Heat Recovery

Subcategories

• Air Exchanger Ventilators: Air exchanger ventilators bring fresh outdoor air into a sealed building while transferring energy from the outgoing air stream, reducing the load a furnace or air handler has to make up. Installers typically pair these units with ducted HVAC systems in homes tight enough to fail natural air change targets. Sizing follows the building's calculated fresh air requirement rather than its heating or cooling load.
• Broan Energy Recovery Ventilators: Broan's ERV lineup transfers both heat and humidity between incoming and outgoing air streams, keeping indoor humidity more stable across seasons than a straight HRV. Remodelers and new construction crews use them in humid climates where uncontrolled moisture exchange would otherwise strain a home's cooling equipment. Ducted and compact models cover single point and whole house installations.
• Broan Heat Recovery Ventilators: Broan's HRV models exchange heat only, without transferring moisture, which suits colder and drier climates where added humidity indoors isn't wanted. Contractors working in northern climate zones often default to HRV equipment for that reason. Controls range from simple on off switches to multi speed dehumidistat models.
• Fantech Energy Recovery Ventilators: Fantech's ERV units are a common fit for multifamily and light commercial ventilation, offering higher airflow capacities than typical residential equipment. Their enthalpic cores recover both sensible and latent energy, cutting the added humidity load on cooling equipment during summer months. Contractors size them against a building's calculated continuous ventilation rate.
• Fantech Heat Recovery Ventilators: Fantech's HRV product line targets homes and light commercial spaces in heating dominated climates where moisture transfer isn't a design goal. Static plate or rotary cores recover sensible heat from exhaust air before it leaves the building. Installers pick core type based on available space and required efficiency rating.
• Honeywell Home Balanced Ventilation Systems: Honeywell Home's balanced ventilation equipment supplies and exhausts air at matched rates, avoiding the pressure imbalances that simple exhaust only ventilation can cause. Builders working to current energy codes often specify balanced systems to meet mechanical ventilation requirements without depressurizing the building. Controls integrate with existing thermostats in many installations.

Buying Guide

Choosing between heat recovery and energy recovery equipment starts with climate. Cold, dry regions generally favor HRV units that transfer sensible heat only, while humid regions benefit from ERV units that also manage moisture transfer between air streams. Getting that choice wrong doesn't just waste money, it can push indoor humidity in the wrong direction for the local climate.

Sizing follows the calculated continuous ventilation rate for the structure, not the furnace or air handler's tonnage. Contractors typically pull this figure from ASHRAE 62.2 or a local energy code calculation, then match it to a unit's rated continuous airflow at the operating static pressure the ductwork will present, not the free air rating on the spec sheet.

Duct layout matters as much as the unit itself. Balanced ventilation equipment needs dedicated supply and exhaust runs sized to avoid excessive static pressure, and installers commonly oversize duct diameter by one size over a standard supply run to keep the recovery core operating efficiently.

Controls range from a basic on off switch to multi speed units with humidity sensing and dehumidistat overrides. Retrofit jobs with simple ventilation needs often call for the basic option, while new construction tied to a mechanical ventilation code requirement typically specifies a controllable, multi speed unit that can log runtime for code compliance documentation.

Heat recovery equipment ties directly into a building's overall air quality and energy performance, so installers should confirm the defrost strategy for cold climate installations, since untreated cores can frost over and lose recovery efficiency below certain outdoor temperatures. Reviewing manufacturer defrost control options before finalizing a unit avoids a callback once the first hard freeze arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an HRV and an ERV?

An HRV transfers only heat between the incoming and outgoing air streams, while an ERV transfers both heat and moisture. HRVs suit cold, dry climates where added humidity isn't wanted, and ERVs suit humid climates where controlling moisture transfer matters.

How is a heat recovery ventilator sized for a job?

Sizing is based on the structure's calculated continuous ventilation requirement, typically pulled from a local energy code or ASHRAE 62.2, rather than the connected HVAC system's tonnage. Rated airflow should be checked against the unit's performance at the actual external static pressure the ductwork will create.

Do these units need a dedicated duct system?

Balanced systems generally run dedicated supply and exhaust ductwork rather than tying into existing HVAC trunk lines, since shared ductwork can unbalance airflow and reduce recovery efficiency. Some compact models are designed for single room use without extensive ducting.

What happens to the core in freezing weather?

Cores can frost over in sustained sub freezing temperatures, which reduces airflow and recovery performance until a defrost cycle clears it. Most manufacturers build in a defrost strategy, such as periodically pausing the exhaust fan or recirculating air, and installers should confirm which strategy a given unit uses before installing it in a cold climate.

Can a heat recovery ventilator replace a bath fan or range hood?

No, dedicated spot exhaust for bathrooms and kitchens should stay in place alongside a whole house heat recovery system. Heat recovery ventilators handle continuous, low level fresh air exchange, not the higher volume, intermittent exhaust that bath fans and range hoods are built for.