Problem addressed

AirEx addresses the challenge of fuel poverty in the context of climate change. Tens of millions of homes in the UK were built with low energy standards. As a result of this, homeowners struggle with cold, uncomfortable draughts and high energy bills. However, once energy efficiency interventions are implemented, the lack of ventilation can cause damp or condensation problems. AirEx provides a low-cost, non-disruptive retrofit energy efficiency solution that has immediate impact and quick payback.

Solution overview

The AirEx Floorvent is a smart ventilation control system that replaces existing air bricks at a sub-floor level (under the floorboards). The AirEx Floorvent bricks have in-built sensors to measure the environmental conditions (such as temperature and relative humidity) and use smart algorithms to automatically regulate airflow, by adjusting the aperture of the vent. Floorvent opens to allow for ventilation and reduce underfloor humidity, and closes to reduce heat loss and improve comfort.

Cost Benefit

An AirEx system for a typical home costs approximately £500 and can save the average household between £120-450 per year on their home heating costs as well as improving their EPC rating by 2-5 points. This is driven by an average heat loss reduction of 12% evidenced in a large scale, independently validated field trial.

No maintenance is required other than changing the unit’s batteries once every five years. This is a simple DIY task using common D cell batteries, taking less than five minutes.

Case study

A large scale field trial involving 115 homes was completed in partnership with Portsmouth City Council and Walsall Housing Group as part of the ECO3 Demonstration Action scheme. The findings of this study can be found here. In summary these were:
– AirEx results in a 12-16% reduction in whole house heat loss
– Payback in 2-3 years
– An average of 3 SAP (EPC) points improvement