Demonstration of an innovative room based mechanical ventilation system in a renovated Danish apartment building

Ambitious goals regarding CO2 neutrality put the energy renovations of apartment buildings in the top places on the energy efficiency & sustainability agenda in Denmark. Improved airtightness and maximum primary energy requirements imply utilization of ventilation with heat recovery. The control of ventilation installed during renovations often considers a whole dwelling as one climate zone, which neglects differences among individual rooms. Increased insulation and tightness leads to higher sensitivity to solar and occupancy gains, moisture loads and pollutants. When controlled as a single zone, it is difficult to sense and react to loads. A common consequence is overheating and insufficient bedroom ventilation. The project called RoomVent Solutions had a goal to develop and demonstrate a residential ventilation controlled by demand in particular rooms. Furthermore, the project aimed to develop and demonstrate Cloud connected ventilation and thus enable monitoring of its performance as well as control via Internet. We focused on synergy between monitoring and control of indoor climate to enable “continuous commissioning” that ensures that the systems work as intended throughout their lifetime.