ᐅ Open kitchen: exhaust air or recirculation with controlled residential ventilation & KfW 55 standards

Hello forum community,

When it comes to kitchen exhaust/recirculation systems, opinions vary widely.

Keywords like thermal bridge, replacement air (supply air), wall duct, negative pressure, controlled residential ventilation bypass do not make the topic any less complex.

I would like to hear first-hand experiences from homeowners here.

- Who has controlled residential ventilation along with kitchen exhaust?
- Who has kitchen exhaust with separate supply air (possibly also through a wall duct)?
- Wall ducts apparently withstand a blower door test, but how do they perform regarding possible thermal bridges?

- Who has opted for recirculation instead of exhaust, and why?
- How is the odor situation, especially in an open kitchen?

Good luck
M

micric3 schrieb:

- Who decided on recirculation instead of exhaust ventilation, and why?

We did. Because it didn’t make sense to us to first build a tightly sealed house with a controlled ventilation system including heat recovery, only to then expel 800 m³/h (470 cfm) or more of warm air. Besides the energy perspective, that would also cause drafts since our stove is in the open kitchen facing the dining area.

micric3 schrieb:

- How is the issue of cooking odors, especially in an open kitchen?

With a ceiling-mounted hood, it’s manageable. You just shouldn’t cut corners on the hood itself. My wife didn’t get along with downdraft ventilators.

We are the same as @Scout. The reason is the same.

Scout schrieb:

With a ceiling extractor hood, the cost is reasonable. You just shouldn’t skimp on the hood itself.

I can confirm that. Ours was inexpensive.

We use recirculation too, for the same reason mentioned above. Instead of a hood, we have a downdraft extractor Bora Basic. We were skeptical about recirculation as well, but it works perfectly. And with controlled residential ventilation, it’s absolutely fantastic. Constant fresh air, really great.

We have an exhaust air system. I don't mind if I have to use some heating for it, as long as the air leaves the building as quickly as possible.