Ventilation
Innovative Solutions, Ultimate Comfort
Understanding HVAC Ventilation
An HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) ventilation system is designed to regulate indoor air quality and comfort. It controls the exchange of indoor and outdoor air to ensure proper airflow, temperature, and humidity levels. The ventilation component of an HVAC system brings fresh air into a building, removes stale air, and helps manage pollutants and moisture. This is typically achieved through a network of ducts, fans, and vents. The system can be balanced or unbalanced; a balanced system introduces and exhausts equal amounts of air, while an unbalanced system may introduce more air than it exhausts, or vice versa. Proper ventilation helps prevent issues such as mold growth, excessive humidity, and indoor air pollution, contributing to a healthier and more comfortable living environment. There are some options and equipment which can be incorporated into the ventilation system other than the main blower, duct system and vents. These are typically:
Smart Air Vent
The aim of using smart vents is to avoid the hot room/ cold room syndrome and to save energy by having different set points for different areas and zones. There are different types of smart air vents. Some have their own temperature sensor and work in conjunction with that sensor, whereas some are cloud controlled and work through a gateway to connect to the cloud. Once the system be home is cloud based, it becomes possible to integrate the system together with other elements of a home or business HVAC system and to make AI based recommendations for more effective energy saving. Architectures and sensors on various models are different. It is also possible to collect the data on some smart vents locally and implement local control and not use cloud based architecture in order to save on monthly recurring costs.
Booster Air Vents
In some cases where the air flow from a particular air vent is not sufficient, booster Air Vents can provide the necessary air flow. These air vents have fans incorporated into the air vent and need some sort of electrical power.
Energy Recovery Ventilator & Heat Recovery Ventilator
Energy Ventilation Systems are for ventilation, not heating. The ability to raise or lower the temperature of the incoming air is only a secondary benefit.
An ERV uses two fans. One to push stale air out of the building and another to push fresh air in.
A heat exchanger works to transfer heat and moisture from one air stream to the other, preventing any loss of heat from this ventilation method. Also, an ERV system captures contaminants, allergens, and other pollutants as the outside air enters the home.
Both ERV and HRV systems remove stale air from the home and bring fresh air into the home for temperature control and comfort. The main difference is that ERV systems transfer heat and moisture to keep the home warm, while HRV systems (heat recovery ventilators) only transfer heat. On the flip side, HRV systems are slightly more efficient. An ERV system’s ability to transfer moisture can make a big difference in controlling indoor humidity levels, especially during hot summer months and dry winter months.
An ERV can be installed in different configurations with shared, partially shared or totally separate duct work in an existing HVAC system.
