Heat and Energy Recovery Ventilators in Joliet, IL

Here’s one of the dilemmas about indoor air quality in residential buildings today: allowing fresh air through a house by opening windows and doors can improve the air quality, but it also places strain on either the heating or air conditioning system. This dilemma is especially pronounced during winter and summer, when extreme temperatures make it necessary to keep a home shut up tight—and that only increases the concentration of contaminants.

There are ways to bring fresh air into your home while expelling the stale air and not place extra stress on your HVAC system: heat and energy recovery ventilators. These devices allow outside air into a home but recover the heat that would normally be lost. You end up with fresher indoor air without seeing your energy bills for the season skyrocket. Call Johansen & Anderson Inc to find out more about energy and heat recovery ventilators, as well as to arrange for service in Joliet, IL.

How an Energy Recovery Ventilator Works

An energy recovery ventilator, also known as an ERV system, is integrated into the ventilation system of a home, where it works like a heat exchanger. It draws fresh air from the outdoors and passes it through an outgoing current of air from indoors. Through a process called counter–flow heat exchange, one current loses heat to the other, which pre–conditions the incoming air to match the home’s temperature.

For example, on a warm summer day, the hot outdoor air passes through the ERV and through a cooler current of indoor air. The outdoor air loses its heat to the indoor air, and its temperature drops. The fresh outdoor air reaches the home already cooled down, which makes the air conditioner’s job much easier. The process flips during winter.

An ERV recovers around 80% of the heat that would normally be lost to the outside if the doors and windows were kept open. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh air and not have to suffer massive spikes in your heating or cooling bills.

What Makes a Heat Recovery Ventilator Different?

A heater recovery ventilator, or HRV system, works in a similar fashion to an ERV: counter–flow heat exchange that pre–conditions the fresh air brought from the outdoors. However, an ERV also exchanges moisture between its two currents, helping to balancing indoor humidity, while an HRV does not do this. However, HRV systems tend to be more energy efficient during colder climates than ERV systems. The one that’s best suited for your home is something you should leave to your indoor air quality specialists.

Complete ERV and HRV Services in Joliet, IL

If you are searching for a way to improve your air quality without harming household energy efficiency, you should look into either an energy or heat recovery ventilator installation. Johansen & Anderson Inc will handle the job for you, and we will also look after your system afterwards, providing repairs and maintenance to keep it working for many years. Contact us today to schedule a service in your Joliet area home.

We’ve been helping to keep homes comfortable and energy efficient in the Joliet, IL area since 1946. "Contact J&A Today, Sleep Tight Tonight!"