Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has expanded its Dudley Manufacturing centre, located on the Blackbrook Valley Industrial Estate, Narrowboat Way. The expansion increases capacity to support the anticipated uptick in demand for low-carbon ventilation. This significant investment provides Vent-Axia with a dedicated factory for its commercial and industrial ventilation range, alongside new equipment, additional warehouse space, and new members of staff, adding to its production team. These improvements will enhance production times and allow customers to benefit from shorter lead times.
As part of the expansion, Vent-Axia has increased production line capacity for its commercial and industrial ventilation products to meet increased demand for commercial products, including the multi-award-winning Sentinel Apex. A new production flow line now provides a streamlined production sequence moving products step-by-step through each stage of manufacture, boosting efficiency and increasing output at the Dudley site. Meanwhile, the additional warehouse space allows for greater stockholding of both finished units and parts. Vent-Axia will now hold stock of all models in the Sentinel Apex, Heat Recovery range, in addition to other commercial products.
This major investment is designed to improve its customers’ experience, enabling orders to be fulfilled directly from stock for rapid delivery and project completion. With the Future Homes Standard on the horizon and an increase in the demand for low-carbon and zero-carbon buildings, energy-efficient commercial ventilation with heat recovery is in particular demand.
“We are delighted to announce the expansion of our Dudley manufacturing facilities. The Future Homes Standard is to be published in the Autumn, and alongside this, we expect to see an uplift in Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations.
This will drive demand for low-carbon ventilation. At Vent-Axia, our new Dudley facilities will ensure we are prepared and that customers will benefit from our increased capacity and the ability to order on demand direct from stock for fast delivery,” said Jason Pendlebury, Vent-Axia Sales Director – Commercial & Industrial.
This expansion coincides with Vent-Axia’s Sentinel Apex commercial Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) range, achieving Passivhaus Certification. With its class-leading performance number, gaining this certification confirms that the Sentinel Apex is ideal for low and zero-carbon buildings, especially beneficial with the Net Zero 2050 deadline approaching. The Sentinel Apex delivers on its promise of ‘Simply more as Standard’ as the Passivhaus Certified models are available at no extra cost.
Passivhaus-certified MVHR is a critical part of a Passivhaus project and is key to its success in driving down energy usage. Vent-Axia has now attained Passivhaus Certification for its HR06, HR10, HR15, and HR21 Sentinel Apex units, which is beneficial for customers who require the very best low-carbon heat recovery systems for their commercial buildings.
MVHR performance is considered an integral element of the primary Passivhaus heating demand calculation, making Vent-Axia’s Passivhaus-certified MVHRs the ideal choice, with an industry-leading performance number of ≥ 11.5 combined with up to 80% thermal efficiency.
Vent-Axia’s range of Sentinel Apex commercial MVHRs ticks all the right boxes for commercial Passivhaus projects with its advanced units offering both wired and wireless sensors and controls, as well as the option of demand-controlled ventilation, constant pressure, or constant volume, so users have full control over their indoor environment.
Meanwhile, the Sentinel Apex MVHR offers free cooling through an Intelligent Summer Bypass to mitigate temperatures in warmer months, and features ePM10 50% extract and ePM1 55% supply filters (M5/F7 equivalent) as standard to provide excellent indoor air quality (IAQ). The units also include internal frost protection pre-heaters, achieving the best thermal comfort possible at all times.
The Sentinel Apex range achieves the holy grail by delivering the highest level of IAQ and thermal comfort with the lowest energy and noise levels. With units in the range offering up to 93% heat recovery efficiency (EN308 test method), alongside ultra-low sound levels, which are independently tested and verified by SRL Technical Services Limited, and extremely low specific fan power (SFP), results in a significant performance improvement compared to previous commercial heat recovery units.
Meanwhile, Sentinel Apex’s intuitive controls are compatible with Vent-Axia’s range of Sentinel-X Sensors, allowing easily configurable set points ensuring optimised IAQ, in line with Part F of the Building Regulations, while also minimising ventilation energy consumption
Developed for a wide range of applications, specifiers can choose from five sizes, delivering airflows up to 4000m3/hr. Designed to operate on the principles of demand ventilation, the Sentinel Apex is ideal for applications where the rooms are used at different times of the day by a variable number of people, such as libraries, classrooms, and offices.
The Sentinel Apex system, with the matched range of Sentinel-X Sensors, can monitor occupancy and air quality and respond by adjusting the ventilation accordingly to maintain the IAQ and thermal comfort within predefined limits whilst recovering up to 93% of the extracted thermal energy.
Designed to have a low embodied carbon footprint, Vent-Axia has used the CIBSE TM65 data collection methodology to collect accurate, detailed embodied carbon information for the Apex, working from a component level up.
This methodology ensures data is comprehensive, accurate, reliable, and up-to-date, making it easier for specifiers to focus on designing low-carbon sustainable buildings.
UK-manufactured, the supply chain involved is as short as possible, it is completely serviceable and maintainable, and all components can be removed and replaced if necessary. Sentinel Apex’s end of life has also been considered, ensuring it can be easily re-purposed or recycled, further enhancing its life-cycle credentials.
For further information on the Sentinel Apex contact projectorders(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)vent-axia.com. For further information on all products and services offered by Vent-Axia telephone +44 (0)344 856 0590 or visit www.vent-axia.com