Panasonic & Riviera Electric

For a new residential construction project in Oakville, Riviera Electric was responsible for sourcing and installing the ventilation fans in the new homes. The company was looking for a solution that was quick and easy to install for their contractors, and vents that were quiet and energy efficient for the new homeowners. Because there are hundreds of fans to install in a new development, speed and ease of installation were key for Riviera Electric. 

“Typically, an average home takes four ventilation fans — one in the powder room, one in the main bath, one in the ensuite and one in the laundry room. And on this phase, there are 120 homes,” explains Matteo Campea, an electrician at Riviera Electric. 

Although Riviera Electric had been in touch with Panasonic for a while, they were unsure about changing suppliers for the ventilation fans because they already had everything they needed. But then they found out that Panasonic’s vents are both better performing and easier to install than the ones they were using, so they decided it was time for a change.

Riviera Electric chose Panasonic’s EcoVent Fan with Veri-Boost, a cost-effective spot ventilation solution that delivers strong performance and peace of mind during verification testing. It’s Panasonic’s flagship vent for new construction builds. “Panasonic’s EcoVent is an Energy Star ventilation solution that is designed for the new construction market. It helps solve previous problems of mould and mildew and inefficient airflow,” shares Stacey Featherstone, Ontario Regional Sales Manager for Panasonic. “We switched to Panasonic fans because we found that over the other products, it’s much easier to install, it’s quicker, much quieter, and the look of the grille is much nicer,” says Campea. Homeowners will also benefit from the product because it provides better indoor air quality than other fans.

With ventilation, there are specific codes and standards to meet before homes can be certified. If the airflow isn’t at least 50 cubic feet per minute (CFM), then the vent doesn’t meet the building code. In installations where static pressure in the ductwork is higher than anticipated, the fan may not meet these requirements. If this happens, ripping out and replacing vents in hundreds of units can get very expensive for big builders, so they need to make the right selection the first time.

Riviera Electric and Panasonic are both very pleased with their partnership. For Panasonic, the project will help other builders and contractors come to recognize the value of their ventilation fans. “Riviera Electric has been instrumental in helping us get our EcoVent fans specified with large national homebuilders,” says Featherstone. For Riviera Electric, the project resulted in ease of installation and a better product and experience for the end-user — the homeowners enjoying their newly built homes. “I really recommend other contractors use this product. A) they’re compact, B) they’re energy efficient and C) they’re very quiet,” says Bondi.