To support its entry in to the Australian housing sector, Ichijo Technological Homes has selected a Passivhaus-certified unit supplied by Stiebel Eltron Australia for its heat recovery ventilation system.

The system helps the homes achieve over 8 stars in the NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme).

Stiebel Eltron says Ichijo has been building ‘the most technologically smart, ecologically sustainable, and attractively designed homes’ for its customers for more than 35 years and builds more than 10,000 homes each year in Japan, the United States and now Australia.

The manufacturer of space and water heating systems research by Ichijo staff indicated that Stiebel Eltron manufactured the appropriate technology that met its necessary criteria. Senior R&D managers of Ichijo visited Stiebel Eltron in Germany to see and acknowledge their quality controlled plants, seeing how the equipment could be incorporated into the designs.

Jason Kerr, NSW sales manager with SEA, said that to withstand the extremes of the Australian environment, the company has designed custom equipment, as well as adapted systems manufactured for European markets.

The company’s LWZ 270-plus is a central ventilation system designed to supply fresh air to medium-sized apartments and family homes with living areas of up to 290 square metres.

The Ichijo Homes demonstration house in Sydney

Using a counter-current flow, it utilises thermal energy from air being extracted from a residence to heat up the incoming fresh air.

The design of the unit is said to allow up to 90 per cent of the energy from the vented air to be recovered and equally effective in warmer climates where incoming air is cooled.

“We are proud that earlier this year, the LWZ 270 was awarded a certificate by the Passivhaus Institut that described it as an ‘excellent passive house suitable component’,” Kerr stated.

The Passive House (Passivhaus) building standard originated in Germany in 1988 and is a voluntary standard overseen worldwide by the Passivhaus Institut which was established in 1996.

The supplied equipment has a compact form-factor allowing it to be positioned unobtrusively around a property. The unit also incorporates an easy to change class G3 filter that cleans dust particles from the air. The ventilation unit can supply air at flow rates between 70 and 350 cubic metres per hour using easy to adjust and operate controls.

According to SEA, the unit in the demonstration home is surprisingly quiet while achieving more than 90 per cent heat recovery. When the unit is set to Stage 2 operation—standard ventilation with an air exchange rate of 250 cubic metres per hour—its energy consumption is approximately 45 W/h.

The ventilation system has helped Ichijo’s demonstration home in Sydney be approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice program.

The Ichijo Display Centre in Kellyville, Sydney has achieved an 8.4-star rating for energy efficiency on the NatHERS rating scale.