ERV vs. HRV - What's the Difference?

Energy Recovery Ventilator (Also known as Enthalpy Recovery Ventilator) VS. Heat Recovery Ventilator

Casey reviews how they work, covers their differences and suggests which one you might need - or may already have!

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[taoyoka]

this is a great explanation. what's your favorite all round erv make and model?

[mndog]

This is a good video! Kudos man, you made it easy to understand and explained the whys behind it.👍

[scottburton]

I wish I had the information in this video three years ago when the heating contractor recommended an HRV for our Ottawa bungalow renovation. As it is, we only run it through the winter season but, according to our CO2 detector, it's keeping the inside air comfortable and fresh!

[nicholridge]

Great video, my questions is in a dryer climate likecthe Rocky Mountains or the western prairies would you opt for the HRV. I live in Invermere in a almost passive house with an Hrv and find it extremely dry in the winter. Im building a new passive house for myself and want to solve the issue of lack humidity any thoughts ? thank you

[stavrosTX]

I think you answered at the very end, but could you expand on it... why wouldn't you just use an ERV most everywhere, is it cost or are there specific things and ERV can't handle?

[Pharaoo]

Thank you for your clear and useful video, my ERV was installed by the builder with many elbows, instead off going straight to the out, just created at least 2 elbows, Are there any requirements for the number of these elbows for the in/out of the house duct, the installer maintains a specific distance from the in/ out air to be sure the in-air won't mix with the out air? if this is the reason, what is the minimum distance between both holes?

[SodeghRad]

I’m in Nova Scotia where summers are extremely humid (80-90% is not uncommon) and the winters are very dry. I have lots of musical instruments that need to have perfect humidity and I can’t keep up with the manual maintenance so I’d rather make the air right. Should I get the ERV and run it all year round? Does it average out the humidity in the summer AND winter to a moderate level?

[cv]

Thanks, I live in southeast Wisconsin and it is hard to fond a company who knows what they are talking about. I have a home with Radiant heat and it accumulates tvoc and co2 easily. Any recomendations are appreciated

[KTS]

We live in Ottawa and our indoor humidity in winter is always around 46% and we have problems with heavy moisture on the inside of our windows. I have been recommended an HRV to help lower indoor humidity, but only to run it in winter. Does this seem reasonable? A whole house dehumidifier is also possible, but i like that the HRV brings in fresh air to manage radon and CO2 buildup, among other things

[guydude]

What about relatively warm humid winters? Considering which to use in milder Vancouver island climate.

[eliinthewolverinestate]

We sub out hvac. I don't pay much attention. I found out I need hrv hooked to "vent to daylight" on my personal cottage build. So will need to dig a pit for it. And an erv on 20 foot tall south wall over planter and plants. I had to get exhaust fan for my boiler and hot water for my old house. After installing vapor barriers and mineral wool. Our hvac guy is like that's the first he does is make an air inlet for regular build. With us he never knows wtf we got going. Usually some kind of radiant heat, with backup/supplemental efficient masonry appliances. Which people are surprised how much ventilation a fireplace needs. Which is why we try to avoid forced air with gas and wood appliances. Don't vent your stove hood into hrv the grease will clog it.

[richdobbs]

What about radiant heating or mini split heat pump conditioned homes? Are there ERV's that are designed to be installed for a room or two? This will be an off grid home that will be built in phases.

[JordieG]

I recently switched from an HRV to and ERV. I’m on Vancouver Island and we have mild summers with middle of the road humidity and the winters are generally humid and mild as far as Canada goes. I found the HRV dried the air out way too much in the winter due to the massive drop in RH once that humid cool outdoor air was brought in and warmed up. Sometimes on cooler days the indoor RH was drop well below 30%. I’m hoping with the ERV I can retain a bit of the indoor humidity in the winter and will only need minor supplemental humidification. The average summer day generally maintains a nice indoor humidity level of between 45-55%. So far this fall I’ve noticed a higher average indoor humidity level with the ERV, but I just run a touch of supplemental dehumidification to get it back where it needs to be. Ultimately with the advancements made in ERV tech and defrost, they’re generally the better option in all but the most extreme climates.

[larry]

Pollen can be filtered out and the house pressurized just enough to send air out through cracks and around doors and windows also. This is helpful to allergy sufferers. Good topic Cassey.

[jena]

Hi, thanks for the great video! I live in Yarmouth NS, which is actually not a humid place compared to Ottawa where I used to live. Would you recommend an HRV or an ERV? I should mention that my home is a 1960s bungalow with electric baseboard heating only. The existing HRV was an old NuTone heat air exchanger so there is existing flexible ductwork in the attic that connects to ceiling vents in several rooms in the house. The VanEE AI Series (HRV) Model V160H75RT was recommended to me as it is self balancing and I plan to do the install myself given the existing ductwork - although the electrical will likely need a professional as the new controllers have 4 wires and the existing only has 2. Appreciate any advice or considerations! Thank you!

[insight]

Hi. There, I’m I am building a custom two story home located in Arizona. Should I install an HRV or ERV? And what hvac system would work best with the HRV or ERV?

[jko]

Everybody has these videos telling us the difference between the HRV and ERV but no one mentions what you should do if you have an HRV that was installed in a house that you bought but still want to use it in other seasons besides winter. I don’t have the budget to install a pricey new unit.

[larryseibold]

I am curious about your thoughts of operation during the frequent corner conditions that we experience here in the San Jose CA area, primarily spring and fall, but also in the summer from about 7pm until about 10 am where the outside temperature is cooler than the inside during cooling season. Humidity is not an issue. I frequently do not run the AC at all during this time, but need fresh air. If there is a breeze at 7pm, I open a couple of windows and all is good, but that is not a reliable thing and it is not filtered. What is the secret sauce in our area for minimal AC operation with maximal comfort? I assume that n HRV is a better choice (cost and air flow) than an ERV in this benign area?

[queenofpoutine]

So for central Alberta new build I should be looking at ERV, correct?

[Itsme-vofx]

I have an older HRV and live in the Toronto area. Can I simply replace it with an ERV, using the same ductwork that is there now? (The HRV is presently attached to the furnace)