Recovery VentilatorsWhat are they? Recovery ventilators are basically boxes that exchange heat (or “coolth”) from incoming and outgoing streams of air. This allows fresh air into a building while keeping the energy load of heating or cooling to a minimum.
Why do we use them? In the past, building designers did not pay much attention to ventilation in a building; they didn’t need to. With building structures being so loose even with all the doors and windows closed, the infiltration of air into a building was enough for it to “breathe” and stay fairly fresh inside.
With the advent of super-efficient tightly sealed building envelopes, ventilation has become a major issue in new building construction. If a building is sealed up tight, we must design a way to breathe, and breathe without wasting energy.
Are there different types? Recovery ventilators are answers to the twin problems of ventilation and energy efficiency.Two types of recovery ventilators can be used, varying according to humidity.
Heat recovery ventilators are best suited for dry climates, as they only transfer heat, and do not deal well with moisture in the air. Energy recovery ventilators are suited for moist climates, as they can exchange both heat and moisture.
What are the benefits? Without fresh air a building can never be truly healthy, and if a building heats or cools air and then blows it outside before all that heating or cooling energy is used, it cannot be efficient. Recovery ventilators not only ventilate, they maximize the efficiency of a building’s heating and cooling system.
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