Ventilation in a renovated apartment: why the air gets stuffy after renovation and what to do

The renovation of apartment blocks in Lithuania changes not only how buildings look but also how the flats inside them breathe. Old windows and leaky walls used to let air through – uncontrolled, but constant ventilation. After renovation, with airtight windows and an insulated façade, this „natural“ air exchange drops considerably. The heat stays in the flat – but so do moisture, odours and exhaled carbon dioxide.

Signs that a flat lacks ventilation

• Windows mist up in the morning, especially in the bedroom.
• Mould spots appear in corners or behind furniture.
• The air feels stuffy when you come home, and you wake up with a heavy head.
• Kitchen smells linger for a long time.

Opening a window helps, of course, but during the heating season the heat escapes with the air, and a noisy street or dust does not always allow you to ventilate as much as needed.

A ductless solution – a wall-mounted mini unit

In many renovated flats a ducted system cannot be installed: there is no room for ducts, ceilings are low and the flat is already finished. In such cases we offer Lossnay wall-mounted mini heat recovery units – the VL-50S2-E, VL-50SR2-E or VL-80U5-E. They are mounted on an external wall, supply fresh outdoor air and extract room air, while the heat exchanger transfers part of the heat from the extract air to the supply air. The unit needs an opening in the wall, a power supply and a suitable position – we assess this before installation.

The area served by one unit, as stated by the manufacturer, depends on the model, so larger flats often have several units planned, for example one in the bedroom and one in the living room.

When the whole flat is being renovated

If you are planning a full refurbishment with new suspended ceilings, a compact ducted system such as the VL-CZPVU-R/L-E is worth considering. Fresh air is then supplied to the living rooms and extracted from the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. It is important to plan this before finishing work – adding ducts later is considerably harder.

How to choose

Start with the ventilation planner – enter the floor area, number of rooms and occupants to get a preliminary solution type. You can read more about the differences in the article MVHR or a decentralised unit for an apartment. We will choose the final solution, number of units and positions after assessing your floor plan and wall construction.

Ventilation and heating together

If you already use an air-to-air heat pump in the flat, bear in mind that it heats and cools the room air but does not supply fresh outdoor air. A heat pump and a heat recovery unit therefore complement each other: the first takes care of temperature, the second of air quality. We can plan both together.

Renovation gave your home warmth – we will make sure it also has fresh air. Send a request and we will propose a Lossnay solution tailored to your flat.