Balanced ventilation in apartment buildings

Use of balanced ventilation in apartment buildings is supposed to improve indoor climate and reduce energy use for heating. On the other hand use of balanced systems can result in user dissatisfactions and complains. Overheating is one not foreseen problem; noise and not satisfactory exhaust from kitchen hoods are common problems. The last years the number of new apartment buildings per year has nearly been doubled in Norway. At the same time we see a tendency from choosing exhaust ventilation systems to more balanced ventilation systems. This tendency is strained by stricter energy provisions in the Norwegian building code. It is therefore important to find good solutions to avoid a new generation of problem apartments according to mechanical balanced ventilation. As a solution, centralised systems are introduced as an alternative for decentralised systems, but also these solutions have their disadvantages. Bades on results from collection of experience from the building industry in Norway, this paper looks into the challanges mentioned above on balanced ventilation systems used in apartment buildings.