Your home’s ventilation is just as important as its heating and cooling. It helps get rid of allergens and other pollutants, allowing you to breathe easier. If you want to improve your indoor air quality even more, you might consider a balanced ventilation system.
Here’s a look at how balanced systems work and how they can benefit you.
How Balanced Ventilation Works
The longer air circulates through your HVAC system, the more contaminants it accumulates. To combat this, most homes include an exhaust fan, usually in the bathroom and/or the kitchen, to vent the polluted air outside.
Balanced systems take things a step further. Outdoor air, as a rule, is much cleaner than the air in your home. So while the exhaust fan eliminates bad air from your home, another fan brings the same amount of clean, fresh air in from outdoors.
There are several methods of achieving this. You can use a simple supply fan alongside the exhaust fan, or a whole-house ventilation system that includes both supply and exhaust. You can even use a whole-house dehumidifier as your air supplier. However, perhaps the best option is a Heat or Energy Recovery Ventilator
HRVs and ERVs
Heat Recovery Ventilators work essentially the same as other balanced ventilation systems, but with one key addition: the two air streams are routed through a heat exchanger. The indoor air, cooled by your A/C, absorbs the heat from the outdoor air before going back outside.
Since the outdoor air has now shed some of its heat, your HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard to cool it before circulating it through your home. (In winter, this process is reversed. The cold, outdoor air absorbs heat from the warmed indoor air.)
Energy Recovery Ventilators work the same way, but they exhcnage moisture as well as heat, keeping your humidity at a moderate level. Both can save you money and energy as they keep your air clean and breathable all year round.
To learn more about balanced ventilation, contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We provide quality home comfort solutions to Indianapolis.
