Energy savings and manifold supply ventilation systems

• A manifold ventilation system for residential buildings is investigated.
• Instead of flat plate dampers decentralised fans are used to distribute the air.
• The performance of the manifold with dampers is compared to the manifold with fans.
• The systems are investigated experimentally and theoretically.
• The manifold system with fans uses less energy than the manifold system with dampers.

The total energy demand for mechanical ventilation systems depends on the pressure drop. Except for fans, any component in a mechanical ventilation system creates a pressure drop. The fan has to provide a sufficient pressure to compensate for the pressure drop caused by the components.A reduction of the energy required for ventilation is therefore a question of limiting the pressure drop in the individual components. In this study, a mechanical ventilation system incorporating a manifold with multiple fans was designed aiming at reducing the energy consumption for the main fan by decreasing the pressure drop.The key advantage of using a manifold is that it is suitable for residential buildings with limited space for air handling unit and duct-work. In this study, the use of a manifold in combination with multiple fans instead of dampers is presented.The results from the experimental studies supported the conclusion that a ventilation system with manifold and multiple fans required 40% less energy compared with a ventilation system with manifold and dampers.