Posts

Ticking the right boxes for social housing

When it comes to ventilation social housing has very specific needs. It is therefore important to select fans designed especially for the sector. Jenny Smith, Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia explains:

Keeping tenants happy is an important part of being a landlord. After all an unhappy tenant equals an unhappy landlord. At Vent-Axia we understand landlords’ concerns and design products to help ensure tenants and landlords alike are happy.

Happy landlords

For landlords this means a fan which offers simple specification, low maintenance and reliability. For example, the new Lo-Carbon Revive from Vent-Axia is designed to be versatile since it has a choice of run speeds for multiple installation options and can be ducted or through the wall, making specification easy. Plus Revive is low maintenance since its market-leading Multi-Vortex™ technology does not require a filter, while the highly sculpted interior actively repels dust, avoiding clogging, thus helping avoid call backs. Revive also boasts reliability backed by up to seven years’ warranty.

Happy installers

Installers need to be able to fit multiple fans on multiple sites as quickly and easily as possible. Featuring Smart Sense™ intelligent technology Revive is quick and easy to install with the fan featuring a simple alpha numeric LED display which is clear and easy to read and a three-button menu for commissioning and data gathering. Smart Sense™ technology even tells the LED display which orientation to use depending on whether it is wall or ceiling mounted. All of which saves time on site and reduces installation complications.

Happy tenants

But to ensure happy landlords you need happy tenants. A noisy fan will not only disturb tenants, it will make them aware the fan is running, this could potentially cause tenants to tamper with the fan to turn it off to avoid added energy costs. This can result in poor indoor air quality (IAQ) causing condensation and mould and subsequent damage to the fabric of a building, causing costly redecorating. Revive is designed therefore to be powerful enough to remove moist air to ensure good IAQ, but also quiet enough not to disturb while remaining energy efficient.

Revive’s Smart Sense™ technology can also provide real-time data via an intuitive interface to communicate the fan’s energy efficiency so landlords can reassure tenants of the low-running costs. Meanwhile, nuisance tripping is another reason tenants avoid using fans, Revive’s Smart Sense™ therefore features an ambient response humidistat to avoid this.

With tenant satisfaction vital, Revive’s innovative Multi-Vortex™ technology has a high-pressure hybrid impellor that is powerful and efficient, yet quiet. The fan operates discreetly removing moisture and stale air, leaving a comfortable home environment. Performing to its design intent with a tile-like grille, Revive draws air into the fan via its bell mouth design allowing air to enter the fan fluidly and silently. This offers tenants a quiet, unobtrusive fan without a spinning impeller visible, so they will hardly notice it. The tile-like grille also stays cleaner than open-grilled alternatives.

Meanwhile, Revive’s Smart Sense™ also allows multiple configurations so the fan can be commissioned to meet the needs of the property and the tenant. Quick and easy to select, it offers a bespoke solution where performance or noise is key.

However, despite the latest fans offering energy efficient, quiet comfort some tenants may still have concerns. To help Revive’s Smart Sense™ therefore includes a Day Logger which tracks how many days a fan has been running to ensure it is used as intended.

Landlords can also use the Day Logger to track energy use and interrogate the fan on how many days a fan has been on humidity boost mode, pull cord boost mode, or trickle. This information can help build a profile of tenant activity aiding landlords in investigating humidity problems. This allows landlords to work with tenants to ensure a healthy indoor environment.

For more information please visit www.vent-axia.com.
/0 Comments/by

Electric heating hots up

Flexible electric heating is becoming more and more popular in response to the UK’s homes becoming increasingly airtight. Jenny Smith, product marketing manager at Vent-Axia, explains how advances in technology make it an attractive option.

The UK’s heating industry has been in a period of transition ever since the introduction of Part L ‘Conservation of Fuel and Power’ in 2000 which has driven energy efficiency developments to lower carbon emissions and meet UK carbon targets.
At the same time the UK has had to adjust to declining oil and gas reserves. Historically the UK has been fuel rich in the form of gas, but with this in decline electricity generated via other sources becomes vital as we search for a secure and de-carbonised energy supply.
As a result manufacturers of electric heating have developed systems that meet the comfort needs of households and energy efficiency demands of legislation. In addition, increasingly air tight homes mean that heating demands reduce, making flexible electric heating with new controls an attractive option.
Electric heating offers an affordable heating solution for households with low capital and installation costs. The flexibility of the units is an added financial bonus since heaters can be installed as stand-alone heaters or as larger systems.
Using electricity as a fuel the technology is ideal for rural households that are off the gas grid. Meanwhile electric heaters cause little installation disruption since they don’t require the pipework needed by traditional boiler heating systems.
Free of the installation headache of flue siting and pipework, electric heating also has the flexibility to be installed almost anywhere in a room so households locate the heaters where best suits their needs. Almost maintenance free with no moving parts, with electric heating households have the comfort of not needing to worry about costly annual boiler checks.
Ultimately, as we move towards zero carbon homes and a decarbonised energy supply electric heating will become the heating technology of choice. Manufacturers, like Vent-Axia, are ahead of the curve as they prepare for this transition by developing products that meet both the demand and the needs of the market.
This next generation of electric heating offers greater flexibility to households since electric heating quickly warms a room and technological developments mean that accurate controls ensure high energy efficiency.
The new advanced electric heating systems incorporate highly sensitive, integral thermostatic controls. For instance, Vent-Axia’s Opal range of energy efficient aluminium radiators feature dynamic fluid with high thermal inertia and are slim and stylish in design. Featuring controllers that are fully programmable this type of electric heating system offers closer energy management, thus saving money for homeowners.
Ideal for both new build and refurbishment projects the newest electric heating features on-board energy monitors allowing occupiers to see exactly how much energy is being used to heat a room, and thus make an informed decision on thermal comfort.
The inclusion of highly sensitive silent operating digital controlled thermostats accurate to +/- 0.5° allows electric heating to act quickly to maintain consistent room temperature levels, reducing temperature overrun and minimising energy consumption. Allowing homeowners to manage the warmth in their homes to meet their needs the radiators are easy to operate coming with seven heating programs and three temperature settings for comfort, economy and frost protection.
Households can now expect improved efficiency and control across a wide range of electric heating technology. Towel rails are traditionally marketed to homeowners for their aesthetics rather than efficiency. However, the next generation of heated towel rails now quickly and efficiently warms and drys towels while adding to the overall style, temperature and comfort of a room. Vent-Axia’s new range features high quality white or chrome finishes with ten different models, split into flat, curved and designer styles, allowing customers to choose exactly the right towel rails to suit their individual home.
As ever, control is central to the range, with the towel rails featuring an advanced controller offering five heat outputs. Providing an eco-mode ideal for use when drying towels to ensure minimal energy use, the controller turns the rail on full power for 30 minutes and then reduces the output to the user setting for a further 90 minutes, before turning the towel rail off. As a result households have warm dry towels without wasting energy, bringing greater comfort to the towel user but also adding to the overall temperature and comfort of the room.
As we move towards zero carbon homes and a decarbonised energy supply electric heating is set to become the heating technology of choice. Already boasting improved efficiency and control, electric heating offers contractors a technology that promises their customers the operational control, comfort and style they desire.
For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia telephone 0844 856 0590

/by