Polypipe Ventilation’s Silavent Green Line HRX2 Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and Domus Radial duct systems have been installed into a refurbished farmhouse in Botton Village, Camphill Village Trust’s first and largest centre supporting adults with learning disabilities and other support needs.
The Camphill Village Trust Limited (CVT) is a leading, long established UK charity, providing support for adults with a range of support needs in their home life, work, social and cultural activities.
Botton Village in the North York Moors National Park is one of nine CVT communities and is home to around 230 people, 110 of whom have learning disabilities or other support needs.
CVT provide high standard accommodation, with a focus on sustainability; it received special recognition in the Deputy Prime Ministers Awards for Sustainable Communities in 2005. In Botton sustainability is core to the ethos behind the village and, as well as rearing livestock, growing crops and managing forestry, the community sells products made in their workshops on a not-for-profit basis; activities that also provide skills training.
Honey Bee Nest Farm is one of the latest buildings to be refurbished within the village and has been designed to incorporate a range of environmentally friendly features, including Polypipe’s sophisticated MVHR system.
The Silavent Green Line HRX2 MVHR unit from Polypipe recovers heat from waste stale air – found in the kitchen or bathroom – using a highly efficient counter-flow heat exchanger to warm the incoming fresh air; thus reducing the need for extra heating. It also prevents the build up of condensation and mould and improves indoor air quality by providing a constant supply of fresh and filtered air. Manufactured in the UK, the systems are 2010 Building Regulations compliant and SAP Appendix Q listed.
The HRX2 has a heat exchange efficiency of up to 95% - the highest available heat exchange performance on the SAP Appendix Q register.
To ensure efficient distribution of air throughout the property, Domus Radial semi-rigid ducting has also been installed. The Domus Radial duct system is an innovative whole house air distribution system whereby each room is individually connected directly to a manifold (air distribution box) by a Ø75mm flexible semi-rigid duct. It has been designed to work perfectly with Polypipe’s MVHR systems, thus offering a complete one-stop solution.
The Silavent Green Line MVHR range is designed with a number of innovative features to make installing and commissioning the units much easier and quicker than alternative models on the market. Such features include the wiring centre which is mounted externally, so the electrical connections and controls can be accessed for installation and commissioning without the unit being dismantled. This also prevents the internal electrics from being exposed to any moisture within the unit. In addition, all units in the range are ‘ambidextrous’ so that the appliances can be fitted to the left or right hand side of the property regardless of the location of the external walls, avoiding the need for complex ‘cross over’ duct runs.
A common industry concern with MVHR is ease of end user operation. Whilst new homes usually come with a detailed appliance information pack, this information rarely makes it through to subsequent buyers. As a result, many new home owners can be unaware that they own an MVHR system, let alone understand how to operate it. To address this concern, Polypipe has kept the user interface clear and easy to use. User instructions are mounted directly onto the front of the HRX2 unit, make the system easy to understand and operate.
Polypipe Ventilation is at the forefront in delivering energy-efficient ventilation solutions and plays a vital role in helping customers to achieve the higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
