White Papers

RenewAire technologies help realize green and healthy buildings matter by enhancing indoor air quality (IAQ) energy-efficiently, cost-effectively and sustainably. Our products reuse otherwise-wasted energy and humidity from the exhaust airstream to condition incoming outdoor air, which creates cleaner and healthier indoor air, decreases energy use and saves money. Energy efficiency is critical and by installing a RenewAire energy recovery ventilator (ERV) or dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) unit – and thus boosting a building’s energy efficiency – lowers capital and operating costs by downsizing HVAC equipment. The economic impact is tremendous as ERVs can cut ventilation heating and cooling loads by 70 percent, leading to potential reductions in ventilation energy costs by up to 65 percent. Renewaire supports building sustainability by recovering and reusing energy and humidity, making it incredibly energy efficient. Less energy is used in the ventilation process, so the loads that HVAC systems use to power heating and cooling can be drastically reduced. The combination of less energy used and HVAC loads being reduced minimizes a carbon footprint, thus supporting the environment and strengthening sustainability efforts. Smart HVAC technologies are on the rise and RenewAire is constantly incorporating the latest energy recovery ventilation technologies into our products to improve usability, efficiency and effectiveness. Many of our solutions now utilize integrated programmable controls, which improve the performance and user experience of our products.

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.

Increased air sealing in buildings has brought with it energy efficiency, but also the unintended consequence of is deficient indoor air quality (IAQ), indoor air contaminants build up. Increased ventilation via energy recovery will create higher-quality indoor air while also optimizing energy efficiency and reducing loads.

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.

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.

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.