An ingenious air quality system that heats, cools, ventilates – and produces hot water

When it comes to ambient air inside a dwelling, there are three primary factors that are central to our quality of life: heating, cooling, and ventilation. Temperature and air quality can be regulated using a number of different tools, some more suited to large single-family homes, others more appropriate for medium- to high-density apartments.

Often in standalone homes, it’s sufficient to satisfy the requirements of a well-ventilated space by simply opening windows and doors for a time to let fresh air through. But what if you live in a high-rise apartment, where an open window isn’t even an option? The common answer to this issue has typically been exhaust-only ventilation, or supply-only ventilation – the former only expelling stale air, and the latter only bringing in fresh air, but not vice versa.

Balanced ventilation combines the two – but even that isn’t the height of efficiency regarding whole-room air quality solution. The most efficient systems combine the trifecta of heating, cooling and ventilation – and one such solution is the EOS system from Solutionair.

ArchiPro spoke to Massimo Biscuola, the CEO of Solutionair, who details the features and benefits of such a solution – especially for medium to high-density residential spaces.

Massimo Biscuola: The EOS is a balanced ventilation system with heat recovery that offers ‘free cooling’ – and in contrast to other similar systems, it also offers hydronic heating and cooling inside the same unit. It continuously controls the internal temperature of a space against external temperature spikes using the RECAIR core, which recovers energy from the air.

The system addresses the combined need for both air quality and comfort. A building code in much need of updating still allows homeowners to vent their homes passively – by opening windows and doors for about 15 minutes a day.

But in apartments, this brings up issues – is pollution going to enter the apartment when windows are opened? What about heat? How much heat is going to escape the building envelope during passive ventilation and how much will this cost in the power bill?

The EOS eliminates all of the above by venting the apartment 24/7 to your needs at a set ventilation rate. If CO2 increases inside the apartment, the EOS fans speed up to clear the air. If there is an increase in humidity, the EOS will run in a dehumidification cycle to reduce humidity to a healthy level.

Another huge benefit is its ability to be combined with a domestic hot water solution, wherein one heat pump can heat water for domestic use, as well as hot or cold water for the EOS for heating and cooling.

MB: Living in high-density residential areas often comes with a downside of both air and noise pollution. This has a substantial effect on living conditions, and has necessitated the creation of solutions that go beyond the standard high-wall heat pump and bathroom extractor fans.

The all-in-one EOS can simultaneously vent the apartment, extract air from bathrooms and toilets, heat in winter and cool in summer. In essence, one unit can vent, heat or cool an entire apartment, delivering a healthy and comfortable environment without harmful gases, stale air or lingering odours.

MB: The EOS is a hydronic system – meaning its source of energy comes from an air-to-water heat pump, which can generate hot water to 65°C or cold water down to 7°C.

This means the 65°C water can be used for both space heating as well as for domestic hot water; this is an added value feature of an EOS proposal where we can add a DHW solution to the system using the same HP. Meanwhile, in summer, the system can generate 7°C water for space cooling alongside 65°C water for domestic hot water use.

MB: Manufactured by Aertesi in Italy, the EOS is designed to deliver 24/7 comfort to a home in terms of both thermal comfort and air quality. It has also been certified by Sustainable Engineering for use in passive houses.

Learn more about Solutionair and it's all-in-one EOS system.