Leading
ventilation manufacturer Nuaire,
based in Caerphilly, Wales, hopes to prevent thousands of deaths caused by air
pollution with what they consider to be a revolutionary technology for existing
homes.
To
coincide with national Clean Air Day on 21st June, the company is launching the
Noxmaster whole-house ventilation system for the retrofit market.
The
Noxmaster combines a powerful carbon filter with a strategy invented by Nuaire
over 45 years ago, Positive Input Ventilation (PIV). This combination
removes up to 99.5% of nitrogen dioxide and other harmful pollutants generated
by traffic emissions and industrial processes. The Noxmaster delivers clean,
filtered air into urban homes, improving the indoor air quality to within safe
levels, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Until
now, using carbon filters to scrub airborne pollutants from indoor air has only
been used with mechanical ventilation systems which are ducted from each room
in a new build property. Retrofitting these systems into existing dwellings is
both difficult and highly intrusive. However, Nuaire’s Noxmaster invention now
means that any urban home with a loft can have a carbon filter ventilation
system installed.
Nuaire
Business Ops Director, Andy Mudie, explains the thinking behind this
revolutionary product: “With rising air pollution levels, installing carbon
filters in urban homes has become a planning condition in many parts of the
country. But with an estimated 27 million existing homes in the UK, compared
with 170,000 new homes built each year, the disparity is clear. The industry
has been waiting for a solution for the millions of existing homes that are
blighted by poor air quality, and this exciting new development addresses the
issue for the wider population.”
Positive
Input Ventilation is a popular strategy invented by Nuaire in 1973 with the
launch of its Drimaster range. Today, PIV is recognised as an alternative
system in Building Regulations, as certified by the BBA, and is considered the
most effective method of curing and preventing condensation dampness, as well
as being a recommended method of reducing Radon gas levels in affected areas.
The
Noxmaster system combines the PIV approach with a powerful carbon filter that
removes up to 99.5% of Nitrogen Dioxide and up to 75% of harmful particulate
matter (PM2.5). Exposure to NOX and PM2.5 reduces life expectancy through a
range of diseases including lung cancer, dementia and diabetes.
The
carbon filter also removes other harmful gases produced by traffic emissions,
including sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs),
helping to clean up the indoor air and protect the long-term health of the
occupants.
Nuaire
is currently running tests with Noxmaster at Hafodyrynys, Caerphilly - the most
polluted street in Wales. A controlled test house has been monitored for
a number of months to show the difference between the pollution levels at the
roadside, the pollution levels in a typical property, and the greatly reduced
NOX levels with the Noxmaster installed. Test results are likely to be
available in early August.
With
concern over air pollution levels, many homeowners are taking steps to monitor
and control the quality of air in their homes with consumer products. Nuaire
Product Development Manager, Richard Jenkins, believes this may lead to a false
sense of security. He commented: “Removing gases and particulates from the
indoor air is a complex process which requires mechanical ventilation to filter
the air throughout the property simultaneously. Air purifiers can only treat
the air in one room, and their effectiveness depends on the room’s exact size,
the proximity to the source of incoming pollution, and how the air purifier is
operated. In short, you would need a purifier for every room in the home, and
that would still be far less effective than providing a single source of
filtered air via a mechanical system, as the Noxmaster does.”
Adding
carbon filtration to PIV has another major benefit in that it keeps
condensation levels low. Mr Jenkins explained: “The PIV process used by
Noxmaster treats the whole property, ensuring the air is constantly diluted and
replaced with fresh, filtered air. Humidity is a major indoor pollutant, which
leads to condensation dampness and mould growth. It keeps moisture levels low,
whilst also forcing out pollutants generated by household cleaning and beauty
products, cooking with fuel and using wood-burning stoves.”
Noxmaster
is the first time a retrofitable whole-house ventilation system has addressed
air quality with carbon filtration. “Noxmaster is about giving homeowners
and tenants living near busy roads the peace of mind that by installing a
system in their loftspace, their long-term health will be safeguarded” states
Mr Mudie. “For social housing providers, the Noxmaster means that tenants
living within Air Quality Management Areas can now live comfortably in their
homes, benefiting from clean, safe air during the average 16 hours each day
that is spent at home.”
Nuaire as has been
at the forefront of the ventilation industry since 1966, providing a full range
of energy-efficient domestic, commercial and renewable ventilation solutions.
