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Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems
Energy recovery ventilation systems provide a controlled way of ventilating a home while minimizing energy loss. They reduce the costs of heating ventilated air in the winter by transferring heat from the warm inside air being exhausted to the fresh (but cold) supply air. In the summer, the inside air cools the warmer supply air to reduce ventilation cooling costs.
Types of Systems
There are two types of energy-recovery systems: heat-recovery ventilators (HRV) and energy-recovery (or enthalpy-recovery) ventilators (ERV). Both types include a heat exchanger, one or more fans to push air through the machine, and some controls. There are some small wall- or window-mounted models, but the majorities are central, whole-house ventilation systems with their own duct system or shared ductwork.
The main difference between a heat-recovery and an energy-recovery ventilator is the way the heat exchanger works. With an energy-recovery ventilator, the heat exchanger transfers a certain amount of water vapor along with heat energy, while a heat-recovery ventilator only transfers heat.
Because an energy-recovery ventilator transfers some of the moisture from the exhaust air to the usually less humid incoming winter air, the humidity of the house air stays more constant. This also keeps the heat exchanger core warmer, minimizing problems with freezing.
In the summer, an energy-recovery ventilator may help to control humidity in the house by transferring some of the water vapor in the incoming air to the theoretically drier air that's leaving the house. If you use an air conditioner, an energy-recovery ventilator generally offers better humidity control than a heat-recovery system. However, there's some controversy about using ventilation systems at all during humid, but not overly hot, summer weather. Some experts suggest that it is better to turn the system off in very humid weather to keep indoor humidity levels low. You can also set up the system so that it only runs when the air conditioning system is running, or use pre-cooling coils.
Most energy recovery ventilation systems can recover about 70%–80% of the energy in the exiting air and deliver that energy to the incoming air. However, they are most cost effective in climates with extreme winters or summers, and where fuel costs are high. In mild climates, the cost of the additional electricity consumed by the system fans may exceed the energy savings from not having to condition the supply air.
Installation and Maintenance
Energy recovery ventilation systems usually cost more to install than other ventilation systems. In general, simplicity is key to a cost-effective installation. To save on installation costs, many systems share existing ductwork. Complex systems are not only more expensive to install, but they are generally more maintenance intensive and often consume more electric power. For most houses, attempting to recover all of the energy in the exhaust air will probably not be worth the additional cost. Also, these types of ventilation systems are still not very common. Only some HVAC contractors have enough technical expertise and experience to install them.
In general, you want to have a supply and return duct for each bedroom and for each common living area. Duct runs should be as short and straight as possible. The correct size duct is necessary to minimize pressure drops in the system and thus improve performance. Insulate ducts located in unheated spaces, and seal all joints with duct mastic (never use ordinary duct tape on ducts.)
Also, energy recovery ventilation systems operated in cold climates must have devices to help prevent freezing and frost formation. Very cold supply air can cause frost formation in the heat exchanger, which can damage it. Frost buildup also reduces ventilation effectiveness.
Energy recovery ventilation systems require more maintenance than other ventilation systems. They need to be cleaned regularly to prevent deterioration of ventilation rates and heat recovery, and to prevent mold and bacteria on heat exchanger surfaces.
Whole-House Balanced Ventilation Systems
Balanced ventilation systems, if properly designed and installed, neither pressurizes nor depressurize a house. Rather, they introduce and exhaust approximately equal quantities of fresh outside air and polluted inside air, respectively.
A balanced ventilation system usually has two fans and two duct systems. It facilitates good distribution of fresh air by placing supply and exhaust vents in appropriate places. Fresh air supply and exhaust vents can be installed in every room. But a typical balanced ventilation system is designed to supply fresh air to bedrooms and living rooms where people spend the most time. It also exhausts air from rooms where moisture and pollutants are most often generated (kitchen, bathrooms, and perhaps the laundry room). Some designs may use a single-point exhaust. Because they directly supply outside air, balanced systems allow the use of filters to remove dust and pollen from outside air before introducing it into the house.
