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Project 80 is a new development by Midland Heart, a Birmingham-based housing association, which will meet the Government’s new Future Homes Standard by reducing carbon emissions by up to 80%, three years ahead of schedule. The 12 homes being built here will be monitored constantly as a research project to feed into the Government’s next consultation about the Future Homes Standard, which is to be introduced in 2025.
The properties on Grosvenor Road will look just like other new homes, as they are built using regular materials that have been sourced locally, demonstrating how practical it should be to achieve the Future Homes Standard. The project will monitor how new homes can reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the government’s net zero strategy.
The first residents will be welcomed to their homes here in Spring 2022.
Midland Heart specified the energiSava® 250 MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery) for a number of homes on Project 80. The reason was that the energiSava® 250 MVHR is highly efficient, affordable to run and has a low carbon footprint. The system is renowned for typically recovering around 60–95% of the heat in exhaust air, therefore improving energy efficiency of the dwellings. Some properties were supplied with EnviroVent’s Filterless Extractor Fans, to provide an alternative ventilation method and cost comparison against the MVHR systems.
The energiSava® 250 MVHR was selected not only for its energy efficiency, EnviroVent also has impressive sustainability credentials, with a clear roadmap to achieve net zero by 2030, which was another influential factor in the decision by Midland Heart.
The energiSava® 250 MVHR unit is a popular choice with housing associations for new builds as it optimises ventilation throughout the property with a minimum loss of energy.
MVHR systems are completely balanced, providing both extract ventilation and a supply of fresh tempered air. They provide optimum ventilation for a property with a minimum loss of energy by extracting moisture-laden air from the wet rooms (bathrooms, WCs, kitchen and shower rooms) and at the same time supplying fresh air into the living areas (living rooms, bedrooms, dining room). The energy from the extracted air is collected in a high efficiency heat exchange cell before being transferred to the new fresh air and resupplied into the property, creating an all year round, ideal indoor environment.
The energiSava® 250 system features EnviroVent’s unique Intellitrac® Technology, which monitors and controls humidity, operating continuously at a low level to ensure that the home is correctly ventilated. It provides good indoor air quality with no user intervention required. As humidity rises and falls, the motor speed rises and falls in direct correlation. This controls condensation and reduces the amount of time that the system operates on maximum speed, helping to save energy.
EnviroVent’s Managing Director Andy Makin explains: “We’re very excited to be working with Midland Heart on this innovative low carbon project. The fact that this project is being closely monitored in line with the government’s consultation on the Future Homes Standard just goes to show the pivotal role that low carbon, low energy ventilation systems have to play in the homes of the future.”
Director of Development at Midland Heart, Chris Miller, said: “We’re really proud to be leading this pioneering project and look forward to working with EnviroVent as one of our partners and welcoming new residents to this unique development.”
Project 80 is a great example of how Midland Heart, as a forward-thinking housing association, is taking a proactive lead by building homes where carbon emissions and energy efficiency are closely monitored, in order to inform the consultation on what the new homes of the future should look like.
Midland Heart is working in partnership with local construction company Tricas Construction Ltd to build the homes. Birmingham City University will provide in depth research to evidence all aspects of the design and delivery of the homes of the future to measure cost-effectiveness, with residents to understand their experience of the new technology.
The project will also offer a living lab for student learning. The evidence gathered will help to inform future policy on climate change adaptation in the built environment.
Our team here at EnviroVent will be watching with interest the results of our energiSava® 250 MVHR system and Filterless Fants in this pilot for the Future Homes Standard. It supports our ambition to be the ventilation manufacturer of choice for new private and social housing developments in the future.
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