DIN 1946-6 - Ventilation of apartments according to the ventilation concept
With today’s energy-saving construction methods, building envelopes are so tight that sufficient air exchange cannot be guaranteed with just one window ventilation. This means that moisture damage, mold growth and the accumulation of pollutants in the room air can occur more easily than they did years ago. For this reason, various regulations (standards for ventilation systems) require not only a tight building envelope but also a minimum air exchange.
Bestimmungen zur Luftwechselrate nach DIN 1946-6
With today’s energy-saving construction methods, building envelopes are so tight that sufficient air exchange cannot be guaranteed with just one window ventilation. This means that moisture damage, mold growth and the accumulation of pollutants in the room air can occur more easily than they did years ago. For this reason, various regulations (standards for ventilation systems) require not only a tight building envelope but also a minimum air exchange.
The planning and design criteria are intended to ensure that living spaces are supplied with a sufficiently large volume flow of outside air. If the occupancy is planned, this is necessary for the residents for reasons of hygiene and health. The requirements apply both to the entire usage unit and to each individual room.
The ventilation conceptaccording to DIN 1946-6
The requirement of a ventilation concept according to DIN 1946-6 is intended to clarify fundamental questions about the ventilation of a building or a usage unit. Changes to the building envelope result in changes to the ventilation of the rooms in this building, which is why a standardized ventilation concept must be drawn up for every new building as well as for extensive renovations of old buildings. In the case of old buildings, a ventilation concept is necessary if more than 1/3 of the existing windows in single and multi-family houses are replaced or more than 1/3 of the roof area in single-family houses is re-sealed. The planner or processor must determine how the necessary air exchange can take place from the point of view of hygiene and building protection. Please do not hesitate to contact us about the ventilation concept for a single-family home.
The procedure takes place in two steps:
Ventilation concept
Determination of whether ventilation measures are necessary for the building
Ventilation planning
Suitability of the ventilation systems to implement the necessary measures & selection of a ventilation system
The ventilation levelsaccording to DIN 1946-6
DIN 1946-6 requires proof of four ventilation levels for sufficient air exchange under different conditions of use. These were determined based on experience and studies on buildings. The four ventilation levels are based on characteristic user behaviors. According to the standard, four ventilation levels are initially distinguished in terms of their intensity. The different ventilation levels classify the performance of a ventilation system. If the air supply via building leaks is insufficient to ensure ventilation for moisture protection, the planner must provide ventilation measures.
Find out more about the ventilation levels in our guide: “Why ventilate?”
4 Air exchange rate after …
- Ventilation for moisture protection
- Reduced ventilation (RV)
- Nominal ventilation (NV)
- Intensive ventilation (IV)
Air exchange rate after ...
Moisture protection
reduced ventilation
Nominal ventilation
Intensive ventilation
Moisture protection
Air exchange rate for moisture protection
According to DIN 1946-6, ventilation for moisture protection must be ensured continuously and independently of the user, since sufficient, permanent self-ventilation of the rooms due to wind and thermals is no longer to be expected in all buildings. Mold formation and moisture damage should be prevented with this basic user-independent ventilation.
The ventilation for moisture protection should be ensured independently of the user. It is therefore not permitted to plan the ventilation for moisture protection in such a way that the users have to open the windows (window ventilation). In other words, ventilation for moisture protection is the minimum standard.
In order to ensure ventilation for moisture protection regardless of the user, the following factors must be taken into account:
The insulation standard / tightness of the building – provides information on leaks in the building envelope.
The type of building – its size and geometry – provide information about the expected ventilation requirements.
The location of the building – it provides information on the wind load. The more wind, the greater the natural infiltration.
reduced ventilation
Air change rate after reduced ventilation
Typical usage is based on the temporary absence of users (vacation, during the day). Maximum conceivable moisture inputs are not covered. Drying clothes in apartments is not covered by ventilation for moisture protection, for example.
Nominal ventilation
Air exchange rate after nominal ventilation
The nominal ventilation is the ventilation under normal conditions of use. This records the ventilation necessary to ensure hygienic and health requirements as well as building protection when users are present in normal operation.
Intensive ventilation
Air change rate after intensive ventilation
To reduce peak loads, e.g. B. in party mode, there is also the option of designing the ventilation system according to intensive ventilation. However, since peak loads occur comparatively rarely, it is advantageous to reduce them through active window ventilation.
Based on the DIN 1946-6 standard and the requirements of EnEV and the funding programs, inVENTer offers a calculation tool for the professional design of the ventilation system and is happy to support you with the calculation by a competent service team. Contact us for free advice.
Conclusionon the subject of DIN 1946-6
With today’s energy-saving construction methods, building envelopes are so tight that sufficient air exchange cannot be guaranteed with normal ventilation behavior. DIN 1946-6 shows possible solutions for achieving a sufficient exchange of air in apartments. However, this standard contains open and partly contradicting passages. For this reason, the design should only be based on the 1946-6 standard. Too tight planning and interpretation of the standard can often lead to uneconomical solutions. InVENTer’s ventilation planning is carried out according to recognized regulations, namely according to EnEV, according to KfW funding conditions, both according to customer requirements and on the basis of DIN 1946-6 and DIN 4701-10.