Advances with home products, including better insulation, insulated windows and doors and better ductwork construction have made homes so air-tight that a new problem has developed: there’s a lack of good ventilation. Opening a window in the middle of winter or at the height of summer is not a solution to this problem, but we have something that is: an energy recovery ventilator, also known as an ERV. These devices, which integrate seamlessly with your home’s HVAC system, allow fresh air into your home while also improving energy efficiency. These may seem like contradictory actions, but when you understand how and ERV works, you’ll see that one action complements another. The experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling have seen firsthand how energy recovery ventilators have helped our customers in Hamilton, OH, and the surrounding areas, and we can help you gain the benefits of an ERV, too – all you need to do is give us a call!
How They Work
At the heart of an energy recovery ventilator is a heat exchanger, and this heat exchanger is the key to the ERV’s capabilities. One of the great benefits of an ERV is that its ability to provide your home with fresh air and better energy efficiency isn’t relegated to one season – it is a year-round product. The way an ERV works is this: during the summer, the ERV will expel your stale, cool air while also pulling in fresh, warm, moist air. The cool, stale air being expelled from your home cools and dehumidifies the incoming fresh, warm, moist air, pre-treating it for your HVAC system before it enters the system. In the winter months, the opposite happens.
Why Install an ERV?
An energy recovery ventilator does a few key things that help both your home and HVAC system:
1) The pre-treatment of the air takes a lot of the burden off your HVAC system to cool and heat your home, resulting in better energy efficiency.
2) You will enjoy a continuous stream of fresh air coming through your home.
3) You will enjoy more balanced humidity levels.
Gaining these benefits are highly dependent on using an expert for installation, and this is where Bartels Heating & Cooling comes in. Call us today and see what an ERV can do for your home!