An Energy Recovery Ventilation System for the Win
A Fort Collins remodel utilizes a Zehnder Energy Recovery Ventilation system that helps everyone breathe easier.
Published September 12, 2022
Written by Cody Farmer, Mainstream Corporation, and ERV Commissioning Trainee Trevor Donnelly, EnergyLogic
Doing the Right Thing for Your Tenants and the Planet
When Paul Crosby was fixing up a dilapidated bungalow in Fort Collins, CO, he decided to educate himself about which improvements would most positively affect the triple bottom line--people, the planet, and profit. Crosby realized he needed to tighten the home and invest in lower u-value windows and higher r-value insulation. He also added a Zehnder Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system that would save him thousands in utility bills throughout the life of the building and create superior indoor air quality for his tenants. This harmonic relationship between landlord and tenant is further complemented by reducing wasted energy in the building. A real win-win-win.
Easy Installation
When buildings are built tighter than average, the air inside has increased chances of being stale and even more polluted using code suggested exhaust-only ventilation strategies. Crosby realized this and reached out to the local Zehnder ventilation designer at MainStream Corporation to design a system he could install himself. Then, Crosby did install the system by himself with great success!
Clean Air + Low Energy
EnergyLogic was onsite for commissioning day with Passive House instructor Cody Farmer and was impressed by how balanced the system was out-of-the-box. This is likely due to the Swiss and German DNA built into Zehnder's whole home purification strategy using energy recovery ventilation technology. The air inside is brand new every 3 hours with little energy penalty, and bathrooms constantly exhaust odors and dry out humidity. Even better, people have less chance of breathing each other's air (air backwash) or getting sick from one another.
Leading By Example
For now, Paul Crosby looks like an indoor air quality hero. Controlling indoor air quality is important to both the durability of a house and the health of the occupants. Items such as HRV and ERV's are a step up from exhaust-only ventilation strategies. In addition, programs such as the EPA's Indoor airPLUS provide verification that houses are delivering on those needs.
About the Co-Author
