What’s an Energy Recovery Ventilator?

Huntersville, NC, has a variety of older and newer homes, but even the newest ones built aren’t as energy-efficient as you might think. Other homes do such a good job of trapping air that they allow pollutants to thrive. Read on to learn about what an energy recovery ventilator is, how it works and the benefits it provides to homeowners.

How Does an Energy Recovery Ventilator Work?

Better known as an ERV, this is a type of system that works with your current ducts. They rely on two fans that keep the air in your home cleaner. While one fan removes any old or stale air, the other fan pulls fresh and clean air inside.

Most of these systems also feature a heat exchanger, which helps force out the moisture that causes humidity and hot hair. When the temperature drops in the fall, you can maintain the warm temperature that you want.

If you use fans to cool your home, you’ll find that they can trap in stale air and moisture, which causes your humidity level to rise. An ERV captures that air and essentially transforms it into energy that acts as ventilation to remove both moisture and hot air.

Adding an ERV to your home can also trap in the cool air produced by your air conditioning during longer summers and heatwaves. Another bonus is that they help people suffering from allergies. Not only does an ERV stop the spread of some pathogens and particles, but it keeps your home dry, which can alleviate some of your symptoms.

No Ozone

People with allergies know that certain substances can cause an attack, with ozone being one of them. You may not know that most of the appliances and devices you use around the house release ozone as they run. Even those who don’t have allergies can have negative reactions to ozone.

An ERV uses only the natural air found in your home and doesn’t release any ozone. It works just as well as an air purifier; an ERV cleans all of the air in your home.

Benefits to Consider

The biggest benefit that makes an ERV worth the cost is that it removes allergens from the air. Unlike air purifiers that simply filter the particles, an ERV will push those allergens out of your living spaces. It can work on some of the toxins that you and your family bring home, such as tobacco smoke or pet dander that sticks to your clothes.

Using one of these systems can also improve the overall air quality of your home. It works on all of the contaminants you can see and those that are invisible to the naked eye, including the dust that sticks to different surfaces and pet hair that floats through the air. Improving your indoor air quality can decrease breathing problems and help you sleep better.

When you connect an ERV to your HVAC system, you can also improve the efficiency of it. During the warmer seasons, it cools some of the air before it enters your home. As a result, it lets your AC system run less. When the weather turns, the ERV heats the cold air that enters to cut down on how often you need to use your furnace.

One of the lesser known benefits of an ERV is that it helps control certain odors or minimize them. Nose blindness occurs when you are around the same things so often that you no longer smell them. An ERV works well on both cooking and pet odors to make your home smell better.

Don’t forget that an ERV makes your home more efficient, too. It can actually prevent hot or cold air from your HVAC system from escaping outside.

Enjoying an ERV and all of its benefits is easy when you work with AirWorks Cooling & Heating, LLC. Let the talented team schedule the right time to install one or help you learn about all of the benefits. Contact us to start improving your indoor air quality.

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