Regulations
A healthier indoor climate starts with MVHR
Modern homes are built to be more airtight than ever before, making natural ventilation alone insufficient to maintain a healthy indoor climate. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) continuously supplies fresh, filtered air while removing stale, humid air from the home. This helps improve indoor air quality, control moisture and create a comfortable indoor environment, all while reducing heat loss through heat recovery.
How MVHR systems work
Designed as a whole-house solution, MVHR ensures that every room benefits from a consistent and controlled indoor climate. The system operate with two continuous airflows:
- Fresh outdoor air is supplied to living spaces such as living rooms and bedrooms
- Stale, humid air is extracted from wet rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms and toilets
At the core of the system, a heat exchanger transfers heat from the outgoing air to the incoming fresh air. This allows ventilation without significant energy loss, while maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature.
Integrated filtration further improves indoor air quality by reducing the presence of outdoor pollutants and allergens.
How is airflow balanced?
In a MVHR system, balanced airflow can be achieved by integrating Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV). DCV automatically adjusts ventilation rates to match the needs of each room using sensors that monitor factors such as humidity and occupancy.
When higher ventilation is required, airflow is increased in the affected rooms. When demand is lower, ventilation rates are reduced. This ensures the right amount of fresh air is supplied and extracted at the right time, helping to maintain healthy indoor air quality, improve comfort and reduce energy consumption.
When MVHR is the right solution
In airtight homes, natural ventilation is no longer sufficient. MVHR provides a reliable and controlled alternative that improves both living comfort and building performance.
MVHR systems are particularly suitable for:
- Airtight and low-energy residential buildings
- New build projects with high energy performance targets
- Homes where both indoor air quality and energy efficiency are key requirements
They are commonly used in low-energy and passive house designs, where controlled ventilation is essential to overall building performance.
Design and configuration support
Designing a central ventilation system requires accurate sizing, correct airflow distribution, and proper component selection. Ubbink provides tools and documentation to support each stage of the project.
How do Ubbink products perform in an MVHR System?
The performance of an MVHR system depends on more than just the ventilation unit. Ubbink ductwork is designed to support efficient airflow with very airtight performance, achieving ATC1 and ATC2 classifications to minimise air leakage. Combined with low pressure loss and secure mechanical connections, the system helps maintain balanced ventilation, improve energy efficiency and support consistent indoor air quality throughout the home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an MVHR system?
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) continuously supplies fresh air and extracts stale air while recovering heat from the outgoing air to improve energy efficiency.
Why is MVHR ideal for airtight homes?
Modern airtight homes require controlled ventilation to remove moisture, pollutants and excess CO₂. MVHR provides continuous fresh air while reducing heat loss through heat recovery.
How does MVHR improve energy efficiency?
MVHR recovers heat from the extracted air and transfers it to the incoming fresh air, helping to reduce heating demand and improve overall energy performance.
Is MVHR suitable for existing homes?
MVHR is best suited to new-build and well-insulated homes. It can also be installed in renovation projects where the building layout allows for ductwork.
Why choose Ubbink for an MVHR system?
Ubbink offers a complete ventilation ecosystem with components designed to work together, making it easier to design, install and deliver reliable long-term performance.