How do airtight ductwork systems like Ubbink’s Aerfoam and Air Excellent minimise fan energy use?

The fan power of a mechanical ventilation unit scales with the flowrate multiplied by the pressure at the fan, which means that 1. the higher the flow rate, the more power is needed and 2. the higher the pressure loss, the more power is needed.

Pressure loss in a ductwork system is the sum of the friction and dynamic losses. The pressure loss in a ductwork system is also proportional to the square of the flow rate so when the flow rate of a mechanical ventilation unit is increased during commissioning to overcome leakage in the ductwork system and maintain the hygienic flowrate in the rooms then the pressure loss will also increase.

Therefore, even high-performance mechanical ventilation units will waste energy when they are connected to leaky ductwork systems, but not when they are connected to Ubbink’s Aerfoam and Air Excellent, which are class D/ATC 2 airtight even when installed.