In addition to installing effective home insulation, there is now a new and innovative energy saving solution on the market that’s steadily gaining popularity due to its fast and effective results—the AirEx smart air brick and ventilation system.
If you’re new to the AirEx system, then not to worry. Our handy guide will familiarise you with everything you need to know about smart air bricks.
1. What is a smart air brick exactly?
Smart air bricks are an innovative evolution on the traditional air brick. Also known as air vents, air bricks contain holes that allow air to enter under buildings with suspended floors, through roofs, and within other habitable rooms. This air flow helps prevent damp and mould from building up with the home. However, due to air flow being uncontrolled this can cause uncomfortable draughts and waste up to 15% of your home’s energy. The AirEX smart air brick system introduces simple but highly effective technology into the mix to provide an effective solution to this problem.
2. How do smart air bricks work?
AirEx is a smart passive ventilation system that keeps your home warmer whilst preventing damp. This intelligent air brick automatically regulates air flow using sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality. The AirEx home hub connects to the internet through a router or using 4G to access online weather data. By analysing all the data gathered, AirEx then opens vents to prevent damp and mould, and closes to reduce heat loss and improve thermal comfort with the home. So, rooms warm up faster and stay warmer longer.
3. What are the benefits of smart air bricks for homeowners?
Smart air bricks can help you save up to 15% of energy loss within your home. Not only does the system improve energy efficiency, but it achieves this in a cost effective, non-intrusive way. All in all, by installing an AirEx smart ventilation system you can look forward to a warmer home with improved thermal efficiency, less draughts in rooms, lower energy and heating bills, improved air quality throughout the home, and less risk of condensation, timber rot, and mould. As well as reducing the amount of warm air escaping in the winter months, the system also allows cooler airflow in the summer months.
4. What are the benefits of smart air bricks for landlords?
In addition to all the above, smart air bricks also offer a range of extra benefits for landlords to help them achieve their net-zero targets. Thanks to its automatic control, landlords do need to keep on top of each system installed in each of their properties. The installation process is non-disruptive to residents with no electricity cut offs or internet outages. The system provides data analytics that flags up any risk of mould growth or timber rot within your properties. Best of all, the system typically pays back in as little as two to three years through reduced energy.
5. Is it difficult to install a smart air brick?
Not at all. The AirEx system can be installed quickly and without hassle, usually taking between one and two hours in most homes. The AirEx hub simply needs to be connected to an internet router. The system’s dashboard then allows you to connect the hubs to the vents. Installing the vents themselves is straightforward for a competent DIYer with masonry skills. For those less confident, a local tradesperson or professional installer can assist. Once up and running, the system does not require any interaction to operate or to be beneficial – it is simply fit and forget.
6. Is there any data that proves the system works?
Yes, absolutely! The AirEx system has been validated by four independent research bodies, including the University of Sheffield, the University of Salford, French multinational utility company Engie, and Great Britain’s official energy regulator Ofgem. Over the course of various studies, the AirEx system has been shown to help UK households generate the following savings in their gas and electricity bills:
| Gas | South | Midlands | Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual savings in £ | £70.10 | £76.10 | £88.00 |
| Lifetime Bill Savings (LBS) score | £1,699.20 | £1,845.60 | £2,134.90 |
| Electric | South | Midlands | Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual savings in £ | £177.30 | £192.60 | £222.80 |
| Lifetime Bill Savings (LBS) score | £4,299.70 | £4670.10 | £5,402.20 |
7. How many smart air bricks do I need for my home?
The exact amount of smart air bricks you’ll need for your home will largely depend on your property type. That said, we are including a guide based on an average semi-detached house to help you determine roughly how many smart air bricks you’ll require to protect your home against energy loss.
Because roofs need to have crossflow ventilation—meaning air can enter from one end and exit through the other—they typically only need two vents.
Room walls may require up to six vents, usually installed at ceiling level. Two vents are installed in the front of the wall, a further two at the back of the wall, and one on each side wall.
Floor vents are normally installed just below the suspended floor level and above the damp-proof course (DPC). An average house will usually be protected with four floor vents, while larger detached houses may require up to 14 in total.
8. This all sounds great! Where can I get an AirEx system for my home?
Good news, you’re already in the right place. As one the UK’s leading energy saving specialists, SmartStone is proud to be an official stockist and installer of the innovative AirEx system. Speak to us today for a FREE consultation and quotation. We can help you determine how many smart air bricks you’ll need to protect your home from unnecessary energy losses so that you can enjoy a warmer home while making significant savings on your gas and electricity bills.
