ᐅ Is it possible to install air conditioning as an upgrade if a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery is already installed?
Created on: 8 Aug 2021 07:32
M
McEgg
Hello,
we live in a KfW55 house with a controlled mechanical ventilation system. Since it gets too warm for me in the summer, I would now like to add air conditioning units.
I am planning a total of four units: in the three bedrooms upstairs and in the open living, dining, and kitchen area on the ground floor.
I have looked at units from Gree and would choose 2.7 kW units for the upstairs rooms and a 5.3 kW unit for the ground floor, based on the room sizes.
Now to the main question:
Does it make sense to install air conditioning if we already have a controlled mechanical ventilation system? Do the air conditioning units generally need to be sized larger because the ventilation system removes the cool air too quickly? Or does the controlled mechanical ventilation system prevent the rooms from cooling down effectively in the first place?
we live in a KfW55 house with a controlled mechanical ventilation system. Since it gets too warm for me in the summer, I would now like to add air conditioning units.
I am planning a total of four units: in the three bedrooms upstairs and in the open living, dining, and kitchen area on the ground floor.
I have looked at units from Gree and would choose 2.7 kW units for the upstairs rooms and a 5.3 kW unit for the ground floor, based on the room sizes.
Now to the main question:
Does it make sense to install air conditioning if we already have a controlled mechanical ventilation system? Do the air conditioning units generally need to be sized larger because the ventilation system removes the cool air too quickly? Or does the controlled mechanical ventilation system prevent the rooms from cooling down effectively in the first place?
Hello,
You’re not seriously asking that, are you? Why can the inside of a refrigerator be cold even though it has no connection to the outside? And how does it work in summer? ;-)
SCNR...
You can find pretty good explanations about how an air conditioner works on Wikipedia and similar sources. But to summarize briefly: it cools and dehumidifies only the air already inside the house and does not exchange the air. Air exchange is done by a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. This is different from what you’re used to with car air conditioning, which also replaces the air at the same time.
Best regards,
Andreas
Georgie schrieb:
Ok, but how can an air conditioner dehumidify the indoor air then?
You’re not seriously asking that, are you? Why can the inside of a refrigerator be cold even though it has no connection to the outside? And how does it work in summer? ;-)
SCNR...
You can find pretty good explanations about how an air conditioner works on Wikipedia and similar sources. But to summarize briefly: it cools and dehumidifies only the air already inside the house and does not exchange the air. Air exchange is done by a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. This is different from what you’re used to with car air conditioning, which also replaces the air at the same time.
Best regards,
Andreas
untergasse4310 Aug 2021 19:08Georgie schrieb:
...if you planned to fully air-condition a new build from the start, would you still need a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery?
Couldn't the air conditioning unit just take over the role of the mechanical ventilation system? No. An indoor air conditioning unit pulls warm air from the room, cools and dehumidifies it, then releases the same air back into the room—just cooler and drier. A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery does what the previous posts have explained.
And in case the umpteenth person asks: no, a standard mechanical ventilation system for a single-family home cannot be used to fully air-condition a house.
untergasse43 schrieb:
And in case someone asks for the umpteenth time: No, a standard single-family house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery cannot be used to air-condition a house. Don’t ask how many times I have to explain this. 🤨
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