What is quality management in a ventilation project?

What is quality management in a ventilation project?

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Regulatory requirements regarding the ventilation of new build properties are being increased on a regular basis. Meanwhile, rising energy costs combined with growing urgency with regards to energy efficiency and environmental protection have resulted in a trend towards the airtight design of buildings. Unfortunately this can result in an increased likelihood of mould formation and poor air quality within a building. Thankfully, there have been significant advances in ventilation technology, for instance MEV (Mechanical Extract Ventilation) or MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) systems, which extract and filter stale air from the building and warm it before returning it to the various rooms.

With MVHR  efficiency is the name of the game. Just as a building must be efficiently sealed and insulated to avoid excessive heat loss and high fuel consumption, ensuring that a ventilation system is efficiently designed is crucial if we are to offset initial installation costs through reduced heating fuel consumption, while ensuring a healthy indoor air environment for the building’s inhabitants in the long term. A well-designed and efficient ventilation system represents substantial added value to the building user, while ensuring that builders and architects do not fall foul of new legislation such as Approved Document F, which provides minimum guidance on building ventilation, air quality, and the prevention of condensation.

Given the initial financial outlay when installing ventilation systems, coupled with the fact that the most effective cutting edge systems are ‘whole-building installations’, which are very difficult to retrofit or adjust after construction work is complete, adequate planning and quality management are essential in any ventilation project. In this article we will discuss the importance of quality management in a ventilation project, and look at which quality management systems and software applications are available to help ensure that your ventilation project runs smoothly and without complication. 

Why is quality management important?

There are various things that could go wrong if a ventilation system is poorly designed, without a suitable quality management system in place.

• Reduced Airflow Rates – resulting in excessive humidity and mould formation, or a high concentration of impurities in the ambient air.
• System leakage – due to improperly sealed devices and ducts.
• Inappropriately dimensioned ventilation systems –,  Undersized ventilation systems will increase noise and energy usage, or may not be able to achieve the required airflows to ensure good indoor air quality.
• Inadequate ducting insulation – resulting in heat loss and the formation of condensation, damaging the product or building fabric.
• Incorrect MVHR system commissioning – resulting in either over or under-ventilation and failure to comply with the new requirements under Building Regulation Part F.
• Excessive use of flexible ducting – causing poor performance and excessive noise.
• Ventilation units that are not readily accessible for inspection and maintenance.

What are quality management systems?

Quality management refers to a set of processes that enable the delivery of high-quality products and systems while ensuring regulatory compliance. Quality management can be broken down into four main components: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement. The potential for costly errors as outlined above shows just how important all of these elements are when it comes to planning and undertaking successful ventilation installation project. The use of qualified and certified building designers and contractors is crucial. The most commonly cited certifying body within the construction industry is the International Organization for Standardization, which offers a set of five quality management systems, in the form of its ISO 9000 family of standards. In particular, ISO 9001 is a globally recognised standard for quality management. According to the organisation’s website, ISO 9001 “helps organizations of all sizes and sectors to improve their performance, meet customer expectations and demonstrate their commitment to quality. Its requirements define how to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a quality management system”. 

Choosing an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer and an installer offers assurances that a ventilation project will be executed with due planning, workflow optimisation, and testing, and in accordance with the principles of lean construction. EnviroVent has been accredited with ISO9001:2015, evidencing our systematic approach to managing our processes with a view to consistently delivering products that satisfy and exceed our customers' expectations. The result is a ventilation system that is economical, efficient, sustainable, and most importantly, compliant. As part of our comprehensive service, we offer a ventilation design service providing all of the following:

• Support with compliance on latest building regulations - Part F, L & O
• Support meeting SAP compliance
• Support meeting Part F 2022 air flow requirements
• Free ventilation system design service using bespoke BIM-compliant Revit design software
• Range of products and easyVent® product selector

Electronic quality management

There exists a vast array of software solutions that can assist with quality improvement when planning and executing your ventilation installation. Known as an Electronic Quality Management System, or eQMS, these applications help companies to automate and streamline their quality management processes. One such solution is the Revit application produced by Autodesk. Using this BIM-compliant design software, the expert consultants at EnviroVent can simplify and accelerate the design of your MVHR installation, ensuring regulatory compliance and avoiding the pitfalls of inadequate planning and quality control.

easyVent® - our tailored product selection software

Unique to the EnviroVent service offering is easyVent®, our in-house product selection software. With access to downloads, technical information, detailed dimensional drawings, and more, the software allows you to select the optimal products to suit your project, compare their efficiency and specifications.

An efficient and effective ventilation system is by no means a secondary concern when designing and executing a residential or commercial construction project. While initial installation costs can be substantial, reduced heating costs coupled with the benefits with regard to occupant health and environmental projection mean that an efficient, modern installation is worth every penny. This is reflected in recent government legislation concerning ventilation and air flow in buildings. With all this in mind, quality management is an essential component in a ventilation project. They say that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right: with a professional design, top quality products, and project execution in line with an effective quality management system.#