Your home’s HVAC system is forced to work harder when the difference between the temperature outside and inside is more extreme.
As a result, you might notice increased energy or utility costs during certain seasons. (After all, it’s heavily dependent on climate!) This is due to the fact that your home’s HVAC system is not equipped to recover energy while heating and cooling your home.
That’s where energy recovery ventilation comes in.
Investing in a home energy recovery ventilation system will:
- Create a comfortable indoor atmosphere
- Notably reduce your utility bill
- Assist your home’s HVAC unit during the heating and cooling processes
Energy recovery ventilation is a type of balanced whole-home mechanical ventilation.
Balanced ventilation provides fresh outside air, improves overall indoor air quality and is one of the best healthy home upgrades available today.
Why Choose Energy Recovery Ventilation?
An energy-recovery system preconditions the fresh incoming air to match your home’s indoor air temperature by recovering energy from the outgoing stale air.
Translation: the heating and cooling process is quite energy-wasteful. With energy recovery ventilation, a heat exchanger transfers energy from the outgoing air to the incoming air so the fresh air temperature matches the exhaust temperature.
It quite literally recovers energy in an otherwise wasteful process. By doing so, your home’s HVAC system does not have to work as hard to cool or heat the new air.
A mechanical ventilation system is installed directly into your home’s HVAC unit, either sharing the existing HVAC ductwork or via independent ductwork.
There are two types of balanced whole-home energy recovery ventilation systems! Let’s look at both and find out which is best for your home.
Mechanical Ventilation: An important note considering the potentially confusing names! Both ERVs and HRVs are energy recovery systems. Despite differences in the energy recovery and heat transfer processes, ERVs and HRVs both recover energy. The fact that one system shares the name of energy recovery ventilation is just one of those unhelpful industry things. Check out our comparison guide for a more in-depth breakdown of the two systems.Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERVs)
Typically equipped with two fans and a heat exchanger, an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) minimizes energy loss while maintaining a comfortable atmosphere throughout your home. The fans collect fresh air from outdoors and bring it indoors.
Simultaneously, it is managing stale air from inside and forcing it out. The heat exchanger transfers moisture and heat from the outgoing to the incoming airstream.
Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRVs)
A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) also utilizes fans and a heat exchanger to recover energy and maintain a comfortable atmosphere. However, the heat exchanger transfers sensible heat from the outgoing airstream to the incoming. This is the main difference between an ERV and an HRV.
How Is Balanced Mechanical Ventilation Energy-Efficient?
Balanced mechanical ventilation is an efficient way to improve air quality without compromising on energy costs. This system relies on the principles of energy recovery ventilation (ERV), which helps recycle heat indoors and use it for incoming air. This process ensures the indoor environment remains comfortable and healthy while reducing energy costs.
The ERV system works by transferring heat energy from outgoing air to incoming air.
This helps maintain a balance between fresh air intake and efficient heat management. The amount of energy recovered can range from 70-80%, depending on environmental conditions, insulation, and building construction materials used in the home or building.
This is especially beneficial in new homes or buildings that have been built with tight construction standards to reduce energy waste but limit ventilation at the same time.
By using an ERV system, it’s possible to achieve improved indoor air quality without overpaying for energy bills. As well as filtering out pollutants, ERV systems can help keep humidity or temperature levels balanced within a building or home.
This leads to better comfort for occupants, reduced risk of developing health issues due to poor air quality, and less money spent on heating/cooling bills every month – what more could you want?
The ERV system isn’t just beneficial for improving indoor air quality; it’s also designed to be cost-effective when compared with other methods of mechanical ventilation, such as natural exhaust systems.
Balanced mechanical ventilation through an Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system is one of the most efficient ways to improve indoor air quality without breaking the bank!
Do You Need Energy Recovery Ventilation?
When the weather outside becomes hot and humid or cold and dry, most homeowners want to maintain a comfortable atmosphere indoors without breaking the bank.
Invest in energy recovery ventilation if you answer yes to at least one of the following categories.
| Are You Looking To Reduce… | Are You Looking To Increase… |
|---|---|
| Home repairs | Incoming fresh air |
| Unregulated indoor humidity levels | Comfortability |
| Allergens, pollutants and air toxins | Home energy-efficiency |
An energy recovery system:
- Ensures proper ventilation, reducing the strain on your home’s HVAC system.
- Removes moisture buildup, which protects the structural integrity of your home and prevents the spread of biological contaminants.
- And, it removes allergens and toxins during air exchanges for easier breathing.
These benefits will keep you and your family comfortable and healthy while dramatically decreasing the cost of your utility bills.
