ᐅ Is a ventilation system now mandatory for new buildings under the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance?

Knallkörper schrieb:
Below 40% humidity at 22 degrees Celsius (72°F).

A bit dry for my taste. A mechanical ventilation system with humidity recovery offers more :P

It is actually unpleasant and irritates the mucous membranes.

Cunarder schrieb:
Yes, the costs are the main concern. I want to implement a smart home system. Additionally, we are worried about potential mold growth in the supply lines

This is definitely the wrong place to cut costs.
You risk mold growth inside the rooms if you don’t ventilate regularly—and that’s exactly what the ventilation system does for you!

What I find interesting: Most people in this forum are in favor of controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. During our search for builders, we met about 20 different planners, sales representatives, master carpenters, and so on. As far as I remember, ALL of them were either clearly against controlled mechanical ventilation or at least neutral because we made it clear from the start that we wanted one.

I’m still somewhat undecided.
Cons:
- I don’t believe it really saves energy since it runs on electricity 24/7.
- Filters are expensive (unless you make them yourself)
- Every technical device eventually has issues
- Possibly slightly more noise transmission (but this should be minimal with a centralized system)
- The air can become too dry

Pros:
- No manual ventilation needed
- I have severe hay fever and hope for symptom relief
- Better air quality, pollutants are expelled

The often-cited argument about mold doesn’t make sense to me. The air is warm, dry (often even a bit too dry), and constantly moving.

Most companies wanted between 10,000 and a whopping 17,000 euros for it—for a relatively small house. That is definitely not worth it to me. We are getting it at cost price (<5,000 euros) and plan to install it ourselves. That’s why we decided to go with it.

Cons:
- Operating costs are slightly positive or neutral (heat recovery versus electricity and maintenance).
- Maintenance effort (filter replacement, filter cleaning) is required, no doubt.
- For dry air, a system with humidity recovery helps.

Pros:
- You really don’t need to ventilate manually anymore. Overall, compared to the time spent on filter maintenance, there is still a time saving.

A ventilation system needs to be planned, and poor planning can cause many problems and frustration. Indeed, many systems in the field cause issues. Usually, this is due to incorrect planning. This explains why many parties involved in construction have reservations. However, we are no longer in the early years of controlled residential ventilation in single-family homes. It is now well established, and planning mistakes can be effectively avoided today.

I got the impression that some of the "old hands" simply don’t want to deal with the newfangled stuff. They’ll keep installing gas with solar until retirement because that’s what they know, and that’s good enough for them.