Reducing the Risk from Covid19 in Schools:

Edward Peake Middle School in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire is the latest school in the UK to install Ventive’s natural ventilation system. The award-winning Windhive® ventilation system has been installed in the school’s Maths Block to provide a cleaner and healthier indoor environment, helping to reduce the risk from Covid19.

The natural ventilation system for Edward Peake school, which has served the communities of Biggleswade, Caldecote, Dunton, Northill and Ickwell for forty years, comprises four Windhive units, designed and manufactured in the UK by Ventive. Each unit provides 100% fresh air, is low-cost and is low-carbon.

Each Windhive unit combines passive ventilation, heat recovery and system intelligence to supply up to 200 litres of fresh air every second. The unit adapts to real-time conditions to deliver an optimal balance of ventilation and comfortable temperatures, whatever the weather. The system offers passive cooling at night that reduces daytime starting temperatures and purges heat from the building for free during the hotter summer months.

In addition, Ventive’s systems are Cloud connected and “smart”, autonomously reacting to their environment and transmitting data, allowing remote monitoring and over-the-air upgrades to optimize performance. The systems have been proven to be cheaper to install, to operate and to maintain than full mechanical air conditioning plant.
Given the pandemic and the concerns over air quality and virus transmission, interest in Ventive’s Natural Ventilation systems has grown significantly this year. The company is completing a number of other projects over the three months for state, free and fee-paying schools, with more in the pipeline for 2021.

Rob Morrison, Managing Director of Ventive Ltd said: “In the current “Post-Covid” climate, concerns have increased over traditional air conditioning units and recirculating systems redistributing contaminated air within rooms. Consequently, the importance and interest in Natural Ventilation is growing as we look to provide healthier environments that are less “virus friendly” and more human friendly.”

Ventive worked with Ambivent, a Northampton mechanical & electrical services company, on the Edward Peake project.

Kieran Copus of Ambivent said: “Working with Ventive was first-class. The Ventive team provided fantastic support throughout this project; their help and advice and ‘get it done’ attitude was most refreshing. Importantly, we have a very happy client.”

With local authorities, the Government, architects, building engineers and others looking at ways to improve ventilation in schools, Ventive has published a Ventilation Guide for Schools: Coronavirus mitigation –  https://ventive.co.uk/resources/ventilation-guide-for-schools-best-practice-in-a-post-covid-world/

For more information, visit www.ventive.co.uk

Rob Morrison, Ventive Ltd: rob@ventive.co.uk

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Notes to Editors

1. Natural Ventilation is a method of supplying fresh air to a building or room by means of natural forces (wind speed or air buoyancy). Passive ventilation with Heat Recovery (PVHR) is a Natural Ventilation system capable of recovering heat without using electricity.  It ensures that all of the air we breathe, within the built environment, is fresh and can be introduced comfortably without the need for further power, heating or inefficient cooling.
2. Ventive is a building services innovator, design and manufacture ventilation solutions for schools and other high occupancy buildings.
3. It pioneered the design of naturally intelligent ventilation systems that deliver fresh, comfortable air at minimal energy cost. Its proven, ‘displacement’ ventilation systems not only reduce the reliance on costly, energy-hungry mechanical systems but also ensure that stale, contaminated air is safely removed from occupied spaces without mixing with incoming air (which is the case with both recirculating and mixing mechanical systems).
4. Ventive has worked with top UK university researchers from Imperial, UCL and Brunel and the development of its technology has received multiple industry awards and central government support (BEIS’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, Innovate UK and the Energy Systems Catapult); Ventive is also part of the Made in Britain campaign. The company is based in West London.
5. To date, Ventive systems have been installed at primary and secondary schools, a number of high occupancy buildings and over 200 homes in the UK. Ventive is currently installing systems at Crest Nicholson’s development at Bicester Eco Village.