Hello everyone,
We are currently starting to deal with the technical aspects of our single-family home.
I haven’t found a thread discussing whether a ventilation system generally makes sense or not. So here is a general discussion thread on the topic:
At first, we looked into various timber frame construction providers, which made us quite sensitive in this area. Naturally, a ventilation system is quite important due to the tighter building envelope, which I can completely understand. However, everything is also marketed accordingly...
Since we have now decided to go with a regional solid construction company, completely different questions arise:
I currently have a detailed offer from a solid construction company:
- $10,000 additional cost for thermal insulation measures
- $13,000 additional cost for a central ventilation system or $9,000 additional cost for a decentralized ventilation system
--> So the repayment subsidy of $18,000 is of little use to me; on the contrary, I am even paying extra for this (of course, I get a “better” house in return).
Key Data:
- Single-family home city villa, 150m² (1,615 ft²) with basement
- Air-to-water heat pump
- Building material: brick
The questions I am now asking myself:
1. Is a ventilation system even necessary to achieve KfW 55 standard?
2. If yes, would it maybe make more sense to go for KfW 70 and forget about the subsidy?
3. Is a ventilation system really that great? There are many reports about noise, high maintenance, etc.
4. If yes, in our building project would a decentralized or central system be better? I have read a lot of positive things about decentralized systems, so central ones might not be an option? Is that correct or not?
5. Is it even possible to reach KfW 55 standard otherwise? Do you really have to ventilate every 2 hours? Are there any experiences?
6. Is the additional $10,000 cost for KfW 55 without a ventilation system justified? Are the prices for the ventilation systems justified?
I know this is an endless debate and there are clearly two opinions here. However, we find it really difficult to make a decision. Maybe a few discussions and information here will help us make up our minds.
We are currently starting to deal with the technical aspects of our single-family home.
I haven’t found a thread discussing whether a ventilation system generally makes sense or not. So here is a general discussion thread on the topic:
At first, we looked into various timber frame construction providers, which made us quite sensitive in this area. Naturally, a ventilation system is quite important due to the tighter building envelope, which I can completely understand. However, everything is also marketed accordingly...
Since we have now decided to go with a regional solid construction company, completely different questions arise:
I currently have a detailed offer from a solid construction company:
- $10,000 additional cost for thermal insulation measures
- $13,000 additional cost for a central ventilation system or $9,000 additional cost for a decentralized ventilation system
--> So the repayment subsidy of $18,000 is of little use to me; on the contrary, I am even paying extra for this (of course, I get a “better” house in return).
Key Data:
- Single-family home city villa, 150m² (1,615 ft²) with basement
- Air-to-water heat pump
- Building material: brick
The questions I am now asking myself:
1. Is a ventilation system even necessary to achieve KfW 55 standard?
2. If yes, would it maybe make more sense to go for KfW 70 and forget about the subsidy?
3. Is a ventilation system really that great? There are many reports about noise, high maintenance, etc.
4. If yes, in our building project would a decentralized or central system be better? I have read a lot of positive things about decentralized systems, so central ones might not be an option? Is that correct or not?
5. Is it even possible to reach KfW 55 standard otherwise? Do you really have to ventilate every 2 hours? Are there any experiences?
6. Is the additional $10,000 cost for KfW 55 without a ventilation system justified? Are the prices for the ventilation systems justified?
I know this is an endless debate and there are clearly two opinions here. However, we find it really difficult to make a decision. Maybe a few discussions and information here will help us make up our minds.
P
pagoni202019 Jun 2020 12:10A quick question on this topic. We are planning an open ground floor (except for the utility room and guest bedroom/bathroom), an open gallery area, and then one bedroom plus bathroom on the upper floor.
There will be an attic; could I reasonably use this space for a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery? I have little experience with this. From the attic, I could easily run air outlets down into the open living area, the bathroom, and the bedroom on the upper floor, and lay ducts freely within the floor structure. It might not be perfect, as not all rooms would be integrated, but it would cover a large part of the open floor plan. This sounds like a relatively simple solution to implement, even afterward, since no walls would need to be drilled through and the entire system could be installed in the unused attic space. Necessary air intakes or outlets would be installed directly through the roof.
