White Papers

The importance of adequate building ventilation is well known, but it’s even more significant in the post-COVID-19 environment. That’s because ventilation can remove contaminants from the indoor air, including viruses. Consequently, at RenewAire we’re seeing more interest in energy recovery ventilators (ERVs), but many questions exist. This white paper seeks to answer the most pressing inquiries and shed light on why ERVs are critical, especially post COVID-19. To safeguard occupant health from harmful indoor air contaminants post COVID-19, ERVs are the primary ingredient for enhancing both IAQ and energy savings. An ERV uses balanced airflows and recovers otherwise-expended total energy comprised of heat (sensible energy) and humidity (latent energy). In summer, warm and humid outside air is precooled and dehumidified via the total energy from the outgoing cool interior air. In winter, cold and dry outside air is preheated and humidified via the total energy from the outgoing warm interior air. Ultimately, ERVs are the best choice for providing increased and balanced ventilation while also cutting energy consumption. ERVs are exactly what structures of every type and size need right now to establish safer indoor environments for their occupants.

The importance of adequate building ventilation is well known, but it’s even more significant in the post-COVID-19 environment. That’s because ventilation can remove contaminants from the indoor air, including viruses. Consequently, at RenewAire we’re seeing more interest in energy recovery ventilators (ERVs), but many questions exist. This white paper seeks to answer the most pressing inquiries and shed light on why ERVs are critical, especially post COVID-19. To safeguard occupant health from harmful indoor air contaminants post COVID-19, ERVs are the primary ingredient for enhancing both IAQ and energy savings. An ERV uses balanced airflows and recovers otherwise-expended total energy comprised of heat (sensible energy) and humidity (latent energy). In summer, warm and humid outside air is precooled and dehumidified via the total energy from the outgoing cool interior air. In winter, cold and dry outside air is preheated and humidified via the total energy from the outgoing warm interior air. Ultimately, ERVs are the best choice for providing increased and balanced ventilation while also cutting energy consumption. ERVs are exactly what structures of every type and size need right now to establish safer indoor environments for their occupants.

Improved IAQ has a whole host of benefits, ranging from better overall health, fewer costs to the economy, boosted productivity at work, better student performance in schools and an enriched quality of life at home.

This white paper looks into the ins and outs of Passive House certifications. Passive House energy-efficiency standards are some of the most stringent when it comes to maximizing energy use in commercial and residential buildings in North America. While there is no ERV/HRV certification program in North America (the only PHIUS product certifications are for windows), incorporating an ERV/HRV into a passive project is almost a de facto prerequisite in order to meet the program’s high energy-efficiency standards.

As homes get tighter to seal weather out, they seal in contaminants, causing deficient indoor air quality (IAQ). Typical contaminants include off-gassing from carpeting, furniture and building materials, excess humidity and mold, odors, cooking and cleaning fumes, CO2, hair and fibers, to name a few. Deficient IAQ is a threat since it can harm occupant health and cognitive function, damage structures and hurt the bottom line. Energy recovery recycles energy by reusing the otherwise-wasted energy and humidity from exhaust air to temper incoming outdoor air, which saves money year after year by lowering demand/load on your mechanical AC/heating equipment.

Deficient IAQ threatens all homes and buildings, especially with air-sealing integrity on the rise, and this poses serious risks to the health, cognitive function, productivity and well-being of indoor occupants. However, enhancing IAQ can incur additional costs in terms of new equipment purchases and further energy expended by the HVAC system. The solution to enhancing IAQ cost-effectively is energy 7 “Burden of disease from ambient and household air pollution,” World Health Organization (WHO), http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/databases/en/. 8 Joseph G. Allen, Piers MacNaughton, Usha Satish, Suresh Santanam, Jose Vallarino and John D. Spengler, “Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments,” Environmental Health Perspectives, October 26, 2015, http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/advpub/2015/10/ehp.1510037.acco.pdf. 9 Piers MacNaughton, James Pegues, Usha Satish, Suresh Santanam, John Spengler and Joseph Allen, “Economic, Environmental and Health Implications of Enhanced Ventilation in Office Buildings,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, November 18, 2005, http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/11/14709/html. 4 RenewAire.com 800.627.4499 recovery ventilation, which provides cleaner and healthier indoor air while at the same time reducing energy costs and even generating significant long-term energy savings—all of which is possible by maximizing sustainability.

t’s clear that an effective ventilation system is essential in order to expel out indoor air contaminants and provide higher-quality indoor air, but it’s also important to find a solution that’s as energy-efficient and cost-effective as possible. This white paper analyzes which ventilation system is best financially speaking. It argues that a RenewAire energy recovery ventilator (ERV) provide consistent and considerable value for many years to come. A minimal initial capital investment will result in decades of energy savings, while at the same time enhancing IAQ by providing cleaner and healthier indoor air — a win-win for building owners, engineers, contractors and building occupants alike.

In the quest to build more sustainably, different organizations have set forth a variety of standards and certifications to realize high-performance green buildings. The chief among these is Standard 189.1 created by ASHRAE. Standard 189.1 provides stringent green-building parameters to achieve the most sustainable buildings possible. Many factors are incorporated to create a green building, with energy recovery ventilation at the core of the standard’s requirements to design healthier structures that use less energy. This white paper addresses what building green means, what’s covered in Standard 189.1 and how energy recovery ventilation technologies play a key role in making green buildings a reality.