It’s a fair point that every time the winter comes around, we dread the heating bill. While there’s a few steps that you can take to cut costs here and there such as negotiating with your energy provider for a lower price or moderating the temperature while wearing extra layers, these won’t do much to reduce the bill on its own. What’s needed is a different approach to the problem of heating costs which is where heat recovery comes in.
Why Modern Heating Lacks Sophistication
The trouble with traditional heating systems is they’re inherently inefficient. In many ways, it’s not the fault of their designers either.
The reality is that when heat is generated, the hot air rises. So, the heat that you briefly enjoy at your feet soon reaches your mid-torso and then pretty soon it’s past your head and heading for the ceiling. From there, it’s through to the upper floors, the roof and then it’s outside the home.
It’s not consistently possible to prevent hot air from rising. There are scientific reasons that we won’t go into here as to why it happens, and it won’t stop anytime soon. Because of this lost heat problem, heaters must stay on much longer to keep us warm. In effect, we reheat out home over and over again. And that’s very expensive to do.
Heat Recovery 101
Heat recovery is a different approach to heating that turns modern heating systems on their head. Using a designed and installed mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, heat is not lost like with other systems. In fact, it’s captured by heat recovery units strategically positioned in different rooms in the home.
The warm air that’s risen is collected and the warmth contained within the air stripped out. Air is then filtered to clean it of unwanted particles (more on that later). Only at that point is the new, clean air reinfused with the captured heat. The clean, warm air is then reintroduced into the room at the feet-level to enjoy once again.
No More Stale Air
For homes that appear stuffy, this is because we’re breathing indoors, cleaning, washing and participating in other everyday activities without any ventilation. Bad air particles accumulate and don’t escape the home. Go on too long like this and the air starts to smell stale.
With a heat recovery system, air filtration is part of the package. See this page to learn more: https://www.bpcventilation.com/heat-recovery/heat-recovery-units/nuaire-mvhr. Because the warm air is captured once it’s risen to the ceiling, the air supply in the home is regularly filtered to strip out moisture, dust, allergens and other potential irritants.
Efficiency is the Key
Heat recovery systems make sense for homeowners. One of the benefits is their efficiency. Instead of running the heating system most of the time you’re in the room to keep the internal thermostat at a sensible level, heat recovery allows less frequent use of the heaters.
Due to the efficiency of the recirculating warmth, a room is heated once and then only occasionally topped up in addition to heat recirculation. This also prevents the peaks and troughs of temperatures through a more consistent warmth level.
For homeowners who wish to be energy efficient and reduce their heating bills, heat recovery makes considerable sense. Green home enthusiasts should also embrace it too.
