Save Energy with a Heat Recovery Ventilation System

In this video, Chris Schmidt, an expert in building performance and owner of Island Basement Systems and Dr. Energy Saver, explains Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems and how these systems can help homeowners save money in heating bills.

When insulating and air sealing a house it is important to make the building envelope as tight as possible to keep cold drafts from coming through -- especially in the Vancouver Island area, where the coastal climate causes very humid and cold air to infiltrate buildings making them very uncomfortable.

Once the house is made as air tight as possible, mechanical ventilation must be added to provide the fresh air exchange that is needed every day -- and this is what Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems can do more efficiently than regular fans.

An HRV system will remove warm humid air from inside the house and blow it outside. Simultaneously, it will bring the same amount of cool, fresh air from the outside in. The flow of incoming and outgoing air will bypass each other inside the system, and heat from the air that is being expelled will be transferred to the incoming, fresh air -- thus the name Heat Recovery Ventilator. It is a balanced fresh air exchange system that will improve indoor air quality, makes your home smell better, feel better, and it is a great way to make your home more energy efficient.