Why I Love HRVs
No, I am not talking about HOV Lanes and The Pan Am Games, but HRV. Heat Recovery Ventilation.
What is an HRV?
Heat Recovery Ventilation is an inexpensive, energy efficient system that allows for you to always have fresh air circulating through your home.
How it works
The air moving in and out of your home through intake and outtake is where an exchange happens. This is not to be confused with the mixing of air. As the air coming in passes the air coming out of your home, an energy transfer occurs.
Basically, whether it’s a heating or cooling season, air from outside that is entering is being heated or cooled (depending on the season) from the air leaving the home. The outside air takes the energy from the inside and transfers it. This is where the energy efficiency is achieved.
Major Benefits
Major benefits to having an HRV, besides the fact that it’s brilliant, is:
You will always have fresh air circulating through your home which can help to control dust
It is 95-98% energy efficient
It can actually control humidity, and you can combine it with a hepa filter which filters carcinogens and allergens from your home
It can stand alone or be incorporated into a forced air system
Works well in heating systems where they use radiant heat
Radiant heat, even though it’s a comfortable heat, doesn’t dissipate easily. So, the HRV helps to move the air around
If you have a fireplace and are going to do a renovation, you are required to install an HRV. But, you will want one anyways! Always check your local municipality for Building Codes and By-Laws.