MVHR installation
Whole-home heat recovery ventilation, designed room by room and airflow-tested at handover.
From £4,450 inc VAT per home
New builds, extensions and testing
Ventilation for new builds, extensions and loft conversions
Part F designs, MVHR or extract installs and the commissioning paperwork building control needs.
- From £4,950 inc VAT per home
- Free survey on the UK mainland
- Airflow tested and recorded
New homes, extensions and loft conversions need ventilation that meets the building regulations and is tested before sign-off. We design the system, install it at the right stage of the build, measure the airflows and provide the commissioning information building control asks for.
How it works
For new dwellings in England, Approved Document F sets whole-home ventilation rates and requires mechanical systems to be commissioned and the results given to building control. Extensions and loft conversions have their own triggers: a new wet room needs extract, a new habitable room needs background ventilation or a connection to the ducted system, and energy-efficiency work can mean the existing home needs more ventilation too.
We work for self-builders, small developers, builders and architects. Fitting ducts at first fix is far cheaper than retrofitting, so it pays to involve us before the ceilings go up.
Options we fit
MVHR for new builds
Design, first fix, second fix and commissioning for whole-home heat recovery.
MEV or dMEV
Continuous extract systems where MVHR is not specified.
Extensions and lofts
Extract for new bathrooms and kitchens, background ventilation for new rooms.
Commissioning only
Testing and paperwork for systems installed by others.
Signs you need this
- Building control has asked for a ventilation strategy or commissioning sheet
- Your SAP assessor has assumed a particular ventilation system
- You are adding a bathroom or kitchen in an extension or loft
- You are insulating and re-windowing an existing home
- A self-build with an airtightness target
- Ceilings are about to be boarded
Guide prices
| Work | Guide price |
|---|---|
| MVHR in a new build or full renovation (fitted at first fix), 3 to 4 bedrooms (per home) | £4,950–£7,950 inc VAT |
| Continuous-running extract fan (dMEV) with humidity boost, flow tested (per fan) | £345–£595 inc VAT |
| Airflow testing and commissioning sheet for extract fans (up to 6 fans) (per home) | £145–£295 inc VAT |
| MVHR or MEV commissioning test, every terminal measured and recorded (per system) | £245–£395 inc VAT |
Guide prices using West Midlands (our baseline) rates. Home prices include VAT at 20%; business prices exclude VAT. A guide price is not a quote: we confirm a fixed price in writing first. London is about 20% higher and the North East about 8% lower. Ventilation fitted while a brand-new home is being built can be zero-rated for VAT when the work is done for the person building it; we confirm the VAT position on your quote.
What happens, step by step
Drawings
We review plans and the SAP or energy assessment.
Design
System and duct layout to the required rates.
First fix
Ducts and unit positions before boarding.
Second fix
Valves, terminals and controls.
Commission
Airflows measured and the commissioning sheet provided for building control.
The rules that apply
England
In England, ventilation is covered by Part F of the Building Regulations and its guidance, Approved Document F (2021 edition). For homes, it sets minimum extract rates such as 15 litres a second for a bathroom and 30 or 60 for a kitchen, and expects mechanical systems to be airflow-tested.
Wales
Wales has its own Part F ventilation guidance, published by the Welsh Government, and work is checked by building control. We design to the Welsh rates and commission mechanical systems so the results can be recorded.
Scotland
In Scotland, ventilation is covered by the Building (Scotland) Regulations and section 3 of the Technical Handbooks, and most building work needs a building warrant first. We work to the Scottish ventilation standards and record the airflow achieved.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, ventilation is covered by the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) and Technical Booklet K. We design to the Northern Ireland guidance and measure the airflow achieved.
Questions people ask
Does an extension need extractor fans?
A new kitchen, bathroom, utility room or WC in an extension needs mechanical extract to meet Approved Document F in England, and new habitable rooms need background ventilation or a connection to a ducted system.
When should MVHR be fitted in a new build?
MVHR ducts should go in at first fix, after the structure and before plasterboard. Planning it at design stage avoids clashes with joists and steels.
Who signs off the ventilation commissioning?
The installer measures the airflows and completes a commissioning sheet, which goes to building control; for new dwellings in England that is expected within five days of completion of the commissioning.
How much does MVHR cost in a new build?
For a 3 to 4 bedroom new build, MVHR fitted at first fix usually costs £4,950 to £7,950 including VAT. VAT on new-build work can differ, so we confirm the treatment on your quote.
Can you just test a system someone else installed?
Yes. We can commission and test systems installed by others, and report any issues we find.
Do loft conversions need ventilation?
Yes. New bedrooms need background ventilation, and a new en-suite or bathroom needs extract to outside.
Related services
Airflow testing and commissioning
Calibrated flow-hood testing and commissioning sheets for fans, MEV and MVHR.
From £145 inc VAT per home
Continuous extract fans (dMEV)
Quiet low-energy fans that run all the time and boost automatically when humidity rises.
From £345 inc VAT per fan
Extractor fan installation
Bathroom, kitchen and utility fans sized to the Part F rates, ducted outside and tested.
From £175 inc VAT per fan
Read before you buy
Ventilation for new builds, extensions and lofts by area
Choose your area for local guide prices and the towns we cover.
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Clwyd
- Dyfed
- Gwent
- Gwynedd and Anglesey
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- South Glamorgan
- West Glamorgan
- Edinburgh
- Lothians
- Glasgow
- Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire and Inverclyde
- Dunbartonshire
- Ayrshire
- Fife
- Forth Valley
- Tayside
- Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
- Highland and Moray
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Scottish Borders
- Argyll and Bute
- Scottish Islands
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
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