FAQ
Frequently asked questions about LivingBetter and the ventilation window
Frequently asked questions about LivingBetter and the ventilation window
Is there an indoor climate problem at your home or workplace?
A poor indoor climate can lead to mildew, mould – and poor concentration and respiratory disorders. A poor indoor climate is harmful to the structure and the people who use it.
A healthy indoor climate gives you, your home or workplace a fresh boost of energy.
LivingBetter offers the world’s best indoor climate at home, and in schools, hotels and office buildings.
Check out the following list of questions about LivingBetter and the ventilation window that many wish to know the answers to.
The ten most frequently asked questions about LivingBetter and the ventilation window
Call us on +45 81 81 81 10 or send an email to info@livingbetter,dk. You can also choose to let us have a few details about you and your needs. Please fill in and send the contact form.
Yes. We have installed LivingBetter solutions and ventilation windows at many locations in Denmark. Not all of these locations are open to the public. However, you can see a very good example of a healthy indoor climate with ventilation windows at Det Biologiske Hus (The Biological House) at Middelfart, Denmark.
It is also possible to visit public institutions, offices and sustainable exhibition houses that use our solutions.
Contact us. We at LivingBetter can arrange a real-life demonstration of BetterLiving solution for you.
If you get very close to the dampers at the top of the ventilation window, you may feel a weak flow of air.
A Danish Technological Institute study of residential housing units with ventilation windows in Højstrupparken (Copenhagen) confirms that, over a period of nine months in two test apartments, no draughts were measured coming from the windows.
During a storm or other extreme weather conditions that cause high wind pressure on the building façade, the window closes automatically via a storm vent at the bottom of the frame. The storm vent counteracts the stronger flow of air through the window and eliminates any draught thus caused.
Yes. Although the cost and benefits depend on your home.
In a new build, LivingBetter is a cheap and easy solution. High insulation standards in modern housing make it easy for a heat pump to extract sufficient heat from the stale air to heat your home and supply domestic hot water.
In older residential buildings, old-fashioned insulating techniques allow for greater heat loss, which means that your LivingBetter solution may need a larger heat pump and a conventional heat source. The best solution depends on the individual building.
We have successfully installed LivingBetter as part of refurbishment projects in large residential properties. These residential properties’ principal heat source is district heating. However, when LivingBetter is installed, the system reduces hot water consumption quite considerably. Conditioned fresh air from the ventilation windows is drawn into a central heat pump that recovers energy from the air and produces hot water for the property.
LivingBetter is the market’s best indoor climate and sustainable heating solution for any type of building. The brief explanation is that LivingBetter comprises ventilation windows that can simply be combined with mechanical ventilators or with an exhaust air heat pump if you wish to recover energy from stale air to provide domestic hot water and heating.
Our calculation programmes make it possible to calibrate the perfect solution, including the number of ventilation windows, their locations and the air extraction technique that is best under given conditions.
Actually, you will never have to ventilate manually. The windows will do it for you. The thing is that the windows are responsive to human behaviour. We calculate the number of valves you need to ensure adequate air exchange. The windows take care of the rest.
No. Ventilation windows improve the indoor climate in all types of residential housing and properties. We can install a LivingBetter solution in any type of property, although it is usually easier and cheaper to install in a new build.
If you find that you suffer from allergies or fatigue due to a poor indoor climate, ventilation windows and a LivingBetter solution can help to eliminate the causes entirely. Fresh air cannot compensate for poor sleep, but fresh air can help prevent excessive fatigue.
Of course, we cannot guarantee that the world’s best indoor climate will resolve your problems. But we do know of many whose health has improved since they moved into a home with a LivingBetter solution.
This depends on how close you get. From a distance, a ventilation window looks like ordinary double glazing. We make and supply windows in the same style and design as other windows in your property.
Take a closer look and you can see slight differences, including the inner pane, the larger space between the panels, and our highly efficient valves.
We can manufacture your windows to a design of your choice. You may wish to replace architect-designed windows, with or without mullions and muntins. We also produce modern timber/aluminium windows to order. Check out the full range of options in the Products tab.
