What is the Cheapest Form of Ventilation

Ensuring that your home is adequately ventilated is the most effective way of preventing condensation problems developing into more serious issues with damp and mould.

Energy prices remain at very high levels, so it has never been more important to choose a ventilation system that is powerful enough to protect your home while running efficiently and not contributing significantly to your bills.

The Cost to Run Different Kinds of Ventilation

Passive Ventilation

Passive ventilation can be described as the natural flow of air through your home. Passive ventilation can be as simple as an open window or a vent in a wall that allows air to move in and out of the building. Passive ventilation does not require energy, but it can still have a cost.

Without no control over the flow of the air, it is usually much less effective than mechanical or fan ventilation, and as such is not able to remove as much moisture. A disadvantage of relying on passive ventilation is that there is no way to retain heat in your property – the warm air that is heated by your radiators is lost through open windows and needs to be replaced.

Extractor Fans

Extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens are an essential part of controlling the airflow in your home and preventing condensation and mould. Modern extractor fans use highly efficient motors and some, such as the EnviroVent Cyclone 8 include a humidity sensor that means that they only use as much power is necessary to control moisture levels.

When you run an extractor fan in a kitchen or bathroom, it draws out the warm moist air, but if the door is closed, it will not cause heat loss from the rest of your home. In normal use. With average electricity costs, an extractor fan uses less than £4 of electricity per year in a bathroom, and just over £9 worth of electricity in your kitchen.

Positive Input Ventilation

Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) systems rely on a central unit mounted in your loft or cupboard which draws fresh filtered air in from outdoors to displace moist air from inside your home.

PIV systems run constantly to circulate the air in your home and can help keep temperatures even throughout your property.

The ultra-efficient design of PIV systems means that although they run continually, the actual cost is low. Mounted in a loft, and with the heater disabled, the EnviroVent Atmos has average annual running costs of under £9 per year.

PIV systems can be installed with heaters that warm the incoming air.  These heaters do add to the ongoing running costs, but this can be offset against the cost of your central heating not having to warm the air in your home as much.

Mechanical Extract Ventilation

Mechanical Extract Ventilation is a whole house ventilation solution that extracts moist air from throughout your home. Normally fitted as part of a full renovation, or when a property is constructed, MEV systems can include heat recovery systems (MVHR), that capture heat from the air being extracted to warm the filtered incoming air.

MVHR systems are up to 95% effective at recovering heat from the air.

The annual running costs of MEV and MVHR systems are dependent on the size of your property, and the cost savings of heat recovery should be considered as part of the overall equation.

Find Out More

For more information about the annual running costs of the full EnviroVent range, please click here >>. To see which ventilation system is best for your home, please try our product selector >>.

If you are concerned about the cost of running your existing ventilation system, or have problems with condensation in your home, please contact us today to book a free home survey. Simply enter your postcode below to find your local ventilation specialist.