Ventilation package: Get a better indoor climate and lower energy bills

Indoor environment has an impact on both health and finances
The indoor environment is the key to a good working environment. A poor indoor environment can lead to headaches, tiredness, and lack of concentration, increasing the discomfort felt by people with asthma and allergies. In schools this can affect pupils' learning capabilities.

A poor indoor environment is often caused by antiquated and power guzzling equipment such as ventilation and lighting systems. The downsides of antiquated equipment are not only poor lighting and problems with the indoor environmnet, but also unnecessarily high electricity bills.

> Read more about indooor environment (external link only in Danish)

Who qualifies for a ventilation package?
All public sector schools, teaching institutions, kindergartens, day nurseries, and offices that have a ventilation system qualify for the Trust’s ventilation package. The package can improve a ventilation system to make the indoor climate better, reduce operating and maintenance costs and minimise the impact on the environment.

Ventilation package contains:

• Certified ventilation inspection
  The ventilation inspection involves a technical appraisal of the system by a ventilation installer who diagnoses the system on the basis of control measurements and calculations, and provides suggestions for energy savings. The inspection is carried out by a certified installer and is one element of the Trust’s ventilation package. This inspection can be substituted by the Danish government’s compulsory energy inspection for ventilation and air conditioning systems which came into force on 1 January 2008.
• Free electricity meter system
  The free electricity meter from the Trust describes when and how the ventilation system is running, and how much power is being used. This information is sent to the Trust’s website. On the basis of this information you can then have your system calibrated and thus reduce your electricity bill. The offer is one element of the Trust’s ventilation package and is worth EUR 670. You pay just EUR 720 to have the meter system installed and maintained.
• Key indicators
  Key indicators on the Trust’s website make it quick and easy to check whether the ventilation system is running as it should. Under Ventilation check-up results you can see the key indicators for controlling the air volume, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and electricity consumption. On an overview list you can compare key indicators for your system with others.

Read more about the ventilation package’s 3 types of content below.

Statutory ventilation inspection can replace the certified inspection
From 2008, there is a statutory requirement for all larger ventilation and air conditioning systems in Denmark to be inspected at least once every 5 years. This statutory ventilation inspection can be included in the Trust’s ventilation package instead of the certified ventilation inspection.

Here’s what you do:

1. Sign up your institution
   Complete the application form and select a ventilation firm. Then send the completed application to the Trust’s VENT secretariat. Remember that you can always call the Trust’s VENT secretariat if you have any questions about the offer or the application form.
2. Have the meter installed
   Once you have signed up, the supplier of the electricity meter system will contact you to arrange a date to install the equipment. You can start to follow the ventilation system’s electricity consumption on the Trust’s website a week after the installation. You pay only pay EUR 720 for the installation and maintenance. The Trust foots the bill for the electricity meter system.
3. Have the ventilation check-up implemented
   Once the electricity meter is installed, you will be contacted by the ventilation firm you selected so you can arrange a date to have the ventilation system inspected. After the system has been checked, you will receive a report with suggested energy savings. The data from the report will be displayed automatically on the website, so you will always have key indicators and can compare the electricity consumption of your system with other systems.
4. Have the improvements implemented
   The ventilation firm can then be responsible for implementing the suggestions in the report for improvements and energy savings. The report contains price estimates for the necessary investments required to implement the suggestions.

Certified ventilation check-up

Ventilation inspection provides you with comprehensive information about your system
The inspection provides you with comprehensive information about your system so you know that it is running at the right times, that it is configured and calibrated correctly, and whether it is using too much electricity. Thereafter you can get a ventilation firm to rectify any possible faults and to implement the suggestions for energy savings.

The inspection is carried out by a certified VENT firm under the VENT scheme. See a list of VENT firms.

