You know that your heater or air conditioner will have to work much harder if you open up the windows for a bit of fresh air. Unfortunately, we keep our homes sealed up tight to prevent our air conditioners and heaters from consuming too much energy. If your HVAC system runs for too long, your bills will skyrocket and the parts may wear down far too quickly. While this may help us to save quite a bit of money, it can have consequences to our health and comfort.
Most home comfort systems circulate the air from inside the house in order to consume as little energy as possible. While this is useful in preventing your air conditioner from becoming overworked, poor ventilation is responsible for many indoor air quality problems. Improper ventilation results in stale air and a general feeling of discomfort, but can also allow for a lot of pollutants to remain in the home.
An energy recovery ventilator is necessary whenever improper ventilation allows for less-than-satisfactory conditions in your household. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) brings in fresh air from the outside and pre-heats or pre-cools it so that it is conditioned for your home. The stale indoor air is simultaneously vented to the outside. And don’t worry; the outside air will go through the same filtration process as the indoor air that circulates through the home, and will ultimately be cleaner to breathe in than the air that recycles through the house. Besides, the sealed heat exchanger allows for very little heat to escape, meaning you won’t notice an impact on your bills.
An ERV is also useful when you have a problem with humidity in the home. High humidity levels can allow moisture to buildup in the home, ruining furniture, walls, and structural components, and allowing for a dangerous buildup of mold and mildew. Although it is not technically a dehumidifier, an ERV will transfer moisture from the indoor air to the outdoors to keep the home feeling more comfortable and preventing the possibility of structural damage.
You might choose an energy recovery ventilator when you notice conditions in the home have become uncomfortable. But ultimately, you should ask a trained technician whether this type of unit is right for you.
Contact Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more about installing energy recovery ventilators and to gain some control over your indoor air quality today.
