HRV System Efficiencies Calculated in New Peer-Reviewed Paper

ACEP and Cold Climate Housing Research Center researchers collaborated to publish the first calculator to determine the heat recovery efficiency of heat recovery ventilators, or HRVs.

The results are published in a peer-review paper titled “Impact of Intake and Exhaust Ducts on the Recovery Efficiency of Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems” in the journal Energies.

Heat recovery ventilators take stale inside air, move it outside and bring fresh outside air into the home. In colder climates, that air can be very cold, and preserving the heat of the outgoing air is important for a comfortable home. Before now, the efficiency of that heat recovery function was unknown. A new calculator model was developed by the research team.

Real-life testing validated the calculated model efficiencies. The results of this research suggest use of this model allows for more correct ventilation heat loss calculations compared to using the heat recovery efficiency of the HRV unit alone.

More field studies are needed to verify the accuracy of this model in a wide range of applications.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the Office of Naval Research funded this research.

 

Tom Marsik explains an HRV system to a student. Image from a UAF Media video.