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Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery
A Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system works in a cycle by taking stale, moist air from inside the home, capturing the heat, and using it to warm up clean, filtered air from outside.
What is Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery?
A Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system extracts warm, stale air from the rooms in your home before then blowing fresh, filtered air back into your home.
How does Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery work?
A Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system runs on electricity and works by taking stale, moist air from inside the home and replacing it with clean, filtered air.
The heat recovery part of MVHR refers to how the system reuses the warmth from the outgoing stale air. A device called a heat exchanger extracts the warmth from the outgoing air and uses it to preheat the incoming fresh air.
It’s basically a form of recycling. The heat produced by activities like cooking or showering is captured and used to warm the rest of your home.
Advantages of MVHR:
- Lower risk of condensation and mould
- A constant and consistent temperature in your home
- Better air quality
- More energy efficient
- Lower energy bills
Disadvantages of MVHR:
- High initial costs
- Requires semi-regular maintenance
- Extra space needed for ducting
How much does Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery cost?
There are many things you need to consider when it comes to pricing up a MVHR system for your home. These include:
- The MVHR system itself
- Design
- Installation (including ducting)
- Any ongoing costs, such as cleaning and filter costs
MVHR system costs can vary and depend on factors that include its brand and features, as well whether you are looking to install a room-by-room system. There will also be the installation cost to consider, which will depends on the size of your property and the complexity of the system you require.
You should expect to pay anywhere between £3,500 and £13,000 for the above work.
Is there funding available for Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery?
At the moment there are no funding options available to help towards the cost of installing a MVHR in your home. However, we’ll keep an eye out and update this page if funding becomes available.
To find out more about funding options for other energy efficient measures, visit our grants and funding page.
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