Leading British ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia is celebrating scooping an award for its Lo-Carbon EKF Kitchen Box Fan at the prestigious HVR Awards 2014. The Sussex-based company beat stiff competition to win Commercial/Industrial Ventilation Product of the Year at a glittering ceremony held at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in London. This marks the second award that Vent-Axia has won in a matter of weeks with the company’s Lo-Carbon Response™ winning the Product of the Year Award at the Housebuilder Awards 2014 earlier this month.
The judging panel had a challenging task choosing winners this year since the standard of entries was said to be exceptionally high. After a rigorous judging process, Vent-Axia’s EKF fan was selected as Commercial/Industrial Ventilation Product of the Year because it offers a simple energy efficient solution to regulatory compliance in commercial kitchens.
“We are very proud to have been acknowledged for our pioneering Lo-Carbon EKF Kitchen Box Fan. Future ready the EKF is fully compliant with ErP 2015 and meets the latest Part L Building Regulations requirements for low Specific Fan Power (SFP) offering professional kitchens both energy saving and regulatory compliance,” said David Cook, Product Marketing Manager – Non Residential at Vent-Axia.
Reliable and simple to install the EKF Kitchen Box Fan offers commercial kitchens a step change in energy efficient ventilation. The EKF Kitchen Box Fan comfortably meets the requirements for kitchen ventilation systems, as set out in 2013 edition of the Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide, which calls for kitchen ventilation systems in both new and existing buildings to have an SFP of less than 1.0W/l/s.
Incorporating a highly efficient long-life EC motor coupled with an efficient backward curved impeller the EKF also includes an integral potentiometer that provides full manual speed control. These features reduce the Kitchen Box Fan’s energy and running costs by up to 44% when compared to AC motor fans with transformer speed control. As a result end-users will be delighted to experience a return, on the extra investment required to capitalise on this new technology, in as little as 12 months.
Developed for kitchen extract systems the EKF Fan is designed to operate continuously in elevated duct temperatures of up to 120°C. This innovative product has been designed specifically to accommodate energy efficient long-life EC motors to ensure running costs are reduced. This is possible because the EKF Fan’s motor is positioned outside the airstream, thus protecting it from grease and the high temperatures experienced in professional kitchens.
The Kitchen Box Fan’s simple user-friendly potentiometer speed control giving end-users full control of the fan’s extract rate. This ensures that the air quality within the kitchen is kept at a suitable level for staff while maintaining efficiency levels and avoiding over ventilation. Alternatively the potentiometer can be replaced by a sensor with a 0-10v output for fully automated control of the air quality. The fan’s casing is also acoustically insulated so that it is quiet in operation providing comfortable ambience in an often hectic kitchen environment.
Designed for internal or external mounting as standard the Kitchen Box Fan also allows installation flexibility. Duct connections can be made in any direction, blowing straight through, or turning through 90° with the ducts positioned either vertically, horizontally or both, adding to its versatility.
Organised by Heating and Ventilating Review (HVR) magazine, the HVR awards are designed to reward and celebrate the success, innovation and technology within the H&V sector. Attended by influential heating and ventilation specialists from across the whole supply chain, this year the guests came to hear Greg Burns, host of ‘Drive Time’ on Capital FM Radio, announce the winners at the HVR Awards.