GENERAL & VENTILATION (16)
Your Nilan Compact P contains Heat Recovery Ventilation, a Heat Pump and a Hot Water Cylinder. Once the Heat Pump has replenished the hot water cylinder it will divert its energy to the supply air being delivered to the living rooms and bedrooms, raising its temperature. It is (approx.) 3 times more economical to use the Heat pump to supply thermal energy than using direct electric.
We have developed the following suggestions which will reduce your energy consumption for using the Nilan MVHR and electric radiators. These suggestions will also reduce your overall energy consumption of your residence:
- Reduce the desired hot water temperature of the cylinder low enough to meet the needs of your home. Reduce it by 5 degrees every day until you are satisfied there is enough to meet the needs of your home. By doing this, excess Hot water will not be produced and the Nilan will therefore spend more time heating the supply air going to the rooms and in turn reduce the demand on the convector/infra-red radiators.
- When your Nilan starts to make hot water, it is unable to heat the supply air going to the bedrooms and Living room. If there is a demand for space heating, the Nilan will turn on the electrical radiators. To reduce the effect of this scenario, you could use an "Offset". This setting is described in more detail below in the "The air coming out the vents is cold, how can I get more warm air?" FAQ.
- Reduce the property desired "setpoint" temperature by one or two °C if its comfortable to do so. A small reduction will still help reduce energy usage.
- Use the 'Week program' setting to set-back the desired setpoint temperature and fan speed. For example, over night when in bed, while out at work etc when it might not be necessary to have your home as warm. See "How do I set the week program?" in the HEATING section.
- Choose your electrical tariff. Electricity prices have more than doubled since Oct 2021, so it is prudent to shop around to get the best deal.
- Implement a User Profile to make use of a night-time tariff. With some night-time tariffs as low as 4.5p per kWh you could set your Nilan to a higher than normal temperature than will force on the direct electric radiators during off peak hours, this will reduce the use of the radiators during peak tariff hours.
- None of us can make more Oil or Gas, however we can make more electricity by utilising Photovoltaic panels and battery technology. There are numerous local installers that are able to carry out this work.
As per any house, on the colder days of the year you may find some localised drop in temperature with an open window, but on the warmer days opening windows will provide a method of helping to regulate internal temperatures.
Clean filters will offer less resistance to the fans than dirty ones. Over time, cleaner filters will mean the fans lifespan are increased.
Change the ventilation speeds by tapping the fan icon and use the following scenarios to help dictate the fan speeds:
- On Holiday / night-time / low relative humidity
- Regular occupancy / everyday use
- High occupancy / family gathering / bypass and / or active cooling.
- Very high occupancy / high relative humidity
It is a measure of how much water the air is holding compared to its capacity, expressed as a percentage.
The number with a % symbol next to it is the relative humidity of the indoor air as measured by the Nilan extracted from the bathrooms and kitchen.
The Nilan will boost ventilation when the relative humidity increases by a set amount above the rolling average. This means that the machine will not use energy trying to maintain a set humidity and will only work to remove excess humidity.
During winter when it is cold and crisp outside the relative humidity in your home is likely to be lower than in summer. During periods when it is cold for a prolonged period the relative humidity in your home may fall below 30%. When this happens the machine will reduce the ventilation to level 1 so that the humidity in the property can return to a level above 30%.
This feature is part of the smart Nilan technology which creates a comfortable, healthy indoor climate.
This may be one of two reasons, the relative humidity in the property has increased above the rolling average, e.g. because of a shower, washing up, laundry etc, or it is summer and the bypass and/or active cooling has activated
This feature is part of the smart Nilan technology which creates a comfortable, healthy indoor climate.
When the Nilan Compact P is making hot water it no longer provides heating to the supply air. To reduce the time the system spends making hot water the "bypass offset" can be used. For example, if you require hot water at a temperature of 40°C and a Setback of 10°C has been set, then when your hot water reaches 30°C, it will automatically return to supply air heating. Your hot water cylinder will continue to heat in the background by virtue of the fact the heating element runs through the hot water cylinder first.
- Go into the setting menu and scroll down to Service settings.
- Enter the passcode 02
- Scroll down to and select Domestic hot water
- Choose Bypass offset
- Select desired offset (5 to 10 degrees should be sufficient)
If a triangle with an exclamation mark inside is displayed, it is most likely to be the reminder to wash or change the filters. On the unlikely occasion it isn't, it will mean there is a warning or alarm that needs to be investigated. Tap on the triangle with the exclamation mark and it will take you to a brief description of the warning or alarm.
- If it is a warning either follow the on-screen instructions or email service@nilan.green. Once the actions for the warning have been followed the warning can be reset by pressing "Clear Alarm" on the touch screen.
- If it is an Alarm, the unit will have stopped operation as this indicates a fault and will need investigation by an expert. Email service@nilan.green so we can investigate and take the appropriate action.
During commissioning the operating mode will have been set to Auto. There are two other settings, Heating and Cooling.
