Difference Between ERV and HRV

What’s The Difference Between HRV And ERV Systems?

Proper ventilation in European homes is important because newer homes are built with more insulation and are much more air tight, decreasing natural air flow and affecting the quality of air in the home. To combat this, many new homes rely on an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator), or an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator), which helps to improve the quality of air in the house while minimizing the costs of heating it. The decision is dependent on your needs, for there are benefits to both HRV and ERV systems. Differentiating between the two will help home owners decide what is best for their ventilation needs.

What Does HRV Mean?
HRV stands for “heat recovery ventilation.”

How Do HRV Systems Work?
By means of a “heat recovery ventilator” (HRV), which continuously exchanges stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air, replenishing oxygen levels and expelling indoor pollutants including carbon dioxide, odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

What Does ERV Mean?
ERV is the acronym words for “energy recovery ventilation.”

How Do ERV Systems Work?
Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) are devices that transfer heat and moisture between the incoming fresh air and exhaust air stream to improve energy efficiency while maintaining thermal comfort. The basic concept behind ERVs is the exchange of heat and moisture between two air streams one of which is from inside the building and the other is from outdoors.

What’s The Difference Between HRV And ERV Systems?
Both HRV and ERV systems play an important role in indoor air quality. They exchange stale indoor air for fresh outdoor facelifts and recover energy from the exhausted air.
Moisture is the differences between them. HRVs recover only heat, which are good for regulating temperatures but can't control for humidity.
In winters ERVs can ensure that the air inside is not too dry. That would cause problems such as discomfort and health troubles like dry skin or sore throats.
In the summer, it keeps harmful excessive moisture into the residential area and this ensures that homes wont be turning parts of themselves green with mold or mildew growth.
Thus ERVs can create a more balanced indoor environment particularly in high humidity areas or with sensitve occupants.


Which Is Right For My Home?
When deciding between an HRV or ERV, a number of variables that need to be taken into account are based on where you live, your heating system and what suits the particular needs of your home and family. In regions that have both cold, dry winters and hot summers with high humidity, an ERV's ability to recover both heat and moisture is an advantage. By preventing excessive dryness in the winter and controlling high humidity during summer months, ERVs maintain indoor comfort as is ideal for more humid climates.

The kind of heating system in your home also makes a difference. HRVs work best with non-drying heating systems such as boilers, while ERVs are better suited to homes employing drying systems like electric baseboard heaters. It makes a difference where and when your home was built, too: older homes in general, especially those constructed before the 1970s, typically have much drier indoor air, meaning an ERV is more suitable. Newer homes, though, tend toward airtight construction and are frequently chosen for HRVs.

Family size is another factor for consideration. In larger households, activities like cooking tend to generate greater amounts of moisture and an HRV might therefore be advisable. But for smaller families in larger homes with a greater need to manage humidity build-up, ERVs are a better choice still.

What it comes down to in the end is your needs. An HRV is ideal for homes in which the air is too wet during winter, but it may be that an ERV is better suited to a house which remains too dry or where humidity management is needed. In hot, humid climates, an ERV will outperform an HRV though it may require a dedicated dehumidifier for particularly severe conditions. The main thing to take away is that both kinds of system offer tangible improvements to indoor air quality, so whichever you choose, your home will still smell much fresher than an old-fashioned leaky one.