Fresh air enters at the bottom of the window. Ambient heat and, on a warm day, sun rays heat the fresh air as it rises up to the valve at the top.
At the bottom of the ventilation window, there is a valve that is permanently open to allow fresh air to enter the cavity between the double glazing and the inner pane. Also at the bottom, there is a storm vent that prevents excessive flow of air when the building façade is exposed to high winds.
On a warm day, the air passing up through the window is so hot that it is not wanted in the building. The valve turns automatically and directs the hot air outside. At the same time, a second valve opens to allow for direct inflow of fresh air.
Functions
The ventilation window is an intelligent, low-maintenance window. It works without electricity to bring you conditioned fresh air.
The outer window is an ordinary double-glazed panel. The inner window is a single pane of glass in an aluminium frame that provides easy access to the space between the outer and inner window.
Window manufacturer Poul Horn invented and developed the ventilation window about 20 years ago. The patented, intelligent technology is available to other window manufacturers, which means that it is possible to buy ventilation windows with the original, thoroughly tried-and-tested and fully documented LivingBetter technology from selected window manufacturers in Denmark and abroad.
Fresh air enters at the bottom of the window. Ambient heat and, on a warm day, sun rays heat the fresh air as it rises up to the valve at the top.
At the bottom of the ventilation window, there is a valve that is permanently open to allow fresh air to enter the cavity between the double glazing and the inner pane. Also at the bottom, there is a storm vent that prevents excessive flow of air when the building façade is exposed to high winds.
On a warm day, the air passing up through the window is so hot that it is not wanted in the building. The valve turns automatically and directs the hot air outside. At the same time, a second valve opens to allow for direct inflow of fresh air.
No. Our patented valves adjust the window function according to temperature.
On a hot day, the valve at the top of the ventilation window opens automatically to allow hot fresh air to escape, i.e. the conditioned air between the panes is sent directly back outside.
No. Each valve contains a thermo-sensitive wax thermostat that adjusts itself automatically to temperature conditions without electricity. The only element in LivingBetter’s complete energy and indoor climate solution that requires power is the heat pump. For every kWh of energy consumed by the heat pump, it recovers on average 3.5-5.0 kWh.
No. Ventilation windows never steam up. Moreover, a constant flow of air ensures that mould does not grow in the space between the panes. For the same reason, mould does not grow on the inner windowpane. Like other new windows, you may find that condensate forms on the outside of the window. This means simply that your building is well insulated.
Yes. The ventilation window is proven to have excellent noise attenuation properties despite the fact that the window has openings and receives fresh air all the time. The windows are especially suitable for installation in buildings, in which residents are reluctant to open the windows in their homes due to traffic noise.
In principle, you can set up solar film on a ventilation window. However, we recommend that you have a chat with us first as solar film may affect energy frame calculations. If you need to create shade from direct sunlight, we may, for example, recommend integrated blinds.
The valves comprise thermostats embedded in temperature-sensitive wax. They are adjusted specifically to local temperature conditions and the desired flow of air through the property.
When temperatures rise, the temperature-sensitive parts of the valve expand. In cold weather, the same parts shrink. This explains how the valve adjusts itself automatically depending on whether it is warm or cold outside.
If a cooker hood or other extractor device creates a little negative pressure, this will automatically pull more air through the ventilation windows. The conditioning effect will diminish, corresponding to a situation in which the occupant opens a window to allow fresh air inside the house.
The number of ventilation windows and vents needed varies depends on the property but is always based on a calculated 12-15 pascals of differential pressure. At this pressure difference, optimal conditioning is achieved.
There is almost no risk of the indoor climate becoming polluted. A full 80 % of the micro particles in the air fall to the bottom of the ventilation window unit on the inside. These particles can be removed using a vacuum cleaner.
Force Technology Denmark produced a report based on measurements of ventilation windows installed at Vesterbrogade in Copenhagen, an urban location where concentrations of micro particles in the air are high.
