Air cycle houses and house ventilation system

An air cycle house comprising:

• a downstairs indoor space enclosed by a downstairs floor, a downstairs interior wall and a downstairs ceiling;
• an upstairs indoor space enclosed by an upstairs floor, an upstairs interior wall and an upstairs ceiling;
• an underfloor insulating layer, a wall insulating layer and a ceiling insulating layer laid externally of the downstairs floor, the upstairs and downstairs interior walls and the upstairs ceiling, respectively;
• an exterior wall disposed externally of the wall insulating layer;
• an underroof space locating above the ceiling insulating layer;
• an underfloor ventilation layer defined between the downstairs floor and the underfloor insulating layer;
• an intermediate ventilation layer defined between the downstairs ceiling and the upstairs floor;
• a ceiling ventilation layer defined between the upstairs ceiling and the ceiling insulating layer;
• an air intake which can be opened and shut and which is formed through the downstairs exterior wall, the wall insulating layer and the downstairs interior wall to provide communication with the downstairs indoor space and the underfloor ventilation layer;
• at least one downstairs floor vent which opens through the downstairs floor to provide communication between the underfloor ventilation layer and the downstairs indoor space;
• at least one downstairs ceiling vent which opens through the downstairs ceiling to provide communication between the downstairs indoor space and the intermediate ventilation layer;
• at least one upstairs floor vent which opens through the upstairs floor to provide communication between the intermediate ventilation layer and the upstairs indoor space;
• at least one upstairs ceiling vent which opens through the upstairs ceiling to provide communication between the upstairs indoor space and the ceiling ventilation layer;
• at least one shuttered ventilation fan projecting through the ceiling insulating layer to discharge air in the ceiling ventilation layer up to the underroof space;
• at least one underroof outlet for discharging air in the underroof space out of the house;
• a downstairs vertical duct equipped with an air distribution fan and extending vertically through the downstairs indoor space, thereby to deliver air in the underfloor ventilation layer toward the intermediate ventilation layer;
• an upstairs vertical duct equipped with an air distribution fan and extending vertically through the upstairs indoor space, thereby to deliver air in the ceiling ventilation layer toward the intermediate ventilation layer;
• and
• a heat exchange ventilator installed in the intermediate ventilation layer and joined to the downstairs vertical duct and the upstairs vertical duct, which ventilator discharges, out of the house, air drawn from the underfloor ventilation layer via the downstairs vertical duct as well as air drawn from the ceiling ventilation layer via the upstairs vertical duct, and which also takes in outdoor air, with allowing heat exchange between incoming air and outgoing air and delivering the incoming air to the intermediate ventilation layer after the heat exchange.

A house ventilation system comprising:

• an indoor space airtightly enclosed by a heat-insulating layer and thermally insulated from outdoor air;
• an air intake which can be opened and shut and which is formed through a portion of the heat-insulating layer to provide communication between a lower part of the indoor space and outdoor air;
• an air-discharge route which passes through another portion of the heat-insulating layer to provide communication between an upper part of the indoor space and outdoor air and to discharge air in the indoor space out of the house by means of a shuttered ventilation fan;
• a heat exchange ventilator which provides communication between the indoor space and outdoor air and which discharges air in the indoor space out of the house and takes in outdoor air, with allowing heat exchange between incoming air and outgoing air;
• an air-feed route joined to an intake part of the heat exchange ventilator to deliver the incoming air after the heat exchange to a certain area in the indoor space by means of an air distribution fan;
• an air-conditioner installed at a certain location in the indoor space;
• a sensor for detecting an outdoor temperature;
• and
• control means which automatically controls drive and stop of the ventilation fan, the air distribution fan, the heat exchange ventilator and the air-conditioner as well as opening and closure of the air intake, based on a signal from the sensor,
• wherein the control means stores a temperature range as optionally set in advance and compares an outdoor temperature detected by the sensor with the temperature range, and
• wherein the control means is arranged to open the air intake, to drive the ventilation fan and to stop the air distribution fan, the heat exchange ventilator and the air-conditioner when the outdoor temperature falls in the temperature range, and the control means is arranged to shut the air intake, to stop the ventilation fan and to drive the air distribution fan, the heat exchange ventilator and the air-conditioner when the outdoor temperature is outside the temperature range.