Heat Recovery Ventilators

Heat recovery ventilators or HRV also goes by several names, like air exchanger, air-to-air heat recovery ventilator, and heat exchanger. The principle behind heat recovery ventilators is thus: it is a system which intentionally pulls the air from outside the building to the inside, using devices called heat exchangers. These heat exchangers can regulate the inbound and outbound flow of air. A clear example of a heat exchanger is the air-conditioning unit.

One of the purposes of heat recovery ventilators is to provide fresh air into an enclosed space. It also helps improve climate control through the use of thermostats. Most of the time, however, heat recovery ventilator installation is done as an energy saving device that can reduce the heating and cooling requirements of a building.

As the name implies, a heat recovery ventilator, pulls in or “recovers” the heat energy in the building’s exhaust, and converts it to fresh air as it is pumped into the building. Another system called energy recovery ventilators or ERV also work with the same principle, except that the ERV transfers humidity into the intake air. The HRV does not perform this task; that is why it is also sometimes referred to as heat recovery ventilator dry air system.

Choosing between HRV and ERV is a matter of geographic location, and local climate. Usually when humid air travels into the room and it strikes cold surfaces like window panes, moisture condenses on it. HRV or the heat recovery ventilator dry air system does not inject moisture in the air and thereby reduces greatly condensation on walls and other surfaces. In some cases, a building utilizes both HRV and ERV.

With the advancement of technology, it has made buildings more air-tight. This is not necessarily bad, but this means that not only is the building less ventilated, but the quality of the “fresh air" also suffers. A device called the quantum heat recovery ventilator is used to help improve the air being pulled in. This device is actually a series of fans with its own set of filters – to help increase the flow of air from the outside, and to eliminate impurities as well.

HRV has been an important factor in most modern homes. Opening windows may help “ventilate” a home, but really, the purpose of its installation is to preserve the heat emanating from the house during the cold seasons and to expunge heat during the hotter times of the year. As for the question, what else does the HRV provide the homeowner beside climate control? HRV also helps provide, in an energy saving way, better quality of air.