An Airtight Home and a Ventilation System Go Hand in Hand

Homes are being built more efficiently every year. While a tighter external envelope means greater energy savings, it also means that stale, pollutant-filled air is trapped inside. That’s why an airtight home and a ventilation system go hand in hand.

Balanced and heat recovery ventilation

There are various types of mechanical ventilation systems available today. The best ones, though, maintain an equal pressure between the inside and outside by evenly exhausting stale air to the exterior and introducing fresh air to the interior. This type of venting is called balanced ventilation.

If you take your airtight home and a ventilation system one step further with heat recovery ventilation, you can make your mechanical venting system more affordable. Heat recovery ventilation, or HRV, reclaims 60 to 80 percent of the energy from exhaust air, essentially preheating or cooling incoming air. This helps keep your energy bills reasonable while still providing the clean air you want inside your home.

How HRV works

A heat exchanger is at the heart of an airtight home and a ventilation system. The heat exchanger is what transfers heat between incoming and outgoing air without actually mixing the air together. Once preheated or cooled, the air passes through the HVAC air handler and is sent through the home’s ductwork. For the best results, supply registers should be installed throughout the home so each room receives an equal amount of fresh incoming air.

Benefits of an airtight home and a ventilation system

Heat recovery ventilation offers some specific benefits you can’t ignore in your airtight home:

• Reduced heating and cooling costs in situations where ventilation is required.
• Better air quality resulting from lower pollution levels.
• Improved respiratory health in sensitive individuals.
• A fresh-smelling interior instead of stale, musty air in your home.

To learn more about the benefits of an airtight home and a ventilation system, please contact Davis Air Conditioning & Heating.  Our knowledgeable technicians are standing by to answer your questions. We have proudly served families and businesses of Houston Texas since 1971.