ᐅ Preparation for Central Mechanical Ventilation System with Heat Recovery

We are currently planning our bungalow. For various reasons, I have decided not to include a mechanical ventilation system. Please don’t ask me why!

However, I would like to make provisions during construction so that if I want to install such a system later, it will be possible. Therefore, I am considering installing the necessary ductwork during the build so that only the equipment installation would remain. What do you think about this approach? Does anyone have an idea of the cost for a 140 m² (1,507 sq ft) bungalow?

Regards

The installation of pipes and connections is the largest cost factor for a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system. The unit itself costs only €2,000–3,000.
Not a good candidate for "having it pre-installed."
The ventilation ducts also affect the floor structure, especially if they run within the screed, etc.

The pipes and outlets also cost about 3,000€ (approximately 3,000 USD). What you would actually save is only the unit itself, around 2,500€ (about 2,500 USD). It’s possible to do that, but it doesn’t make much difference.

stefanc84 schrieb:
The pipes and outlets also cost around €3,000. What you would actually save is only the unit itself for about €2,500. It’s doable, but it really doesn’t make much difference.

Our builder offers a central mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery for €13,000 to €15,000. Do you think that is too expensive?
I will ask him for a quote for just the ductwork, so maybe I can decide better. Or?

Sorry, I assumed the installation would be done by yourself. The price from the developer is unfortunately normal; they all require at least 12.

Perhaps as a point to consider: how high are your rooms planned to be? If they are tall enough to allow for suspended ceilings, it might be possible to install a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery later on. Whether it is cost-effective? No idea.

If you have standard ceiling heights, you could probably have the ductwork installed right away, since the additional cost for higher ceilings and suspension is likely about the same as the current cost of duct installation in the ceiling...

But as already mentioned, the device itself is the smallest cost factor (around 3,000), and the potential savings are rather limited. I would rather postpone things that are easier to retrofit, especially since a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery should be included in the heating load calculation, meaning it also affects the sizing of the heating system.

Regarding costs: we asked the main contractor at the time what a mechanical ventilation system for our 180m² (1,940 sq ft) would cost. They quoted about 18,000. Since we are now building with individual contracts instead of a main contractor, we are looking at around 10,000–12,000 material cost plus installation, so roughly 15,000 in total.