HEATBOX MINI – designed to sit alongside your existing ventilation system
HEATBOX has solved the problem of ventilation systems not heating.
Is this a problem for you? While HRV claims that you can “Harness the sun’s FREE energy to help warm and dry your home…” is this really what happens?
In 2011 Otago University published a study looking at the actual heating performance of these systems and concluded:
“The majority of the time, it was calculated that pumping air from the roof space into the house would provide little heating or cooling benefit. In fact, this would often actually act to push the internal temperature in the house further away from the desired level rather than closer to it.”
Positive pressure ventilation systems do not provide heat when you need it most – during the early hours of the morning, whenever the sun is obscured and at night – because they introduce air from the roof cavity and the roof air is COLD!
These ventilation systems are also set up so that ventilation performance is impaired when the temperature of the roof cavity gets cold – they automatically reduce fan speed to prevent cooling the house down (in many cases to zero), so the system is not only cooling your cold house down but it also stops performing its primary function of ventilation.
The University of Otago research looked at the heating and cooling potential of moving roof space air into a home’s living areas, as the most common type of home ventilation system does.
The report recommends that this type of ventilation system – known as a “positive pressure” or “roof cavity” system – should not be promoted or installed based on potential heating or cooling benefits.
Consumer Magazine’s research and testing manager, Hamish Wilson, said he was “absolutely delighted” to see the study’s results. He said “we have for a long time maintained that there won’t be warm air up in the roof space on frosty nights and cold grey winter days”. He said it was misleading to claim ventilation that used roof space air could heat or cool houses.
EECA was a part-funder of this Otago University research report.
http://www.energywise.govt.nz/sites/all/files/heating-potential-ventilation-systems-may-2011.pdf
I’ve installed one of these systems – can I do anything to tackle this problem?
Yes. HEATBOX has designed the HEATBOX MINI, a compact heater that can work alongside your ventilation system. This has the twin benefits of increasing the ventilation performance of your ventilation system AND providing energy efficient heating using the same ducts.
Placed in the roof cavity, the HEATBOX MINI uses your existing ventilation outlets to blow warm air into the room where the vent is located. It also comes complete with:
- a separate inlet vent to create natural air movement within the room and
- a 24/7 fully programmable Siemens thermostat so that you can control the temperature in the room.
Available through selected PLACEMAKERS stores nationwide, the HEATBOX MINI retails for $1,495.00. It is compatible with any existing ventilation system.
The installation is as simple as installing a kit heat transfer system – just follow the installation manual or if you are Auckland-based you can call JACK OF ALL TRADES on 0800 111 JACK for a quote.