The report confirms that the ventilation window has effective self-filtering properties.
Ventilation windows will last just as long as any other window that is made of high-quality materials, provided that they are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
You can rest assured that they will last at least 30 years. The same applies to the valves. We offer a full ten-year guarantee on the ventilation window.
If you get very close to the dampers at the top of the ventilation window, you may feel a weak flow of air.
A Danish Technological Institute study of residential housing units with ventilation windows in Højstrupparken (Copenhagen) confirms that, over a period of nine months in two test apartments, no draughts were measured coming from the windows.
During a storm or other extreme weather conditions that cause high wind pressure on the building façade, the window closes automatically via a storm vent at the bottom of the frame. The storm vent counteracts the stronger flow of air through the window and eliminates any draught thus caused.
No. Most of today’s double and triple glazing units can be fitted with a fresh air vent – but this does not make them comparable with our solution.
Other window types have vents in the window frame. They allow fresh air to enter directly from the outside.
The fresh air intake supplies air at the same temperature as outside air. The building’s heat source is therefore required to heat the fresh air once it has entered the house. Especially during the Nordic winter months, the cold outside air feels unpleasant, so people close the vent and shut off the ventilation function.
No. The air channels are large, and air passes relatively slowly through them. You will not hear air whistling through.
The ventilation window in combination with a heat pump
The heat pump pumps moist, de-oxygenated air out of the home through exhaust air ducts.
The pump recovers energy in the air and delivers it to a domestic heating source – most often underfloor heating – and to a hot water tank. The tank supplies domestic hot water.
The effect of the heat pump is to enhance the effect of the ventilation windows so that more fresh air enters your home than would without a heat pump.
The heat pump is installed in a technical cupboard, close to the hot water tank and underfloor heating dials. When a heat pump is installed inside the house, it extracts much more energy from the air than if the air were channelled to a pump outside the house, where it would cool under way.
We offer various models of heat pump, each one of which takes up less space than most other types of heat sources. The largest heat pump in the LivingBetter range is about the same size as an ordinary refrigerator. The small heat pump does not have an integral water tank and therefore takes up very little space.
At LivingBetter, we use silent IKM heat pumps. Although they produce a little sound, IKM heat pumps are among the market’s quietest heat pumps. We recommend that you install your heat pump in a technical cupboard, e.g. in your utility room. If you wish to avoid sound from your heat pump system entirely, you can install your heat pump in a heated basement.
LivingBetter – Ventilation window in combination with an exhaust air heat pump
LivingBetter is the market’s best indoor climate and sustainable heating solution for any type of building. The brief explanation is that LivingBetter comprises ventilation windows that can simply be combined with mechanical ventilators or with an exhaust air heat pump if you wish to recover energy from stale air to provide domestic hot water and heating.
Our calculation programmes make it possible to calibrate the perfect solution, including the number of ventilation windows, their locations and the air extraction technique that is best under given conditions.
Yes. Although the cost and benefits depend on your home.
In a new build, LivingBetter is a cheap and easy solution. High insulation standards in modern housing make it easy for a heat pump to extract sufficient heat from the stale air to heat your home and supply domestic hot water.
In older residential buildings, old-fashioned insulating techniques allow for greater heat loss, which means that your LivingBetter solution may need a larger heat pump and a conventional heat source. The best solution depends on the individual building.
We have successfully installed LivingBetter as part of refurbishment projects in large residential properties. These residential properties’ principal heat source is district heating. However, when LivingBetter is installed, the system reduces hot water consumption quite considerably. Conditioned fresh air from the ventilation windows is drawn into a central heat pump that recovers energy from the air and produces hot water for the property.
Ventilation Window Maintenance
Actually, you will never have to ventilate manually. The windows will do it for you. The thing is that the windows are responsive to human behaviour. We calculate the number of valves you need to ensure adequate air exchange. The windows take care of the rest.
Generally speaking, the windows need little maintenance and cleaning. Just like other windows, they look best when they are clean. Dust and other particles accumulate at the bottom of the ventilation windows. All you have to do is vacuum clean them away. There is no need to lubricate or adjust the valves.
