The importance of a good indoor climate is particularly emphasized during the winter months, when we spend a lot of time at home and indoors. Enervent Zehnder’s ventilation units have been specially designed for the northern climate and varying weather conditions have been considered in our product development from the beginning.

Our units are designed to cope with large differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures. The most important thing is to remember to use the unit according to the instructions in all situations. The dimensioned air volumes should not be changed, even if it is very cold outside. When used correctly, the units do not freeze even if the humidity in the extract air rises temporarily.

In addition, the technology solution we chose – the rotary heat exchanger – is a known energy-efficient alternative.

During the winter months, the humidity decreases

In winter, heating dries out the indoor air and it is important that ventilation devices balance the humidity. When the temperature drops below 0 °C, the rotary heat exchanger recovers some of the moisture in the extract air, so that the indoor humidity remains at a healthy level.

Clean filters ensure fresh air

Our units work best when the user remembers to change the filters regularly. It is recommended that the filters in the ventilation unit be replaced at least every six months. Now is a good time to make sure new filters are ordered for the unit for the cold winter months.

The energy-saving eco mode

Our ventilation units have an energy-saving eco mode. Its purpose is to minimize the ventilation unit’s electricity consumption and maximize heat recovery, without impairing the ventilation. Using the eco mode may temporarily cause a feeling of draft on cold winter days, but at the same time provides savings in operating costs.

In the spring, Enervent Zehnder started a collaboration with Filterpak from Hanko in Finland. The company is known as a manufacturer of high-quality filters. Filterpak belongs to the Finnish M-Filter group, which has versatile air filter expertise, from small ventilation unit filters to special filters for industry.

Roger Lindström, who has been responsible for Filterpak’s sales for more than six years, confirms that the company has continuously invested in growth and business development in recent years.

– Filterpak changed owners in the early 2000s, when Thomas and Peter Nordlund bought the entire business from its founder. From the beginning, they had a strong vision in which direction the company should be developed. We wanted to build Filterpak into a company that promotes people’s health through innovation, says Lindström

Just before the pandemic started, the company made a big investment in expanding production. The delay in the delivery of new equipment slowed down the reforms, but according to Roger Lindström, it also brought surprising opportunities. Filterpak began manufacturing domestic surgical mouth-nose masks.

– The technology develops and Filterpak renews its equipment base at a fast pace. Currently, the most important product groups for our company are cassette filters and bag filters. Enervent Zehnder’s ventilation unit uses both solutions.

Filters are more important than you might think

In home ventilation units, the quality of the filters plays a key role. If the pressure loss is not correct, the air volumes in the unit do not remain balanced and the ventilation unit does not work correctly. The right kind of filter is also important when it comes to energy efficiency.

– Our product is undeniably quite special because it is always hidden inside the units. In addition, its task is to filter out particles from the air that are invisible to the human eye, notes Lindström.

– The filters we produce for Enervent Zehnder are not off-the-shelf items – when it comes to ventilation units, both bags and cassettes are tailored for each type of unit. This is the only way to ensure full compatibility of different unit models. Our collaboration has worked well here since the beginning.

Partnership is development together

Filterpak’s operating philosophy includes long-term cooperation with partners. The customer owns the product, but Filterpak develops it for them. Together, we carry out continuous evaluation and further development.

– Although we have invested in automation of work steps, the products are unique. In the work phases, manual work and human supervision are also still needed. We have very committed and competent staff in Hanko.

– We are proud of all our products. The cassette filters used in Enervent Zehnder’s units are 100 % domestic. Their fiber material is manufactured by Ahlström-Munksjö in Tampere, the glue comes from the family company Kiilto and we manufacture the filters for the ventilation units which are manufactured in Porvoo. A chain of four companies with Finnish work and know-how in them, summarizes Lindström.

Mikael Karlsson, who is responsible for Enervent Zehnder’s supply chain, confirms that the collaboration with the domestic filter manufacturer is also significant for the company from an economic and environmental responsibility point of view.

– The development together with Filterpak has already proven to work during the first year. By keeping supply chains short, our operations also have low emissions, which strongly supports our responsibility goals. We also wanted to do our part to influence the preservation of jobs in Finland and find a high-quality operator to which we can concentrate the production of filters.

Photo of Roger Lindström by Miikka Pirinen. Read more about M-Filter Group >>