pdf (German)

Luft_plus: Einfache Lüftungssysteme – energieeffizient, ressourcenschonend, leistbar in der Wohnbausanierung.pdf (400 kb)