Balanced ventilation systems are appropriate for all climates. However, because they require two duct and fan systems, balanced ventilation systems are usually more expensive to install and operate than supply or exhaust systems.
Like both supply and exhaust systems, balanced ventilation systems do not temper or remove moisture from the make-up air before it enters the house. Therefore, they may contribute to higher heating and cooling costs, unlike energy recovery ventilation systems. Also, like supply ventilation systems, outdoor air may need to be mixed with indoor air before delivery to avoid cold air drafts in the winter. |
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ENERGY SAVING TIPS
On the web you can find hundreds and hundreds of the websites telling you how it is important to conserve energy, and they will offer you a list of the measures that you can do in your house in order to achieve their recommendations.
All these websites offering you the same list of energy saving tips, which they took from the government run website and why they are doing that, is a mystery to me!
So, where is my website different? The difference of my website from the others is in the simple notion that on top of the widely known energy conservation tips, I discovered my own, I checked them out in my house, and I am using them for years with a great result!
Is that a reason to buy my book here on this website? No, it is not! Why? The answer is very simple: even if you buy it, you will never implement it!
Why you will never implement it – because people usually prefer something they can touch, verses something amorphous like energy saving!
For the exactly the same reason all the energy saving tips on all those websites are free of charge, because nobody would be buying them if they would be having a price tag attached to them!
So now, here is the most important question: why people are buying my energy saving tips? The answer is in the details. On my website and in my book I am offering to you not only energy saving tips, but in addition I am offering very important step-by-step guidances how to implement them and what is even more important I give a step-by-step explanations to many ductwork installation issues related to this or to that energy saving tip! |
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Let’s take a look what kind of information you can get if you will purchase any of my energy saving tips:
If you implement Closing Supply Registers and Closing Cold Air Return Grills energy saving tips you will reduce your furnace cycle time! However, do not try it at home on your own! Because if you close all supply registers and all cold air return grills which you may think are unnecessary at the time you can destroy your furnace or AC!
Another benefit of these chapters you are going to get a step-by-step guidance how to add a floor heat and cold air return.
Programmable Thermostat: this item will increase your furnace idle time, save some gas in the unexpected way and, also, in this chapter you can find important step-by-step explanations how to install your new programmable thermostat.
Fresh Air Intake and Combustion Air Intake, in these chapters you can find important information that not only will help you to save some energy by using fresh air and combustion air intakes only when it’s necessary but at some point even save your and your loved ones lives! Not to mention that there you can also find step-by-step explanations how to install these two items in your house.
Bath Fans: in this chapter, you will find out how this item reduces furnace cycle & increase idle cycle at the same time. However, the most important part of this chapter are step-by-step explanations telling you how you can run bath fan exhaust through the roof or through the brick wall!
Humidifier: the right way of using of your humidifier may save you a lot of energy and water. Implementation of this item will reduce your furnace cycle and if you have a flow through type of humidifier and do not have enough humidity in your house in this chapter you will find what to do.
Garage Door: this item maybe just a little bit increases your furnace idle cycle, but at the same time gives you step-by-step information about three different brands of the garage heaters installation.
High Efficiency Water Heater: in this chapter you can find information not only how to increase your furnace idle cycle, but also how to significantly reduce your water heater's terrible noise!
Duct Seal and Ductwork Insulation: these two very important chapters can save you hundreds of dollars not only on the saved energy cost, but also on the labor cost if you are going to do it as DIY project!
To sum up, I hope now you understand better why people just like you are regularly buying unsaleable on the other websites energy saving tips. Because they can save a lot of money, not only on the energy saving tips itself, but also they can save hundreds and even thousands if they do it as a DIY project.
Building Solutions
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DUCTWORK INSTALLATION GUIDE
ENERGY SAVING EDITION
Downloadable version of the “Energy Saving Edition” is available now!
You can buy this book for the very low price of only $15.00 and get it without any delay!!!
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