During the long cooling season in southwestern Arizona, indoor air quality (IAQ) often declines because homes are tightly closed. An ERV and HRV will solve the problems with stale indoor air without increasing cooling bills significantly.
Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) are balanced ventilation systems that exhaust interior air and replace it simultaneously with fresh air. The core of HRVs and ERVs exchange the energy of the outgoing air and put that energy into incoming air.
Differences Between HRVs and ERVs
The primary differences between HRVs and ERVs lie in their ability to deal with humidity. An ERV is able to capture some of the humidity leaving and entering the building and dispose of it. Excess humidity isn’t good for homes or people, since it fosters mold growth and dust mite populations.
Which Works Best
Humidity in the Yuma area isn’t normally a problem, but it can build in smaller homes with little air infiltration and a larger family. Cooking, bathing and even breathing creates indoor humidity and the best type of balanced ventilation for this situation would be an ERV. A larger home can absorb more humidity in the air and either an HRV or ERV would be suitable.
Newer homes tend to be more airtight than older homes, since building codes are more strict regarding air leakage. As homes age, they settle and cracks and gaps can develop around window and exterior door frames, all of which contribute to air infiltration.
How They Help
These ventilators dilute the concentration of potentially harmful gases and airborne particulates. ERV and HRV systems often use filters that trap incoming pollen and dust. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) build indoors and come from common household products, including air fresheners, cleaning products, scented candles, new paint, flooring, furniture and even some cosmetics. VOC exposure can cause minor to serious health effects.
To learn more about how an ERV and HRV can improve your IAQ, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We proudly provide HVAC services for Yuma area homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ERVs and HRVs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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