Report with data and suggestions
You receive a report that describes:

• measured ventilation in relation to requirement
• measured energy efficiency and calculated energy efficiency for correctly set up system
• annual operating period and allocation of operating time by day, evening and night
• measured energy consumption and calculated energy consumption for correctly set up system
• detected faults and deficiencies
• suggested improvements
• expected energy savings and financial implications of implementing improvements based on known figures

The technical key indicators in the report include:

• Air supply and extraction volumes (m3 per second) and deviation in relation to the Danish Building Regulations (BR 08) or other requirements
• Power used for air supply and extraction (watts)
• Specific fan power (SFP) for air supply and extraction under measured conditions
• Temperature efficiency for heat recovery for actual conditions and for an efficient system

All data in the check-up report is quality assured by the VENT scheme secretariat.

VENT scheme ensures quality
All installers in the VENT scheme have considerable practical experience and have been on a special course and undergone an exam at the Danish Technological Institute. They are therefore fully qualified to inspect ventilation systems based on the scheme’s guidelines.

The many problems associated with ventilation equipment that does not function at an optimal level led directly to the launching of the VENT scheme. The scheme needs to ensure that ventilation systems live up to ventilation requirements, legislation and regulations, and that energy consumption is the lowest possible.

The Danish Technological Institute manages the scheme in collaboration with the Danish Energy Agency, associations representing the Danish plumbing trade and ventilation firms. The VENT secretariat at the Technological Institute administrates the scheme, and experts from the Institute control and monitor the quality of the scheme.

There are around 40 approved VENT firms affiliated to the scheme. You choose which firm you would like to use for your check-up.

Read more about the VENT scheme.

Free electricity meter system

Records the system’s operation and electricity consumption
A free electricity meter system from the Trust records the ventilation system’s operation and electricity consumption, and sends the information to the Trust’s website.

Low cost installation and operation
You need to pay for the installation and operation of the meter system. The Trust has an agreement with EnergiData which installs the electricity meter system for a low fixed price of EUR 720 excluding VAT.

Included in the price you get:

• Transport and delivery
• Installation of the data logger including all materials
• Connection to the Trust’s website via a GSM mobile telephone connection
• Transfer of data to the Trust’s website for 3 years including subscription and data transfer costs

How the system works
The electricity meter registers the ventilation system’s consumption 4 times in every hour. Operating and maintenance staff and users can follow the ventilation system’s operation remotely and can intervene if the system does not function correctly.

On the website you can compare your figures with data from ventilation systems in other locations. You can easily see the fluctuation in electricity consumption, how the system is running, possible electricity savings and how efficient the system is compared with other systems. This provides a good basis for finding out if the system can run any better.

For each ventilation system fitted with an electricity meter, we display electricity consumption in kWh daily, weekly, monthly, and annually from the date of first installation of the meter up to and including the previous day.

How the meter readings are collected
The electricity meter system consists of a meter and a data collection device. The meter is connected to the ventilation system, which continually monitors the electricity consumption. Every quarter of an hour the electricity used is read and saved in the data collection device. Every night the readings are transferred via the GSM mobile phone link to a computer at the meter supplier and thereafter to the Trust.

The data collection device can also collect and transmit readings from other electricity, water and heat meters in the building. These readings can be followed on the meter system’s website.

The solution is supplied with a built-in mobile telephone module as standard. If you wish, the system can transfer data via the Internet or a standard telephone line. However, the price of these options is not included in the fixed price of EUR 720.

Key indicators
Under Ventilation check-up results you can see all the key indicators for controlling the air volume, energy efficiency, consumption patterns and electricity consumption. On an overview list you can compare key indicators for your system with others.

You can also get a detailed breakdown of each system and see all the readings and the calculations, and see a graph of the system’s electricity consumption up to and including the previous day.

The most important key indicators

• Extraction: The measured air volume that is extracted in relation to how much fresh air there should be. Too little ventilation provides a poor indoor environment and too much ventilation produces draughts and results in excessive consumption of electricity and heat.
• Energy efficiency: The measured energy efficiency and how much this should be, if the ventilation is either increased or decreased, in relation to the requirements. The better the energy efficiency, the lower the electricity consumption.
• Operating time: How many hours the system is operational throughout the year, and the amount of time the system runs during the day, in the evening and at night.
• Electricity consumption per m2: The expected annual amount of electricity consumption per m2 based on the readings and how much this will be, if the ventilation is either increased or decreased, in relation to the requirements.