Comparison Prana 200C Eco Life vs Prana 150 Eco Life

The diameter of the holes intended for connecting air ducts to the ventilation unit. The more performant the air ventilation unit, the more air the ducts must pass and the larger, usually, the mounting holes. For wall-mounted models (see above), this parameter determines the size of the channel that must be drilled into the wall to accommodate the unit.

Additional functions provided in the design of the unit in addition to ventilation.

— Recuperator. A heat exchanger that prevents "blowing" heat from the room during the cold season. The principle of operation of the heat exchanger is that it takes energy from the blown air and transfers it to the incoming one — thus, ventilation sends relatively cool air out and supplies preheated air into the room. The use of a heat exchanger can significantly reduce heat loss and, accordingly, heating costs — the amount of heat returned in the most advanced heat exchangers can reach 97% (see "Heat exchanger efficiency"). At the same time, such systems are often passive and do not themselves consume energy (and where it is required, the consumption is still lower than the amount of saved heat). Naturally, this function is found only in full-size, supply and exhaust units (see "Type of ventilation"). Note that external recuperators are also produced, which can be supplemented with ventilation units that do not have this function; however, an integrated heat exchanger is often more convenient and efficient.

— Heater. The built-in heater intended for heating the air coming into the room. At the same time, in contrast to the heat exchanger described above, energy is used...for heating from a third-party source — an electric heater or a water heat exchanger (see "Heater type"). This method of heating requires additional energy costs, and water circuits are also quite troublesome to connect. But it is much more efficient: if the air supplied from the heat exchanger into the room cannot be warmer than the air blown out, then this is not a problem for the heater. This function is mainly used to raise the temperature of the supply air supplied from the heat exchanger (built-in or separate) to the temperature of the extract air and thus avoid unnecessary heat losses.

— Cooler. A built-in system that reduces the temperature of the air supplied to the room. Simplified, this function can be called a "built-in air conditioner" — because air conditioners are usually used to cool the air in hot weather. In fact, in some cases, installing an air ventilation unit with a cooler can eliminate the need for separate air conditioners. On the other hand, such systems are quite complex and expensive, and therefore they are used rarely, mainly among centralized units(see "System").

— Humidifier. A system that increases the humidity of the air supplied to the room. The peculiarity of the human body is such that the feeling of a comfortable climate depends not on the absolute, but on the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Relative humidity, on the other hand, depends not only on the actual amount of water vapour in the air but also on temperature: physical laws are such that as the temperature rises, relative humidity drops, even though the amount of moisture in the air remains unchanged. In fact, this leads to the fact that during the cold season, the heated outside air begins to seem dry. To avoid this effect in climate technology, including air ventilation units, humidification systems may be provided. Note that such systems usually require either a connection to the water supply system or regular refilling of the water tank.

— Ionizer. A system that saturates the air entering the room with negatively charged ions. The effect of such ions on the climate is positive — the air feels fresher, ionization contributes to the sedimentation of contaminants on the floor and walls and provides a bactericidal effect. In addition, it is believed that ionized air is good for health, improves immunity and recovers from injuries and illnesses.

The number of speeds at which the fans of the air ventilation unit can operate.

The presence of several speeds allows you to choose the actual performance of the installation, adjusting it to the specifics of the current situation: for example, in a production room, you can reduce the ventilation intensity during the night shift, where there are fewer people than in the daytime. And the more speeds provided in the device (with the same performance range) — the more choice the user has, the easier it is to find the mode that best suits current needs.

Note that if the minimum and maximum of the air flow are indicated in the specs, but the number of speeds is not given, this does not necessarily mean smooth adjustment. On the contrary, most often such models are regulated traditionally, in steps, but for some reason, the manufacturer decided not to specify the number of speeds in the characteristics.

The noise level produced by the air ventilation unit in normal operation.

This parameter is indicated in decibels, while the decibel is a non-linear unit: for example, a 10 dB increase gives a 100 times increase in sound pressure level. Therefore, it is best to evaluate the actual noise level using special tables.

The quietest modern ventilation units produce about 27–30 dB — this is comparable to the ticking of a wall clock and allows you to use such equipment without restrictions even in residential premises (this noise does not exceed the relevant sanitary standards). 40dB is the daytime noise limit for residential areas, comparable to average speech volume. 55–60 dB — the norm for offices, corresponds to the level of loud speech or sound background on a secondary city street without heavy traffic. And in the loudest, they give out 75–80 dB, which is comparable to a loud scream or the noise of a truck engine. There are also more detailed comparison tables.

