Breath of fresh air
The aim of the HRV Pure Invironment Project, is to demonstrate how to create a healthy and liveable home with the most advanced ventilation, heating and cooling.
GreenStuf insulation was installed in the ceiling and walls. GreenStuf insulation products are non-irritant, non-allergenic and non-toxic.
GreenStuf insulation products contain a minimum of 45% already recycled polyester made from used and recycled PET plastics and are fully recyclable at the end of their lives.
Unobtrusive vents ensure clean dry air is circulated throughout the house.
In an on-going series, real estate agent Antonia Baker from The Property Market cuts to the heart of the HRV Pure Invironment Project by looking at the three pillars of a healthy home – ventilation, heating, and insulation – and having clean filtered water running from every tap in the house
You hardly notice the vents in the ceiling of the house at 45 Lincoln Street. It may seem like a small thing, but the intrusive nature of these flying saucer-like diffusers are a real problem for some people who like their ceilings pristine and uninterrupted.
However, because the vents installed in this Ponsonby villa are painted the same colour as the ceiling, they are beautifully camouflaged and go unnoticed. Well, almost. But the subtle hint of the two diffusers protruding from the roof of the new open-plan living area is a small price to pay for clean, healthy air in the house.
And that’s the thing about the HRV Pure Invironment Project, while it is about restoring the villa back to its former glory and seamlessly blending old and new, what makes it truly unique is the goal of showing how to create a healthy home.
This has been achieved by a combination of ventilation, heating and cooling solutions, and GreenStuf insulation, which all work together to create a healthier and drier living space.
The ventilation replaces stale indoor air with fresh air filtered through state of the art nanofibre filter technology. This process is key to drying the house out which helps to reduce mould and condensation, which can lead to health problems such as respiratory illness and asthma.
As the guys at HRV like to say, the ventilation system acts as the lungs of your home.
Heating and cooling is provided by three heat pumps, two upstairs and one down, which help regulate the temperature inside the house during winter and summer. Good ventilation, combined with top quality insulation, also means heat sources run more efficiently, which ultimately results in savings on monthly power bills.
The combination of ventilation, heating and insulation will be especially important downstairs at 45 Lincoln Street, because although the lower level, which includes the master bedroom, has been renovated to let in as much sunlight as possible, it is the mechanical ventilation and heating that will help prevent dampness and condensation.
And it’s not just the air that is pure in this house. The first product to be installed during the renovation was the HRV whole-home water filtration system. The system uses a four-stage filtering process to ensure water is free from contaminants and other water-borne nasties.
All this makes 45 Lincoln Street one of the healthiest homes in New Zealand.
Follow the renovation here. Once the project has been completed the property will be sold by on-site auction on May 18. For more in-depth information on HRV’s healthy home solutions, visit the website.
