Are you looking for a way to improve ventilation in your home and boost air quality without experiencing high energy costs? There are a variety of solutions that could help you. There are often a lot of questions about heat recovery ventilators, called HRVs, and whole-house ventilation systems like ERVs. Both options have their place, but it is important to know the differences as well as how they may work for you. When it comes to heat and energy recovery in Plymouth, MN, our team can offer you the insight and guidance you need when deciding if you should invest in an HRV or ERV system.
What Are They?
Both of these systems are whole-house ventilation systems. They work to bring fresh air into your home while also minimizing the amount of energy loss. They work to pre-heat or cool the air that is coming into the home, depending on the need. There is a difference between them. HRVs do not transfer moisture while ERVs do. In that way, HRVs typically are the better option in colder climates.
Why Do You Need Them?
It may not be clear why you should invest in an HRV or ERV system. Here are a few key reasons why you need them.
1. They bring out pollutants:
Thanks to tighter buildings thanks to new building codes, homes do not see as much air lost as they used to. This traps in pollutants. These systems work to move that polluted air out of the home.
2. Fresh air comes in:
Because these systems help to pull air into the home, they can help to ensure there’s fresh air present. They rotate the air within the home as often as once every three hours.
3. They filter the air you breathe:
These systems work to help improve air filtration as well. That means they remove pollen, insects, and other contamination from the air that you and your family are breathing in throughout the day.
4. Heat recovery is possible:
The design of these systems allows for heat recovery. That is, as air in the home is moved outdoors, the heat is maintained, reducing the need to heat the air coming in as much. In the winter, at least some of the heat that is exiting the device is moved into the air coming into the home. That could help to reduce energy loss.
5. Cool air coming in:
In addition to this, the system may work to cool air that is coming into the home during the summer months when the home is air conditioned. This can help to reduce energy loss as well.
Having a continuous flow of fresh air that’s filtered and at the right temperature may help your home feel more comfortable. It may also help to improve your air quality, making your home a bit safer for you and your family to breathe in throughout the year without a significant increase in energy costs.