GB2455554A

GB2455554A - Ventilation system

Info

Publication number: GB2455554A
Application number: GB0724356A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Jenkins; Mark Huxtable
Original assignee: Nuaire Ltd
Current assignee: Nuaire Ltd
Priority date: 2007-12-14
Filing date: 2007-12-14
Publication date: 2009-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-14
Also published as: GB2455554B; EP2071247A3; EP2071247A2; GB0724356D0

Abstract

A ventilation system comprises a ventilating unit 14 being arranged to draw air from a roof space 11 or fresh air from outside, a diffuser 18a coupled to the ventilation unit 14 and adapted to deliver air into an accommodation space 13, the system including a means of drawing air from the accommodation space 13 into the diffuser 18a and being configured to mix with the air being drawn from the roof space 11 or being drawn from outside so as to increase the temperature of the air to be delivered into the accommodation space 13. The ventilation unit 14 may comprise of an air handling unit 20 provided with a fan 'F' having an air filter and dampers 'D' for opening and closing ports P1, P2 that communicate with the roof space 11 via a duct 15 or the outside via a duet 16. A controller may be provided having at least one sensor for measuring the temperature at the ducts 15, 16, and the accommodation space 13 and controls the dampers 'D' depending on the desired temperature in the accommodation space 11. The diffuser 18a may draw in air from the accommodation space 11 via an extractor fan or by negative pressure created by the incoming air. The air supplied to the accommodation space 11 may be heated by an external solar panel located on the roof 10.

Description

VENTILATING SYSTEM

This invention relates to a system for ventilating a dwelling or other building.

It is known to provide a dwelling with a ventilation system which comprises a fan disposed in the loft or roof space of the building and arranged to discharge air into the living or accommodation space of the building. This places the accommodation space under slight positive pressure, which forces air to flow out of the building through gaps in windows, doors, trickle vents, etc. The effect is that the accommodation space is subjected continuously to a ventilating flow of air, which acts to remove or prevent build-up of condensation and also to remove or prevent the possible build-up of radon gas. Such ventilating systems are often installed in dwellings to overcome the tendency in some buildings for damp conditions to develop or possibly radon gas to accumulate.

Typically, the ventilating system draws in its air from within the roof space of the dwelling.

However, when the temperature is very cold outside the dwelling, the temperature of the air in the roof space is often much colder than that in the dwelling, which can cause cold air to be dumped' into the top floor of the building, causing the occupants to feel a cold draught.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a ventilating system for a building in which the problem caused by dumping cold air from the roof space into the accommodation space during cold weather is alleviated.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided ventilating system for installation in the roof space of a building, an accommodation space being defined below said roof space, the system comprising a ventilating unit and a diffuser coupled thereto for delivering air into said accommodation space, the ventilating unit being arranged to draw air in from said roof space and deliver said air to said diffuser for delivery thereby to said accommodation space, said system including means for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser and said diffuser being configured to mix said air from said accommodation space with said air from said roof space so as to increase the temperature thereof prior to delivery thereof into said accommodation space.

In a preferred embodiment, the system may comprise at least one temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of said air in said roof space, and control means responsive to said at least one temperature sensor for causing said diffuser to draw air in from said accommodation space to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space if required, for example, if the temperature of said air in said roof space is below a predetermined temperature and/or if the temperature of said air in said roof space is less than the temperature of said air in said accommodation space by at least a predetermined amount.

Beneficially, the system includes a fan for delivering said air from said roof space to said diffuser. An extractor fan may be provided, as part of the ventilating unit or the diffuser, for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to, the embodiment described herein.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dwelling having a ventilating system installed in the roof space; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the principal components of a ventilating system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the diffuser of the ventilating system of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown the apex roof 10 of a house 1, the apex roof 10 providing a loft or roof space 11 above the ceiling 12 to the accommodation space 13 of the building: typically the accommodation space comprises a number of different rooms.

Referring additionally to Figure 2 of the drawings, a ventilating unit 14 in accordance with the present invention is disposed in the roof space II of the building 1. The ventilating unit 14 has a number of ducts 15, 16, 18 coupled to it. The ventilating unit 14, in the example shown, comprises an air handling unit 20 comprising an enclosure formed on one side with a single port P3 and on its opposite side two ports P1, P2, each coupled to a manifold MI, M2 respectively.

The port P3 of the air handling unit 20 is provided with a fan Fl having an air filter (not shown). The ports P1, P2 of the air handling unit are provided with an electrically controlled damper D for opening and closing the respective port.

The port P3 of the air handling unit 20 has the duct 18 coupled to it, the duct being coupled at its other end to one or more diffusers 1 8a on the ceiling 12 of the accommodation space 13 of the building, in order to deliver a flow of air into the accommodation space, with the effect of maintaining a positive air pressure within the building. The fan Fl serves to deliver fresh, filtered air through the duct 18, the air being drawn into the ventilation unit 14 through inlet duct 15 and/or through inlet duct 16, as will be described below.

In one exemplary embodiment, the ventilating unit 14 further comprises a controller (not shown) which serves to monitor the temperature of the air available at the inlets to the ducts 15, 16, the air temperature in the accommodation space 13 of the building, the temperature of the air being delivered into the accommodation space 13, and a desired temperature set by a manual selector provided in the accommodation space. The controller then determines whether to draw inlet air from within the roof space (via inlet duct 15), or from outside the building (via inlet duct 16), or a mixture of the air from both locations: the controller then controls the dampers D of the ports P1, P2 accordingly.

