Heat & Energy Recovery Ventilators

What do they do ?

HRV's and ERV's recover the thermal energy in an exhaust air stream.  If ventilation in a house is required (ASHRAE 62.2), this ventilation air can be expensive to condition.  A large amount of the "heat" or "cool" in the outgoing air can be recovered with one of these devices.

How do they do it ?

The HRV/ERV exhausts stale indoor air to the outside, and brings in fresh air from outside. This fresh air is then distributed throughout the home either by the HRV/ERV or by your furnace fan.

In the winter, the warm indoor air passes through the HRV/ERV core as its being exhausted and warms up the incoming fresh outside air.  The the summer, the cycle is reversed and the cool indoor air cools down the hot outdoor air recovering the energy.  The 2 airstreams never mix when passing through the HRV/ERV core.

HRVs are recommended for colder areas of the country that have longer heating seasons as well as drier desert areas of the South. ERVs are designed for warmer, humid climates with longer cooling seasons.