3 Things to Know About ERV Systems

Homes today are built with energy efficiency in mind. However, sometimes houses are sealed so well that they can hold back air pollutants indoors, negatively affecting your health. A solution to these problems is to install an ERV system. If you are looking for ERV systems in Oklahoma City, OK, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are three things you should know before investing in one.

1. Guarantees Fresh Indoor Air

By swapping stale air indoor for fresh air from the outside, energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) maintain ideal air quality inside a building. This operation could be compared to the balanced ventilation system. As a matter of fact, several contractors hold the view that an ERV is a kind of balanced ventilation system.

However, in contrast to the basic systems of balanced ventilation, an ERV can replace stale air with fresh air without adversely affecting overall energy efficiency. Basic balanced ventilation systems release stale air from one pipe, allowing fresh air to enter the building through another. Sadly, the fresh air coming in has a much lower temperature than the stale air exiting your home.

Consequently, the furnace is forced to work overtime to heat the new air and bring back your desired temperature. ERVs take care of this problem by moving both air currents through a heat exchanger. Thus, the stale air can pass on its heat to the cooler, fresh air before heading out of your home.

2. Controls Humidity Levels

An ERV is also similar to a heat recovery ventilator. The information about ERVs shared above applies exactly to HRVs as well. Still, ERVs have a beneficial supplementary function, which is their ability to regulate humidity levels.

When the moisture indoors drops too low, various health problems such as dry skin and respiratory problems can occur. The presence of dry air indoors also negatively affects wood furniture and other objects. On the other hand, incredibly moist air also brings some difficulties, such as mildew and mold growth.

An HRV is only able to manage the air temperature. It cannot do anything about the humidity levels in your home. Meanwhile, an ERV maintains a safe and consistent moisture level of 40 to 60%. This is done by correcting too much or too little in the air coming in from the outside.

3. Great for Summers

ERVs also play a helping hand in improving overall air quality when summers start. By using its moisture and heat exchangers, an ERV can take the burden off your cooling system.

Different ERV models have different strengths and weaknesses. Some ERVs provide much better heat recovery when handling subzero temperatures. Others do a decent job with both heating and cooling recovery or when dealing with moderate temperatures.

Wrapping Up

ERV models have a lot of upsides, making them a great addition to any HVAC system. They are easy to maintain and provide increased comfort to the residents of your home.

Make the winning call to Air Comfort Solutions today to get your ERV system!