The Benefits of an Energy Recovery Ventilator

In a place that can become as blazing hot as Phoenix, AZ—where even our winters are warm—it is difficult to allow fresh outdoor breezes into a home. To maintain high indoor air quality, a home needs to be able to circulate fresh air through its room to remove stale and particle-filled air; but letting in the heat from outside will seriously jeopardize a home’s comfort and place extra stress on the air conditioner—a system that already gets enough of a workout during the summer as it is.

One answer to this conundrum is to install an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) into the HVAC system. An ERV draws fresh, hot air through an outside vent, then runs this air through a current of cooler, stale air from indoors. Heat transfers between the two currents, pre-cooling the fresh air so that it enters the home at a lower temperature.

Here are some of the benefits you’ll receive from an ERV:

• Lower air conditioning bills: An ERV gives you fresh air while recovering 80% of the energy you would otherwise lose by opening up your home to outside temperatures. The air conditioner won’t need to work as hard, and you’ll see a dramatic change in cooling costs.
• Balanced humidity: Moisture transfers between the two air currents as well as heat, which means your home will receive more balanced humidity levels. If the outdoor air is dry (as it often is) moisture from inside will help counteract it.
• Cold weather energy efficiency as well: An ERV works in cooler weather as well—heat from the inside air transfers to the colder incoming fresh air. We may not have many cold days in Phoenix, but with an ERV you’ll be ready for them.

You cannot buy an energy recovery ventilator off the shelf and install it on your own; it requires professionals to find the ideal unit and then integrate it into your HVAC system. These professionals can also help with occasional repairs and maintenance for the ERV.

For energy recovery ventilator services, contact Magic Touch today.