Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has scooped the ‘Domestic Ventilation Product of the Year’ award at the prestigious H&V News Awards.
The Sussex-based company secured the accolade for its Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq range of Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR).
The win demonstrates Vent-Axia’s design leadership, providing a range of effective, whole-house ventilation solutions to help overcome the challenges the new-build residential sector faces.
Designed to provide effective, energy-efficient ventilation to meet the demands of net zero homes, the Sentinel Econiq range also tackles one of the fastest-growing challenges for housebuilders: overheating.
The awards ceremony
The winners of the H&V News Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony held on 26 November at London’s Grosvenor House.
The H&V News Awards celebrates outstanding achievements within the HVAC sector, honouring the organisations, projects, and individuals driving net zero progress and technical excellence across the built environment.
Judged by an esteemed panel of industry experts, the company was praised for its impact, expertise, and commitment to excellence. The judges described the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq Range as a “versatile and well-designed product with wide applicability,” adding that the high efficiency range “offers strong performance and ease of integration.”
Steve Pearce, Product Manager at Vent-Axia, comments, “We are thrilled to be recognised by the industry for our design innovation and commitment to improving indoor air sustainably. For the new-build residential sector, this means helping housebuilders deliver net zero homes with low-carbon ventilation while also considering performance demands, such as quiet operation and thermal comfort.
“As homes become more thermally efficient and external temperatures rise, housebuilders are finding it more challenging to achieve the requirements set out to mitigate overheating risk in Part O and TM59 standards. To meet these evolving demands, the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq MVHR series delivers a comprehensive choice of solutions, from Passivhaus certified units to models offering additional cooling.”
The Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq range
Designed to help housebuilders tackle the challenges of designing net zero housing, the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq range delivers good indoor air quality (IAQ), energy-efficient performance, and year-round thermal comfort, aiding compliance with Part O of the Building Regulations.
The Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq range includes four core models: the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq, Passivhaus-certified units, the Sentinel Econiq Cool-Flow, and the Sentinel Econiq-Cool (KERS).
Offering coolth or heat recovery efficiencies up to 93% and best-in-class Specific Fan Powers (SFPs), the range also boasts near-silent operation. The Passivhaus models similarly boast excellent coolth or heat recovery and a specific electric power as low as 0.22 Wh/m3. Meanwhile, the whole Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq range offers an intelligent summer bypass to enable nighttime cooling.
When additional cooling is needed, the Sentinel Econiq Cool-Flow integrates DX cooling for automatic active cooling, featuring intelligent controls that automatically switch between heat recovery, summer bypass, and active cooling. Moreover, the Sentinel Econiq-Cool (KERS) model combines an MVHR unit with a KERS Coolboost air source heat pump. When conditions exceed defined comfort thresholds and passive cooling is no longer viable, the MVHR unit automatically signals the heat pump to activate cooling. This smart integration enables mechanical cooling and renewable hot water, offering a two-in-one solution with minimal energy use.
With best-in-class SFPs as low as 0.39w/ls, with up to 93% heat recovery, hand-in-hand with near-silent operation with sound levels as low as 15.5 dB(A) (independently tested by SRL), the Sentinel Econiq is designed and developed in the UK to offer the highest levels of comfort and functionality all year round. Maximised airflows and minimised noise and energy are achieved through cutting-edge EC motors and highly sculpted interiors. Providing exceptional IAQ, the new Sentinel-X wireless control platform delivers complete control of the home environment, provided through a full range of wired/wireless sensors and a smartphone app.
Designed to improve IAQ and occupant health, the Lo-Carbon Sentinel Econiq’s Sentinel-X control platform features a wide array of sensors and controls, ensuring the highest levels of IAQ. The Sentinel control logic built within the MVHR ensures the Sentinel Econiq system operates optimally with automated functions such as its built-in intelligent humidistat, frost protection, and summer bypass, providing home comfort. With a rise in thermally efficient homes, overheating can be a challenge, so the Sentinel Econiq’s automatic summer bypass is designed to provide free cooling when available and eliminate performance loss.
To further improve IAQ, the Sentinel Econiq offers ISO ePM 10 (M5) and ePM2.5 (F7) filtration options. The MVHR filters provide numerous benefits, including improving IAQ by removing allergens and particulate matter. They also maintain the system’s energy efficiency, reduce heating and cooling costs, and enhance the longevity of the system.
Meanwhile, to ensure the Sentinel Econiq operates efficiently to its design intent and to help housebuilders comply with Part F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations, Vent-Axia has developed its pioneering Commissioning Wizard for the Sentinel Econiq, making it the easiest system on the market to commission. Available online and via a smartphone app, the Commissioning Wizard makes it very simple to comply with Part F, allowing the ventilation installer to input all the necessary information that Part F requires for compliance. It will then output a complete, detailed report for building control to sign off.
Offering market-leading connectivity, the Sentinel Econiq is controlled by the innovative Vent-Axia Connect smartphone app as standard. This provides households with year-round control of their ventilation from the comfort of their sofas and allows a multitude of functions to be adjusted. With smart-phone-compatible controls, homeowners have the flexibility to increase the ventilation rate during hot periods in the summer or reduce the speed to minimise running costs while away. The app is available for free on iOS and Android.
For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia, telephone +44 (0)344 856 0590 or visit the company’s website.
For more from Vent-Axia, click here.