Auto - The Nilan Compact P will automatically select if it should be in summer or winter mode. When in winter mode the Nilan Compact P will allow heating but will not enter cooling. When in summer mode the Nilan compact P will allow heating and cooling depending on the setpoint temperature and the settings in the Cooling menu.
Heating - The Nilan Compact P will override the summer or winter settings and will only allow heating. Even if the conditions for cooling are met, it will not enter cooling when heating is selected.
Cooling - The Nilan Compact P will override the summer or winter settings and will allow cooling. Even if the conditions are met for the winter setting it will allow the Nilan Compact P to enter cooling.
HOTWATER (8)
Tap on the hot water cylinder icon on the bottom left corner of the screen and raise the temperature sufficiently to meet your family's needs. By keeping the hot water temperature as low as possible then the unit will spend more time actively heating the supply air thus reducing your homes dependence on the auxiliary radiators.
Your hot water cylinder contains two temperature probes. One at the top of the tank and one at the bottom.
You will see the top of tank temp on your screen, however it is not until the temperature probe at the bottom of the tank reaches the hot water set point will hot water stop being produced.
Hot water production is measured by the thermocouple at the bottom of the tank. Electrical supplementary hot water production is measured by the thermocouple at the top of the hot water tank. This means it is possible to set two hot water temperatures within the tank.
In periods of excessively cold weather there is less energy in the incoming outside air for the system to draw from. This means it may take slightly longer to generate the same volume of hot water. If you find you are running out of hot water try increasing the hot water temperature. If you need hot water more quickly try using the Electrical supplement heater hot water. To use the electric supplement heater hot water see "How do I use the supplementary hot water heater". If your priority is hot water, remove the bypass offset, see "The air coming out the vents is cold, how can I get more warm air?" for the steps to access the bypass offset. Reduce the offset until there is sufficient hot water, produced sufficiently quickly.
By utilising the Electrical Supplementary Heating. This will initiate when the hot water temperature measured by the thermocouple at the top of the hot water tank drops below the point specified as a way of maintaining a minimum level of hot water. Undo this setting after the cold period as it does consume more electricity.
Has your hot water set point been set at a sufficient level to meet the needs of you home? If you had hot water but it has run out, try raising the hot water temperature to a point that meets your needs. Has your ventilation system been turned off recently and maybe not turned on again? Make sure the Nilan Compact P is on and running.
No, the vents are positioned so that the amount of air flowing into the property is balanced with the air exiting the property. Changing the vents may increase or decrease the overall supply or extract flow. This may lead to the system not being balanced and not being as efficient as it could be. This could lead to higher energy bills.
The hot water tank is 180ltrs so it won't make any additional hot water but it will warm it faster. More ventilation means more air over the heat pump which means more energy can be put into producing hot water.
In Service settings, scroll down to Domestic hot water, select and then select Day for Legionella. Choose the desired day, Monday will have been set during commissioning, therefore it is not necessary to change.
The supplementary hot water heater is concentrated at the top of the tank. This means it will warm the top third of the tank, meaning it is not using extensive amounts of energy. The supplementary hot water heater switches off once the temperature at the top of the tank meets the temperature the electric supplementary heater hot water has been set to.
- In the main menu choose Domestic hot water
- Then, Electric supplement heater hot water
- Raise the temperature to a point to meet your needs
Be sure to turn off the Electric supplement heater hot water when not needed as it can lead to higher energy usage.
HEATING (6)
Your home is designed to be heated using 4 methods:
- Passive solar gain, so keep your blind and curtains open to harness that free energy, even in the colder (sunnier) days.
- 2. Approximations have been calculated in the design of your home for the heat generated from electrical appliances such as televisions & fridges. Even occupants body heat.
- Once your hot water demand has been met the Nilan Compact P will divert its energy to the Supply Air going to the Living room & Bedrooms, gently raising the supply air temperature. This is referred to as "Active Heating" (read about this in your QuickStart guide).
- On the colder days of the year or when additional energy is needed to provide the desired indoor temperature, some additional radiators have been supplied (usually on the landing, kitchen and living room). The Compact P governs these radiators but were not supplied by Nilan.
The return air temperature is a mix of all the extract points (kitchen, Bathroom, Ensuite and Stores). It is this temperature mix that gives the Nilan Compact P an indication as to the overall house temperature.
Should you wish to make your home warmer, dial up the desired temperature on the main screen to a level you feel comfortable with. In a low energy home, we are using a small amount of energy, so do not expect to see an immediate change in temperatures in minutes, more likely it will be over an hour or two. As per all homes, increasing the temperature will mean more electrical energy is being consumed, possibly increasing your energy bill.
In the QuickStart guide you will find information and advice on using your home through the summer months.
Remember, when using Active Cooling it will consume more electricity so trying to use shading and window openings appropriately should always be the initial response. Note also the Active Cooling is not the same as Air Conditioning.
When we refer to the "Setpoint" we mean the desired home temperature that can be set from the home screen by tapping on one of the inlet or extract arrows.
It is possible to set a week program to increase and decrease the ventilation and/or setpoint temperature at different times during the day. It is possible to set up three individual profiles allowing for quick changes between them depending on your needs.
