Ventilation systems may rarely cross your mind, but one thing is for certain: they are indispensable. Heat recovery and energy recovery ventilators are the two most prominent ventilation solutions.
And below, we focus on their differences in an attempt to help you find the right one for your new home or home makeover project.
What is a Heat Recovery Ventilator?
A heat recovery ventilator is simply an advanced ventilator equipped with a heat exchange system that allows you to enjoy warm yet fresh air in your home. The HRV accomplishes this by adding warmth to the fresh air being ushered in from outside.
This is in addition to expelling the stale air that makes your homestay unenjoyable. By doing so, the need for heating, which can be quite energy-intensive and costly, is eliminated.
What is an Energy Recovery Ventilator?
An energy recovery ventilator is yet another prominent type of ventilation system that doubles up to regulate moisture and humidity levels in your home.
When it is sizzling hot outside, for instance, during summer, an ERV cools the incoming air, thus supplying fresh cool air to your home. During cold days, an energy recovery ventilator recovers heat from the stale air exiting your house and uses it to add warmth to the incoming fresh air.
Comparing Heat Recovery Ventilators to Energy Recovery Ventilators
1. Type of Energy Exchanged
A heat recovery ventilator is primarily tasked with harvesting heat from the warm stream of air, primarily the one exiting your house, and transferring it into the incoming cold but fresher air. This keeps your house warm, especially during the cold seasons.
An energy recovery ventilator, in contrast, is a little bit more advanced, allowing you to trap and harvest both heat and moisture. It comes in handy during both hot and cold seasons since it essentially collects and transfers water vapor between the two airstreams.
2. Seasonal Performance
Thanks to the ability of energy recovery ventilators to not only absorb and transfer moisture but also exchange heat, they come in handy during warm climatic seasons. This means that when it is sizzling hot, like at the peak of summer, they keep the excessive humidity synonymous with the outdoor air away from your home, thus creating a cool environment. HRVs, on the other hand, suit both dry and cold seasons since they allow the transfer of heat.
3. Cost
Heat recovery ventilators are equipped to only handle sensible energy transfer, meaning that their configuration is relatively less complicated. As such, procuring one would not have you breaking an arm and a leg.
Energy recovery ventilators, in contrast, come with a more sophisticated configuration, allowing them to handle both latent and sensible energy exchanges. This drives their price a level higher.
4. Humidity Control
HRVs thrive in cold and dry seasons since they hardly impact the humidity levels in your home. They are mainly designed to recover and transfer heat, unlike their ERV counterparts, which thrive in regulating humidity in your home. Energy recovery ventilators can transfer water vapor between the streams of air coming into and out of your house.
5. Maintenance
Energy recovery ventilators tend to have a more complex structure, and this often translates into greater maintenance demands. These ventilators are also multitaskers, meaning they are more prone to breakdowns and therefore have higher maintenance demands compared to heat recovery ventilators.
6. Applications
HRVs’ specialization in heat transfer has made them the perfect ventilation solution for cool and dry climates. ERVs, in contrast, have proven to be the most effective solution for humid seasons, thanks to their ability to transfer both heat and moisture. Here are their respective applications.
| Heat Recovery Ventilator | Energy Recovery Ventilator |
| Cold climates | Extreme climates |
| Heated seasons | Dry winters and humid summers |
| Homes with high excess moisture | Commercial buildings and homes where you wish to retain desirable level of humidity |
Choosing Between Energy and Heat Recovery Ventilators
Trying to get your home as comfortable as possible with a befitting ventilation system is likely to boil down to two options: HRVs vs ERVs. If you find yourself scratching your head over these two, simply refer to the factors outlined in the underlying table.
| Factors | Heat Recovery Ventilator | Energy Recovery Ventilator |
| Equipment Costs | Relatively lower | Relatively higher |
| Climate Conditions | Cold and dry climates | Warm or humid climates. |
| Indoor Air Quality | Delivers fresh yet dry air | Delivers fresh yet humidity-controlled air |
| Energy Efficiency | Great energy efficiency in cold and dry climate | Relatively effective when controlling latent energy |
| Installation Costs | Relatively lower | Relatively higher |
Both HRVs and ERVs could offer your home the high-quality air and comfort you need. However, you need to carefully define your requirements before choosing between the two. Remember that HRVs will solve everything related to heating problems. ERVs, in contrast, will go a step further and address your humidity needs.
FAQs
1. What Differentiates Energy Recovery Ventilators from Heat Recovery Ventilators?
To understand what truly differentiates the two, you have to look at what each accomplishes. Whereas ERVs help you control the humidity and heat in your airstreams, HRVs only help you control the heat.
2. How Much Energy Do HRVs and ERVs Save?
Both HRVs and ERVs are revered for the amount of energy they help you save. It is argued that most modern HRVs and ERVs can see your air conditioning energy expenses shrink significantly.
3. Can You Add Either HRVs or ERVs to Your Old Home?
Yes. It is actually advisable to do so if you are looking to lower your HVAC costs. Adding either an HRV or an ERV guarantees your cleaner, fresher air at a comparatively lower cost.
4. Do Energy Recovery Ventilators Serve the Same Purpose as Heat Recovery Ventilators?
Whereas ERVs can serve the purpose a basic HRV serves, they are built to do more. In addition to helping you regulate the heat in your airstream, they also help keep the moisture levels under control.
5. Can HRV and ERV systems support multi-room ventilation?
Both HRV and ERV systems are designed for multi-room ventilation. With ducted layouts, a single unit can supply and exhaust air for multiple rooms evenly. These systems help maintain even airflow distribution and are widely used in both residential and commercial buildings.
6. Are HRV and ERV systems compatible with smart controls?
HRV and ERV systems are compatible with smart controls. They support timing or sensor-linked control, helping improve operational efficiency. They can connect to smart home systems for remote monitoring, speed adjustment and mode switching.
7. Can HRV and ERV systems be installed in renovation projects?
Yes, HRV and ERV systems can be installed in renovation projects. Installation solutions depend on building structures, including centralized and decentralized options. We recommend assessing the installation space requirements in advance for renovation works.
8. How often should HRV and ERV cores be cleaned?
HRV and ERV cores should be checked and cleaned every 6 months under normal conditions. Cleaning frequency varies based on operating environments. Dust buildup may reduce heat exchange efficiency. We recommend that you should follow the manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines.
9. Are HRV and ERV systems suitable for passive houses?
HRV and ERV systems are highly suitable for passive houses. They deliver continuous fresh air while recovering heat or energy effectively. In addition, they can maintain stable indoor temperature and air quality to meet the strict ventilation requirements of passive houses.
10. Can HRV and ERV systems be used in the same building?
Yes, HRV and ERV systems can be used together in one building. They can be deployed in different zones to meet varied ventilation needs. The system configuration should match local climate and building usage.
