Decision Report 201300373

Summary

Mr C complained that the council installed an unsuitable extractor fan in his house. He was concerned that it was designed to be left on 24 hours a day and that he was responsible for the running costs. When he switched the fan off, he found that there was a draught from the duct, and was unhappy that the fan did not have filters, which he believed should have been fitted when it was installed.

We found that the fan was installed as part of a refurbishment programme for multi-storey buildings involving comprehensive recladding and insulation. Due to the techniques used to provide sealed 'air-tightness' and controlled ventilation, fans were installed to allow the building to breathe. The manufacturer's technical guidance showed that a filter was not required, given the way the fan was to be used, and that if it was used continuously as designed there would be no problem with draughts. Estimated running costs were extremely low and the council said Mr C would recover these through energy savings because of the insulation and other works carried out. We found this reasonable and did not uphold Mr C's complaint.