MVHR owners sought for air quality study

This article was originally published in issue 30 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

MVHR systems have an intake filter which PHI Architecture say should be changed every 60 days or so, and which cleans incoming air as it enters the property. Quite often this filter, on removal after 60 days, will look quite clogged and dirty.

The team behind the research is asking potential participants to send two small 10 x 4cm samples cut from the filter each time it is changed. On registering interest, the researchers will require the address at which the MVHR is operating, the MVHR make and model, and the filter type.

All the samples will be anonymous, and the actual addresses only known to the research team involved. Participants will be sent a self-addressed envelope to avoid any postage costs.

The researchers will aim to share all findings with participants and to develop a map of the pollutants found in the samples. They also hope to present findings to the environment secretary to further improve action in accordance with the government’s clean air strategy. All results will be presented as aggregate data and no individual property will be able to be identified in any report or research publication. Participants will be able to withdraw from the study at any stage of the research. Find out more here.