Unique home-grown ventilation unit

Space-saving ventilation unit scores high in small apartments

Smaller living areas and smart use of shared facilities. To make better use of the scarce space in our country, a combination of high-rise buildings and home sharing is increasingly becoming the norm. A nice development, which simultaneously creates new challenges, notes Sales Director Hans Robben of Ned Air. For example, when it comes to smart and space-saving solutions. "We have been successfully responding to this for some time with our Everyline and Rotorline air handling units, in combination with our space-saving SkyFlow ventilation system."

With SkyFlow, Ned Air offers an adaptive and demand-controlled ventilation unit for stacked housing construction, which combines high comfort, good moisture regulation and exactly the right amount of clean and fresh air with easy maintenance and a compact design. The innovative product was developed entirely in-house, says Chris Waterlander, R&D Engineer at Ned Air. "To bring ventilation in small apartment buildings in particular to the highest level, we were looking for a unit with an adjustable damper section. However, there was no system available in the market that fully met what the market demands and needs. So we started developing our own, which means that installers and clients now benefit from one point of contact, one supplier, one service partner and one warranty party for the complete ventilation system, which can also be easily accessed, adjusted and monitored online and remotely."

Ample fresh air

Typical Dutch apartment buildings require mirrored housing as well as 1-zone and 2-zone systems. SkyFlow fully meets this need, Robben said. "At the apartment level, installers and clients have a choice of a 1-zone or a 2-zone system. Each unit includes resp. two or three valve modules with flow measurement, so that the ventilation per apartment is always balanced. Thanks to the addition of temperature, CO2 and relative humidity sensors, ventilation can be demand-controlled per room. As a result, never more is ventilated than necessary and energy costs can be saved."

Varying air volumes

SkyFlow valve modules are connected to the central shaft, which receives its fresh air from the central air handling unit. This can be various brands and types of air handling units. "Those who choose the combination with Everyline or Rotorline, however, benefit from considerable synergy advantages," Robben emphasizes. "For example, to refine the process of up- and down-streaming, the control of the ventilation unit and air handling units is closely coordinated." Says Waterlander, "Integrated into our air handling units is a System Optimize Controller (SOC) control module, which communicates with each individual SkyFlow valve module. This provides the ability to vary air volumes (air pressures), preventing unnecessary pressure in the ductwork." 

Remote monitoring

The SOC control module also provides remote monitoring capabilities, he says. "This allows us to provide customers with even better and more complete service. We proactively look at when service or maintenance is required. Moreover, anomalies can already be spotted and remedied before residents even notice. In this way we create added value for users and installers and the lifespan of our systems is extended even further."

No maintenance behind the front door

In today's apartment buildings, one hundred to five hundred homes are no exception, Waterlander and Robben know. "As a result, maintenance parties have to deal with hundreds of residents, with whom, as a rule, separate maintenance agreements have to be made. SkyFlow overcomes this complex task. In fact, the system in the homes is basically maintenance-free. For example, we did not place the air filters in the valve modules themselves, but in the central air handling unit. As a result, replacing filters behind the front door is no longer an issue."

Compact design

The gentlemen conclude the extensive benefits list with SkyFlow's compact design and light weight. "Installers can easily mount the system, choosing between wall or ceiling mounting. This keeps the floor free of obstructions and does not interfere with residents' apartment design," Robben says. "The valve module of the SkyFlow
system has a connection diameter of 160 mm. The system can refresh over 400 m3/h, which is more than enough for most apartments. In the absence of a fan and filter, the
system silently."

Minimum pressure, maximum energy savings

In the vast majority of apartment buildings, there is a constant system pressure. Here, the closer a valve is, the less fresh air is required in the apartment. Yet sometimes a minimum set pressure is used in the system, notes Robben. "Instead, we send the valve just a little further open while the pressure is reduced. This keeps resident comfort high while lowering energy consumption. This technology in particular, combined with the extensive control module in the air handling unit, makes SkyFlow an ideal solution for stacked housing construction."