If the week program is to be used to warm the property at specific times during the day and week and then reduce the heating in between, it is advisable to put the Nilan Compact P into heating "Operating mode" first, see "How do I change the Operating mode?" in the General & Ventilation FAQ"s section. This means the Nilan Compact P will not actively cool the property when the measured temperature is above the setpoint temperature and the conditions for summer mode are met. This can sometimes be the case during the Spring and Autumn months when the Nilan Compact P will switch between summer and winter mode depending on day temperature.
The week program is found in the main menu under "Week program".
To edit the Week program, select "Edit program", then select the program number you want to edit. Select the desired day and function you want and adjust the time, fan speed and setpoint temperature for. For example, to increase the temperature and fan speed from an over-night setpoint temperature of, say, 16°C and fan speed level 1, you may set the time as 06:00, fan speed 2, temperature 22°C. The program will run at this condition until the next command, for example, time 09:00, fan speed 1, temperature 18°C and then the Nilan Compact P will then run at this condition. There is a default that can be used as a guide. If the same pattern needs repeating, it is possible to copy to the next day. Scroll to the bottom of the day you are in and there is an option to "Copy to next day'". Once the week program has been set up and saved enter the "Select program" option and select from "Program 1" to "Program 3".
Three independent programs can be set up and selected.
There is a program reset that can be used for each Program if you want to reset to factory settings.
COOLING (6)
The Nilan Compact P is not an Air Conditioning device.
As per Active Heating which introduces a small trickle of energy to the air going to the Bedrooms and Living rooms, Active Cooling only removes a small trickle of energy gently cooling the supply air.
The reason for using active cooling is better explained by this example:
| Outdoor temperature | 25°C |
| Desired Room temperature | 18°C |
| Supply air temperature without active cooling | 25°C |
In this instance, when the desired room temperature is below the incoming temperature, then your Nilan will automatically enter Summer-time bypass mode meaning that there is no heat recovery taking place and air direct from outside is now being filtered and sent directly to the rooms at the outside Air Temperature.
| Outdoor temperature | 25°C |
| Desired Room temperature | 18°C |
| Supply air temperature with active cooling | 18°C |
When Active Cooling is initiated the Nilan will cool the air being supplied to the rooms.
*This scenario is an example and is dependent on other factors such as hot water production
Do you have the active cooling activated?
If no, then see point below for "How do I use the active cooling".
If yes, see following advice.
The active cooling is able to provide a small amount of cooling and therefore works with other strategies for maintaining a cooler environment during warmer months. Other strategies involve stopping solar gain through the use of external shading, blinds or curtains. Maximising night-time purge ventilation through window opening upstairs and "half latching" downstairs windows to maintain security.
The active cooling setting will help maintain a comfortable indoor environment in the summer months
At commissioning the default value for initiating Active Cooling will have been set to "Setpoint+5". If you want to change this setting, go into settings and select the Cooling option. In this menu, select Cooling setpoint and increase or decrease the value. The higher the value the longer the Nilan will wait before starting the active cooling.
It may be better explained though this example:
| At a +5 Setpoint | |
|---|---|
| Outdoor temperature | 25°C |
| Desired Room temperature(set point) | 18°C |
| Active cooling will initiate at | 23°C |
| At a +2 Setpoint | |
|---|---|
| Outdoor temperature | 25°C |
| Desired Room temperature(set point) | 18°C |
| Active cooling will initiate at | 20°C |
Do you have the active cooling activated?
The cooling set point is the number of °C above the "Set point" as explained above. This option in Cooling allows the homeowner to decide how warm to let the home get above the "Set point" before the Nilan Compact P starts active cooling. See "What is the Set point?" for information on setting the desired home temperature.
During commissioning the ventilation level for cooling will have been set depending on regional regulations and developer preferences. If this level is too high or too low, it can be changed in the Cooling menu. Select Ventilation in cooling mode and change the ventilation to the desired level.
It depends on personal preference, if you want to maximise cooling set the priority to Supply air, if you want to maximise hot water production set to Water.
MISC (3)
It is down to personal preference. A week program may allow for lower running costs if the setpoint temperature can be set-back for periods during the day, e.g. overnight, while out at work etc. Please be mindful that the heating system is designed to use as little energy as possible, therefore if the property is allowed to cool, it may take a number of hours to warm back up. As explained previously, a week program is a handy way in which to make the most of cheaper night-time electricity tariffs.
When on holiday leave the Nilan Compact P running as it is keeping the house ventilated so that excess humidity and other home pollutants do not build up. It also controls the heating and will ensure the temperature doesn't drop too low if holidaying at winter. In order to save energy, reduce the fan speed to level 1 and depending on the season either allow the home to cool slightly if it's over winter or warm slightly if its summer.
This means the Nilan Compact P will not be using extra energy to either warm or cool the property when you are not there. Once the Nilan App is connected these settings can be changed remotely.
This is not advised. The Nilan is providing filtered fresh air and removing excess humidity, CO2 and other indoor pollutants. The Nilan Compact P is also producing your hot water and controlling the heating. Turning the Nilan Compact P off will stop all these functions.