In the right building, a heat recovery system will significantly improve your indoor air quality as well as significantly improve your energy efficiency.
Everyone wants their house to be as airtight as possible, this means in winter you can get the most out of your heating and in summer from your air conditioning. Therefore reducing costs and improving efficiency.
New buildings are built to certain energy rating standards that ensure this is the case. This improvement in thermal performance also increases risk of moisture build up. Everyday household activities such as showering, cooking and using a clothes dryer for example all introduce moisture to your living areas.
A lack of natural ventilation can cause poor air quality which can significantly contribute to respiratory problems and asthma. Not to mention condensation and mould.
A Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system is a form of mechanical ventilation that will significantly improve indoor air quality as well as significantly improve your household energy efficiency. A heat recovery system is fundamentally designed to provide air movement in an airtight house and should be considered when planning a new build. The principle (illustrated below in its simplest form) involves extraction of room temperature stale air and the introduction of fresh, filtered outdoor air. As the air travels through a heat exchange element the fresh air coming in replacing the extracted air is close to the same temperature as the extracted air.
A heat recovery system is also a wise addition if you are renovating an older house and in the process implement changes to improve thermal performance (for example install insulation, new double glazed windows or cover trickle vents).
Below shows a theoretical example of a scenario whereby the indoor temperature is 20 degrees and the outdoor temperature is 0. As the warm air is extracted and passes through the heat exchange component, the cool incoming air is warmed, to the point whereby fresh incoming air is approx 18 degrees. These figures are valid for a heat recovery unit offering 90% efficiency. Needless to say this is a huge difference to an open window letting the 0 degree unfiltered air inside the house.
Post time: Sep-14-2022