Heat Recovery Ventilation
Heat recovery ventilation provides a controlled way to replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air while reducing the amount of heat normally lost through ventilation. Instead of simply extracting warm air from a building and replacing it with colder outside air, a heat recovery system transfers much of the heat from the outgoing air to the incoming fresh air.
This makes heat recovery particularly useful in modern, well-insulated buildings where maintaining good indoor air quality is important without creating unnecessary heat loss. A correctly designed system can help remove excess humidity, odours and indoor pollutants while providing a regular supply of fresh, filtered air. It can also reduce reliance on opening windows for ventilation, helping maintain more consistent indoor conditions throughout the year.
Centralised and Decentralised Heat Recovery
Heat recovery systems generally fall into two main categories: centralised and decentralised.
Centralised Heat Recovery Ventilators are used as part of a whole-building Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery, or MVHR, system. A central unit is connected to multiple rooms through ductwork, extracting stale air from areas such as kitchens and bathrooms while supplying fresh air to living spaces, bedrooms and other occupied rooms. This approach is particularly well suited to new builds, major renovations and properties where a complete ventilation system can be incorporated into the building design. Learn more about our Centralised Heat Recovery Ventilators.
Decentralised Heat Recovery Ventilators provide ventilation on a room-by-room basis without requiring an extensive duct network. Units are normally installed directly through an external wall and can be a practical option for existing homes, flats, extensions and commercial spaces where installing a centralised system would be difficult. Learn more about our Decentralised Heat Recovery Ventilators.
Advantages of Heat Recovery Ventilation
Heat recovery ventilation combines fresh-air supply and stale-air extraction with improved energy efficiency. Depending on the system and application, the main benefits can include:
- A consistent supply of fresh outdoor air
- Removal of stale, humid and polluted indoor air
- Reduced ventilation-related heat loss
- Better control of indoor humidity and condensation
- Improved indoor air quality
- Filtered incoming air
- More controlled ventilation than relying on open windows
- Options suitable for individual rooms or complete buildings
The most appropriate type of heat recovery system will depend on the property, available installation space, required airflow and whether ductwork can be incorporated into the building.
Ventilair Group stocks a range of premium heat recovery ventilation products for residential and commercial applications, including both centralised MVHR equipment and decentralised room-based systems. View our heat recovery ventilation products in the shop, or contact our team if you would like help selecting the most suitable approach for your property or project.