In general, the ventilating unit 14 serves to deliver warm, air into the accommodation space, during periods of cold or cool ambient conditions. For example, in winter, the unit will serve to draw in air from the roof space (which is warmer than the air outside the building), through duct 15 and the fan Fl will then deliver this air into the accommodation space through the outlet duct 18: it will be noted that the air in the roof space will be replenished by air entering under the eaves (as indicated at A). However, during very cold ambient conditions, even though the temperature of the air in the roof space is warmer than the air outside the building, it is still likely to be much colder than the air inside the dwelling. In these circumstances, as explained above, cold air can be dumped' into the landing of the first floor (in the case of the two-storey private dwelling illustrated in Figure 1), causing the occupants to feel a cold draught which is obviously undesirable.

Referring additionally to Figure 3, this problem is alleviated by the present invention in that a novel diffuser 18a is employed which takes a percentage of the air from the area of the accommodation space 13 adjacent the ceiling 12 (which is usually the warmest air in the accommodation space) and mixes it with the cooler air 32 from the roof space 11. This increases the temperature of the air 34 being input into the accommodation space 13 and reduces the cold dumping' effect described above. The illustrated diffuser 18 comprises an upper portion 18 comprising a vertical section and a lower substantially horizontal section which extends from the vertical section via a curved section. The diffuser 1 8a also comprises a lower portion in the form of a plate 19 running substantially parallel to, and spaced apart from, the horizontal section of the upper portion. The upper and lower portions 18, 19 are connected together and held in spaced apart relation by a pair of parallel diffuser plates 36.

The illustrated diffuser 1 8a is mounted in the ceiling adjacent to the roof space 11 and is coupled to the end of the duct 18 from the ventilating unit 14 for receiving cold air 32 from the roof space 11 of the building. Air 32 entering the diffuser 18a from the roof space 11 via the duct is diffused via diffuser plates 36 and expelled through opposing outlets 38 at each side of the diffuser 18a, as in a conventional diffuser. In addition, however, warm air 30 from the accommodation space below the ceiling is also drawn into the diffuser 1 8a. This occurs because incoming air 32 from the loft passes mainly in the direction 34 and creates a slight negative pressure below plate 19, thereby pulling warm air from the dwelling into the diffuser * along path 30. This warm air is mixed with the air 32 before being expelled through the outlets 38, thereby increasing the temperature of the air 34 being input to the accommodation space and alleviating the above-mentioned cold dumping' effect.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that a number of different designs of ventilating unit are available, including those that have additional functionality, such as drawing air heated by an external solar panel on the roof in order to heat the accommodation space and/or heat water for use in the building. Features such as these have been omitted from Figure 2, but it will be understood that a ventilating unit including such features would fall within the scope of the present invention, as claimed.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be capable of designing many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" and "comprises", and the like, does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in any claim or the specification as a whole. The singular reference of an element does not exclude the plural reference of such elements and vice-versa. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. VENTILATING SYSTEM

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be capable of designing many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed in parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" and "comprises", and the like, does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in any claim or the specification as a whole. The singular reference of an element does not exclude the plural reference of such elements and vice-versa. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

CLAIMS: A ventilating system for installation in the roof space of a building, an accommodation space being defined below said roof space, the system comprising a ventilating unit and a diffuser coupled thereto for delivering air into said accommodation space, the ventilating unit being arranged to draw air in from said roof space and deliver said air to said diffuser for delivery thereby to said accommodation space, said system including means for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser and said diffuser being configured to mix said air from said accommodation space with said air from said roof space so as to increase the temperature thereof prior to delivery thereof into said accommodation space.
2. A system according to clams 1, comprising at least one temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of said air in said roof space, and control means responsive to said at least one temperature sensor for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser to if it is required to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space.
3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said control means is arranged to cause air from said accommodation space into said diffuser to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space if the temperature of said air in said roofspace is below a predetermined temperature.
4. A ventilating system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said control means is arranged to cause air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space if the temperature of said air in said roof space is less than the temperature of said air in said accommodation space by at least a predetermined amount.
5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a fan for delivering said air from said roof space to said diffuser.
6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an extractor fan for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser.
7. A ventilating system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A ventilating system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS: A ventilating system for installation in the roof space of a building, an accommodation space being defined below said roof space, the system comprising a ventilating unit and a diffuser coupled thereto for delivering air into said accommodation space, the ventilating unit being arranged to draw air in from said roof space and deliver said air to said diffuser for delivery thereby to said accommodation space, said system including means for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser and said diffuser being configured to mix said air from said accommodation space with said air from said roof space so as to increase the temperature thereof prior to delivery thereof into said accommodation space.

2. A system according to clams 1, comprising at least one temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of said air in said roof space, and control means responsive to said at least one temperature sensor for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser to if it is required to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said control means is arranged to cause air from said accommodation space into said diffuser to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space if the temperature of said air in said roofspace is below a predetermined temperature.

4. A ventilating system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said control means is arranged to cause air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser to raise the temperature of said air from said roof space if the temperature of said air in said roof space is less than the temperature of said air in said accommodation space by at least a predetermined amount.

5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a fan for delivering said air from said roof space to said diffuser.

6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an extractor fan for causing air from said accommodation space to be drawn into said diffuser.