Acoustics
How quiet should a ventilation system be?
Short answer
The Belgian comfort standard asks mechanical ventilation to stay at most 27 dB in bedrooms and 30 dB in living rooms.
Explanation
Ventilation must run day and night. That is why its noise matters for sleep. The standard gives a maximum for installation noise in the room. For heat recovery units (MVHR) themselves, Milieu Centraal mentions a limit of 40 dB for newer appliances.
Rules of thumb
- Bedroom: ventilation installation noise ≤ 27 dB. [SW-S12]
- Living room and study: ≤ 30 dB. [SW-S12]
- Heat recovery units: before 2018 at most 45 dB, newer ones at most 40 dB. [SW-S31]
- NL new builds: own installations (ventilation, heat recovery, heat generation) at most 30 dB in the habitable area (Bbl art. 4.108). [SW-S14]
- At night use setting 1 or 2; setting 3 is for cooking and showering. [SW-S31]
Pitfalls
- Switching ventilation off to avoid the noise is no solution: have the balancing or silencers checked. [SW-S30]
Search terms
These search terms are in Dutch; only terms that also find a topic in English are links.
ventilatiegeluid WTW slaapkamer installatiegeluid
Read also
- Ventilation system A, B, C or D: what's the difference?
- Can ventilation adjust automatically to CO2 or humidity?
General information, not personal advice. Check the source and reference date.
Sources
- SW-S12 Akoestische normeisen woongebouwen NBN S 01-400-1 (overzicht) — Buildwise (voorheen WTCB) (Reference date 2026-09-27)
- SW-S14 Geluid van bouwwerkinstallaties: regels bij nieuwbouw — Informatiepunt Leefomgeving (IPLO, Rijksoverheid) (Reference date 2026-09-27)
- SW-S30 Tips voor beter en energiezuiniger ventileren — Milieu Centraal (Reference date 2026-09-27)
- SW-S31 Balansventilatie: onderhoud en gebruik — Milieu Centraal (Reference date 2026-09-27)
Reference date: 2026-09-27 · Translated with AI from the Dutch original.