Unohab single room heat recovery unit

Single room MVHR Unohab units can be installed in individual rooms. As the name suggests, it is designed to be used in habitable rooms for ventilation of only one room/space, or depending upon design requirements, it can be a whole-house ventilation system. They can be used in habitable rooms such as bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, home offices and so on. Factors that need to be considered when using these units is the amount of background ventilation available and that they need to go on an external wall. You can also use single units as a total house solution, this is done by pairing units up and is very useful for where retrofit does not easily allow for a central MVHR unit to be installed. The Unohab system is a non-ducted ventilation system and as the existing air in the property is extracted the heat is recovered. Then, the units are using this heat to warm up the new fresh air entering the property, so the Unohab is supplying consistent fresh air that is warmed up by the recovered heat. The Unohab ventilation system was designed for new and renovated buildings which are becoming more airtight due to insulation layers. Therefore, natural air exchange can no longer take place indoors and the humid and stale air is not exhausted. The Unohab will prevent moisture damage to the building structure (dampness and mould) providing extraction and supply in a continuous and automatic way.

INNOVATION

The Unohab ventilation system has many beneficial features. The real innovation can be seen first through its components, design and final assembly. The heat exchanger is manufactured from ceramic material which has got high wear, heat and corrosion properties. Also, this material benefits of low thermal expansion in comparison to metals or plastics therefore will stick to its original shape, dimensions and tolerances. The Unohab heat exchanger is embedded in a ceramic material to make it more robust and resilient as it can cope with high temperatures and multiple temperature changes going from high to low or low to high very quickly without an issue (because of its bonded atomic structure). At its core is an EPP (expanded polypropylene) insulated, dust repellent, ceramic heat exchanger recovering up to 88% of otherwise wasted energy which is then returned into the dwelling contributing to savings in heating bills. Unohab uses the latest, virtually silent, low energy EC motor technology with three ‘on demand’ speed settings (low, medium, boost) to ensure that quiet, continuous operation up to 45 m³/hr goes unnoticed within the dwelling. Another real innovation is the fact that the Unohab system can also provide a whole-house ventilation solution combining more types of ventilation: System 1, System 3 and System 4 from Part F, Building regulation for domestic ventilation. Therefore, it is a hybrid ventilation system.

INSTALLATION

When it comes to installation, there are two possible alternatives. Dual Unohab units are installed in standard core drilled holes (core hole 162mm dia. with outward gradient or core hole 172mm dia. horizontal) either in a single habitable room or with multiple dual units located in other rooms (bedroom, lounge, dining etc) which are linked to form a whole home ventilation system. They are small and aesthetically pleasing for wall mounting and can vent directly to outside through a grille. Alternatively, using a cleverly designed and insulated EPP (expanded polypropylene) plenum incorporated into the cavity wall they can be sited alongside a window. With a discrete ventilation grille incorporated into the window side soffit, so that thermal bridging is not compromised, the installation is almost unnoticeable and there is no unsightly interruption to the exterior facing wall.

INTELLIGENT CONTROL

The wall mounted Unohab master controller has three different ‘intelligent’ control modes available to the user. It is very intuitive and can be commissioned to control the Unohab units by using its own commissioning software easy to run from a laptop. The Unohab is a single room heat recovery system that can be designed just to be used in individual rooms or the units can communicate with each other hardwired into a controller. Also, the unique feature this system brings into the market is that extractor fans can also be linked to the Unohab units and they can work together communicating through an extractor fan electronic module and master controller. For instance, to keep the system balanced, the intelligent Unohab master controller will change the ventilation mode of the units depending upon the extractor fan switch. For instance, from the heat recovery initial ventilation mode -when the extractor fan switch is turned on, so the fan is extracting from the wet rooms into supply only or cross ventilation mode, according to the commissioning settings. This is done to maintain a balanced ventilation system throughout the whole house linking the wet and habitable rooms ventilation under one master controller. This is made automatically once the system is commissioned. Secondly, for a unit with such small dimensions (reference dimensions same as a standard extractor fan) the heat recovery efficiency is very high, reaching up to 88%. Another difference between the Unohab system and competitors’ products is the fact that it has won 5 German awards for its outstanding design and features. Not to mention, sound measurements have been carried out by the Institute of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart. Many extractor fans are rendered ineffective in well-sealed dwellings or by blocked up air vents due to there being no source of replacement air. They are unable to overcome the internal negative air pressure created and therefore do not fully extract odours or the potentially harmful moist air.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY PROTECTION

The EC fans meet environmental concerns throughout the economical run, having low energy consumption. Therefore, the overall Unohab ventilation system is only using enough power according to its demand. Also, the materials used are environmentally friendly because the ceramics will scientifically last thousands of years, the EC fans have a significantly longer lifespan than the AC fans ensured by lower temperatures in the motor and the plastics can be recycled. In addition, the Unohab system through its design and small dimensions is economical to manufacture due to less material used, therefore reduces the carbon footprint. Plus, due to its small dimensions and light weight, it does not require much installation space. The controller, power supply and other electronics have protection circuits integrated to take on any electrical hazards such as residue currents, lose or improper connections, cracked wire insulation, overloaded circuits and so on. Mechanically speaking, if installed correctly and properly handled the Unohab system will not cause any safety hazards. To sum up, the Unohab provides new possibilities for the economical ventilation of single rooms. It is particularly useful if there is limited space available due to its compact dimensions, whether it is used in new construction or a renovation, for single-family houses or apartment buildings.

KEY FEATURES:

• For use in single rooms up to 42 m²
• Flow rate up to 45 m³/h
• Easy to install through the wall (no central ducting) - ø160mm diameter
• Up to 88% thermal efficiency
• Elegant and unobtrusive design to blend with interior décor
• Up to 8 units may be controlled simultaneously
• Silent operation 14-34 dB(A) with optional sound insulation elements
• LED display of current operating mode and fan speed
• Three operating modes (heat recovery, cross ventilation and supply air only)
• Simple to adjust settings through its intuitive commissioning software
• Built-in ISO Coarse 50% (G3) filters with maintenance indicator - ISO 16890 compliant
• 2 year warranty*

KEY BENEFITS:

• Decentralised and non-ducted mechanical ventilation solution with heat recovery
• Can be used in existing homes to improve the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and save energy
• Can help prevent moisture damage to the building structure (e.g. dampness and mould) by providing a continuous and automatic air exchange
• Compact dimensions for external wall installation with minimum space requirements
• Elegant and unobtrusive design to blend with interior décor
• Economical EC fans for maximum energy efficiency
• Easily accessible air filter as standard which can be exchanged without tools
• Convenient control, can be connected to extractor fans for combined ventilation
• Simple commissioning by connecting the controller to the PC or laptop
• Multiple award-winning design, perfectly suitable for the Airflow extract fans from the QuietAir range

The Unohab Cavity Wall Installation kit consists of one Unohab unit with internal grille and filter, wall sleeve and a white external grille.

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*Excluding motors. Motor warranty is one year from date of purchase.