In time a little dirt may accumulate at the bottom of the window. Just vacuum-clean it away.
In a ventilation window, there is a little more window glass to clean. Otherwise, ventilation windows are just as easy to clean as other windows.
The inner frame (made of timber or aluminium) is easy to open. You have easy access to the space between the glazed panels. Air intakes should be vacuum cleaned and wiped clean once a year.
Invest in ventilation windows
Yes. We have installed LivingBetter solutions and ventilation windows at many locations in Denmark. Not all of these locations are open to the public. However, you can see a very good example of a healthy indoor climate with ventilation windows at Det Biologiske Hus (The Biological House) at Middelfart, Denmark.
It is also possible to visit public institutions, offices and sustainable exhibition houses that use our solutions.
Contact us. We at LivingBetter can arrange a real-life demonstration of BetterLiving solution for you.
Call us on +45 81 81 81 10 or send an email to info@livingbetter,dk. You can also choose to let us have a few details about you and your needs. Please fill in and send the contact form.
Questions
This depends on how close you get. From a distance, a ventilation window looks like ordinary double glazing. We make and supply windows in the same style and design as other windows in your property.
Take a closer look and you can see slight differences, including the inner pane, the larger space between the panels, and our highly efficient valves.
We can manufacture your windows to a design of your choice. You may wish to replace architect-designed windows, with or without mullions and muntins. We also produce modern timber/aluminium windows to order. Check out the full range of options in the Products tab.
If you find that you suffer from allergies or fatigue due to a poor indoor climate, ventilation windows and a LivingBetter solution can help to eliminate the causes entirely. Fresh air cannot compensate for poor sleep, but fresh air can help prevent excessive fatigue.
Of course, we cannot guarantee that the world’s best indoor climate will resolve your problems. But we do know of many whose health has improved since they moved into a home with a LivingBetter solution.
No. Ventilation windows improve the indoor climate in all types of residential housing and properties. We can install a LivingBetter solution in any type of property, although it is usually easier and cheaper to install in a new build.
It is difficult to say unless we know your house. Older houses seldom qualify for a significantly better energy rating. This is because energy ratings are based on calculations that take into account a range of factors, including construction year, insulation in the foundations and other conditions that you cannot do anything about unless you tear down all or parts of your house and build again from scratch.
However, we will supply all the documentation you need to recalculate your energy rating. You will receive clear documentation of the energy effects when you refurbish your home with ventilation windows and a LivingBetter solution.
Ventilation windows can help you to achieve a better energy rating. Nevertheless, you should not assume that an older house can achieve energy rating C, no matter how much you renovate and insulate it.
Yes. Absolutely. Aalborg University has devised software to calculate the effect of the ventilation window in a new build.
We also have documentation to prove that the ventilation window has no downside. FORCE Technology studied air pollution and Danish Technology Institute studied occupants’ experience of draughts. Both studies revealed that the ventilation window gives no cause for concern. See also “Will I find that ventilation windows cause draughts?” and “Is there a risk that polluted air can seep in through the window?” (above).
Documentation is imperative in a new build, where we are required to meet the relevant building regulations. In renovation projects, the developer’s hands are not tied as much as in a new build. The goal here is usually to improve residents’ well-being and experience of a healthy indoor climate. To achieve these objectives, the developer may choose to install ventilation windows.
Several recognised institutes have documented the ventilation windows’ effect on light transparency, U values, energy balance (E ref), air volumes, heat transfer, energy effect, noise attenuation, self-filtering of micro particles and NOx, etc.
Two students of engineering at DTU (Technical University of Denmark), analysed LivingBetter’s life cycle and compared it with a popular ventilation system. They found that LivingBetter is second to none in the sustainable ventilation category.
BETTER VENTILATION, BETTER BUSINESS
Reap the full benefit of our experience – Allow us to help you from the very start of your project. Tell us something about your plans. One of our Indoor climate experts will contact you as soon as possible.