If you’ve been looking for a way to freshen the air in your home for the duration of the heating season, consider a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). These appliances make it possible to remove the stale, stuffy indoor air and replace it with fresh outside air, largely without driving up your heating costs.
Ventilating tightly-sealed indoor environments helps prevent the buildup of irritating and potentially toxic gases. If you’ve noticed in winters past that breathing problems, allergies, or stale air cause discomfort, you may benefit from an HRV.
How They Work
Each HRV has two fans: one which pulls out the indoor air while the other brings in fresh at the same velocity. The core inside the HRV absorbs the heat from the exiting air, and as fresh air comes through the HRV, it picks up the heat retained by the core. Some HRVs capture and transfer up to 85 percent of the heat in the outgoing air, making them an energy-efficient solution for fresh air ventilation.
The HRV can be installed in the attic and ducted into the HVAC system or a separate area that needs fresh air. Most HRVs have an air filter that stops many particles in the incoming air. A heat recovery ventilator with variable speeds lets you adjust the amount of fresh air entering your home at any time.
How They Help
By introducing fresh air into your home on a regular basis without having to pay to heat it, an HRV saves your energy dollars and improves indoor air quality (IAQ). Fresh air dilutes the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can have health impacts from mild to serious. VOCs come from household cleaning products, new flooring, upholstery, and even air fresheners and cosmetics.
If you use gas appliances or a wood-burning fireplace, your home may have gaseous byproducts from the combustion process. An attached garage can also emit car exhaust or VOCs from paints or chemicals stored inside it.
If you’d like more information about a heat recovery ventilator, contact Elite Air. We have been providing trusted HVAC services for central New Jersey homeowners for more than 30 years!