Supply and exhaust ventilation would then take place exclusively through the attic ceiling, which spans above all the rooms on the upper floor and nearly all on the ground floor.
So far, we have been planning without mechanical ventilation, but this seems to me like at least a basic mechanical ventilation system, better than nothing.
I’m worried I might be overlooking something, but I’m sure you will (unfortunately) let me know.
We will have the air conditioning installed professionally right from the start.
There will be an attic; could I reasonably use this space for a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery? I have little experience with this. From the attic, I could easily run air outlets down into the open living area, the bathroom, and the bedroom on the upper floor, and lay ducts freely within the floor structure. It might not be perfect, as not all rooms would be integrated, but it would cover a large part of the open floor plan. This sounds like a relatively simple solution to implement, even afterward, since no walls would need to be drilled through and the entire system could be installed in the unused attic space. Necessary air intakes or outlets would be installed directly through the roof.
Supply and exhaust ventilation would then take place exclusively through the attic ceiling, which spans above all the rooms on the upper floor and nearly all on the ground floor.
So far, we have been planning without mechanical ventilation, but this seems to me like at least a basic mechanical ventilation system, better than nothing.
I’m worried I might be overlooking something, but I’m sure you will (unfortunately) let me know.
We will have the air conditioning installed professionally right from the start.
Yes, that is possible. This topic has been discussed here many times, and several users have successfully implemented it. You need to ensure that the system and the pipes in the attic are insulated and that temperatures during winter do not fall below the dew point. Otherwise, you risk having moisture inside the living room, and so on.
Some have simply wrapped the system and pipes in insulation material. Others have had an enclosure or a separate room built around them.
Some have simply wrapped the system and pipes in insulation material. Others have had an enclosure or a separate room built around them.
P
pagoni202019 Jun 2020 12:34Mycraft schrieb:
Yes, that’s possible. It has been discussed here many times, and several users have successfully implemented it. You need to ensure that the system and pipes in the attic are insulated and that winter temperatures do not drop below the dew point. Otherwise, you’ll get moisture issues, like water in the living room, etc.
Some have simply wrapped the system and pipes in insulation. Others have built an enclosure or a room around them. Great, I’ll start searching here then... or do you have a specific keyword for that? Thanks in advance.
Hausi20 schrieb:
We deliberately decided against an air ventilation system and could compare well since our previous house had a decentralized ventilation system (built in 2017). The comfort might be good if you consider having “fresh air” without opening a window as comfortable. For me, however, it was no replacement for the fresh air that comes in by opening the window. On the contrary, an open window and birdsong feel more like comfort to me, but everyone is different. Therefore, the energy-saving effect was lost in our case.
The most important point was hygiene. Of course, we regularly changed the filters. Still, after one year you get an idea of how it probably looks further down in the ducts. After another two years, I recommend everyone to remove the cover of the shaft and clean inside with a longer tool. Not a pleasure if you are prone to herpes.
I’m now very glad that I no longer have to imagine through which ducts the air I breathe over several years comes.
When you google, you almost get the impression that you absolutely MUST install a ventilation system. Why? Because those who have one like to share that experience. Those who don’t have one don’t miss it, so there is simply no need to philosophize about the fresh air inside the house – it just is. And: negative opinions are always louder. You will hardly find posts where someone writes about how good their indoor climate is without one. But he asked about CENTRAL systems, so why are you telling us how dirty your DECENTRALIZED system was? That just confuses everyone here. We have a central system; I just checked our Zehnder 350, which has been running since the construction phase, now for 1.5 years: it looks spotless... where should dirt even come from?
I am sensitive to noise, and on level 3 it’s annoying, but I always run it at level 1 while sleeping and don’t hear it. You just have to place the supply air properly.
We thought about it for ages ourselves, and thank God I installed the system. We have a house over 200 m² (over 2,150 sq ft), and I don’t want to keep walking around opening and closing everything all the time. But the best thing is definitely the sleep... divine...
Due to feeling cold and noise sensitivity, unfortunately, I cannot sleep with the window open.
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