Should You Get a Heat Recovery Ventilatior?

While tight windows and doors lower heating costs, they contribute stale indoor air. Installing a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) solves the problems associated with tightly sealed homes and lower indoor air quality (IAQ) without driving up heating costs.

What They Do

HRVs provide balanced ventilation. They use fans to remove stuffy indoor air and replace it with the same volume of fresh, outdoor air. They embed technology that removes the heat from the outgoing air and puts nearly all of it back into the incoming air.

HRVs and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are the only ways to maintain fresh air in airtight structures without increasing heating energy costs. ERVs remove humidity from incoming air and are used primarily in warm, humid climates

The alternative to an HRV for fresh air during the heating season is to pull in fresh air from the outdoors, driving up heating costs. The fresh air won’t circulate far from the open window or door, doing little to help the overall IAQ.

HRVs are installed in attics or other inconspicuous places. They can be put on timers to ventilate individual areas for short periods or pull fresh air into the HVAC system’s ductwork for the whole-house distribution of fresh air.

When HRVs are a Good Idea

Fresh air indoors in the winter might be a luxury, or a health necessity when it:

• Reduces allergic or asthmatic reactions. Although pollen allergies tend to be seasonal, some are present year-round, like dust mite waste and animal dander. A heat recovery ventilator may dilute the populations of these allergens low enough to minimize allergic reactions.
• Reduces VOC exposure. Volatile organic compounds found in many common household products are known health hazards. Exposure may cause respiratory distress, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. Serious consequences to prolonged VOC concentrations might include nerve damage, cancer and liver diseases.

A tightly closed home will continue to save energy when it’s equipped with a heat recovery ventilator and the IAQ will stay high. For more information about this innovative product, contact C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning, providing HVAC services for Middletown homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HRVs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482. 

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”