When choosing according to the noise level, it should be taken into account that the noise from the air movement through the ducts can be added to the noise of the ventilation unit itself. This is especially true for centralized systems (see "System"), where the length of the ducts can be significant.

Efficiency of the heat exchanger used in the heat exchanger of the supply and exhaust system (see "Features").

Efficiency is defined as the ratio of useful work to the energy expended. In this case, this parameter indicates how much heat taken from the exhaust air, the heat exchanger transfers to the supply air. The efficiency is calculated by the ratio between the temperature differences: you need to determine the difference between the outdoor air and the supply air after the heat exchanger, the difference between the outdoor and exhaust air, and divide the first number by the second. For example, if at an outside temperature of 0 °С, the temperature in the room is 25 °С, and the heat exchanger produces air with a temperature of 20 °С, then the efficiency of the heat exchanger will be (25 – 0)/(20 – 0)= 25/20 = 80%. Accordingly, knowing the efficiency, it is possible to estimate the temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger: the temperature difference between the inside and outside must be multiplied by the efficiency and then the resulting number is added to the outside temperature. For example, for the same 80% at an outdoor temperature of -10 °C and an internal temperature of 20 °C, the inflow temperature after the heat exchanger will be (20 – -10)*0.8 + -10 = 30*0.8– 10 = 24 – 10 = 14 °C.

The higher the efficiency, the more heat will be returned to the room and the more savings on heating will be. At the same time, a highly efficient heat e...xchanger is usually expensive. Also note that the efficiency may vary slightly for certain values of the external and internal temperatures, while manufacturers tend to indicate the maximum value of this parameter — accordingly, in fact, it may turn out to be lower than the claimed one.

The power of the main heater used in the air ventilation unit. For models with two heaters (see "heater type"), this item indicates the power of the main heating element; at the same time, in units with water-electric heating, the water heat exchanger is considered the main one, in units with a preheater and afterheater, the afterheater.

Power determines primarily the amount of heat produced by the heater. This parameter is selected by the designers for the performance of the installation so that the power is enough for the volume of air passing through the unit. Thus power is more of a reference parameter than practically significant: most likely, it will be enough one way or another for the effective use of the installation. We note only some of the nuances associated with particular types of heaters. So, in water heaters, the actual power depends on the temperature of the supplied coolant; in the characteristics, indicators are usually given for a temperature of 95 °C, at a lower value and power, respectively, will be lower. With electric heating, the power consumption of the heater and, accordingly, the requirements for its connection directly depend on the power.

The presence of an EC fan(fans) in the design of the air handling unit.

This term refers to fans with synchronous brushless motors, also known as EC motors. Such motors are more advanced than traditional asynchronous ones: in particular, they provide very uniform rotation, allow precise control of speed, have high efficiency, and generate almost no heat (which is extremely important in the presence of a cooler, see "Features"), and also efficiently operate over a wide temperature range. In addition, the noise level of such motors is noticeably lower, and the service life is longer. The main disadvantage of EC fans is the traditionally high price.

Electrical power consumed by the air handling unit in normal operation (for models with capacity control - at maximum speed). Knowing this power, you can determine the requirements for connecting the unit, as well as estimate how expensive its operation will be in light of electricity bills. It should be taken into account that for models with an electric reheater (see “Type of reheater”), in this case we are talking about the power of only the ventilation system, and the power of the reheater is given separately (see above); thus, the total power consumption when operating in full format will correspond to the sum of these powers.

Also, based on the power consumption, you can to a certain extent evaluate the performance of the installation: “gluttonous” units usually provide an appropriate flow.

The minimum wall thickness on which the air ventilation unit can be hung with the possibility of wall mounting.

This parameter is indicated for models mounted directly into a hole in the wall — see "Mounting" for details. The installation length (the length of the pipe between the trims) can usually be adjusted to suit specific wall thicknesses. However, if this thickness is too small, then even an extremely shortened pipe will stick out of it, preventing the entire structure from being securely fixed. This is the reason for this limitation. Theoretically, the situation can be corrected — for example, by building up a wall at the installation site — however, in fact, such options are unlikely to be considered seriously. Nevertheless, in most models, this limitation does not exceed 300 mm, and it is very rarely necessary to install ventilation units on thinner walls.