RenewAire ERV Guide
For Enhanced Indoor Air Quality & Energy Efficiency
Benefits of Increased Ventilation
- ❤️ Better Health
- ? Reduced Viral Spread
- ? Improved Cognitive Function
- ? Increased Productivity
RenewAire Everywhere: Every geography, every climate, every home, every building and every application.
Indoor Air Quality Matters
Deficient Indoor Air Quality is a Threat
As buildings get tighter to seal weather out, they seal in contaminants, causing deficient indoor air quality (IAQ). Typical contaminants include off-gassing from carpeting, furniture and building materials, excess humidity and mold, odors, cooking and cleaning fumes, CO2, hair and fibers, to name a few.
Deficient IAQ is a threat since it can harm occupant health and cognitive function, damage structures and hurt the bottom line. It's especially concerning since people spend about 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air can be two to five times—and up to 100 times—more polluted than outdoor air. The EPA ranks indoor air pollution as a top-five health risk.
People Spend 90% of Their Time Indoors
Everyone is at risk of suffering from deficient IAQ. Due to weaker immune systems, children and seniors are the most vulnerable. Children are especially susceptible because proportionally they inhale more pollutants than adults and have narrower airways (World Health Organization).
Adverse Effects of Deficient IAQ
- ⚕️ Health Problems: Deficient IAQ can cause allergies, headaches, coughs, asthma, skin irritations and breathing difficulties, as well as cancer, liver disease, kidney damage and nervous-system failure.
- ? Disease Transmission: Ventilation with outdoor air is vital to diluting airborne contaminants and decreasing disease transmission rates.
- ? Cognitive Impairment: Harvard and Berkeley Lab found that CO2—a constituent of exhaled breath—negatively impacts thinking and decision-making at levels commonly found indoors.
- ? Reduced Productivity: Berkeley Lab found that deficient IAQ can cost $200 billion in debilitated worker performance and $58 billion in lost sick time.
Diagram Description: A diagram shows multiple ventilation units, labeled AHU and ERV, integrated into a building's air handling system.
Reduce Indoor Air Contaminants
1. Contaminated Airborne Aerosols: Aerosols generated by coughing, sneezing, talking and breathing can act as carriers for viruses and bacteria.
2. Humidity: Exhaled breath, water sources (faucets, showers, leaks, floods).
3. Carbon Dioxide: Constituent of exhaled breath.
4. Formaldehyde: Off-gassed from adhesives, fabric treatments, stains, varnishes.
5. Odors: Bathrooms, kitchens, dry-erase markers, occupant odors (perfume, soap/shampoo residue, clothing detergent, general odors), pets.
6. Tobacco smoke: Smoking areas close to building entrance.
7. Phthalates: Off-gassed from adhesives, vinyl flooring, wood finishes, plastic plumbing pipes, other building materials.
8. VOCs, toxic gases, vapors: Off-gassed from furniture, carpets, paints, cleaners, solvents, glues, building materials.
9. Ozone: Off-gassed from copiers, electrostatic air cleaners, other office equipment.
Ventilation can enhance IAQ and decrease the transmission of airborne infectious diseases, including COVID-19: BIT.LY/COVID19WP_22
References:
- "Why Indoor Air Quality is Important to Schools," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), https://bit.ly/2SoyRJc.
- Romm, "Exclusive: Elevated CO2 Levels Directly Affect Human Cognition, New Harvard Study Shows," Climate Progress, https://bit.ly/2Vp6AE2.
- Alevantis, Berman, Mills, Perlman, "The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings," U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), https://bit.ly/2KnP50c.
Reduce Energy Costs and Improve IAQ at Home
Highest-Quality Indoor Air Via Ventilation
The solution to pollution is dilution achieved via increased and balanced ventilation, which is the most effective way to realize cleaner and healthier indoor air. With enough controlled fresh and filtered outdoor air coming in to replace equal parts of stale indoor air via balanced design, IAQ will be enhanced.
Types of Home Ventilation
| Type | Exhausts Contaminants from Whole House | Provides Filtered Supply Air | Performs Well in All Climates Year-Round | Optimizes Energy and Saves Money | Easy to Install | Easy to Maintain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhaust Only (bath fans) | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Balanced Ventilation | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| HRV | X | Maybe | X | X | X | X |
| ERV | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Description of Ventilation Types:
- Exhausts Contaminants from Whole House: Generally, exhaust-only ventilation, such as bath fans and oven hoods, only expel contaminants from a localized single source. The optimal solution will provide whole-house ventilation.
- Provides Filtered Supply Air: Exhaust-only units bring in uncontrolled outdoor air that has seeped through cracks and openings. Uncontrolled air is not filtered air. Controlled supply air is preferable as contaminants are filtered out.
- Performs Well in All Climates Year-Round: Hot, humid or sub-zero extreme environments add a heavy load onto home heating and cooling systems. Because RenewAire ERVs temper the air (temperature and humidity) via energy recovery, they work well in all climates. Additionally, RenewAire ERVs do NOT have issues with freezing in winter conditions, which can be problematic for HRVs:
- Since humidity is transferred via core material in an ERV, the core itself will not freeze so there is no need for defrost (known issue with HRVs).
- There are no condensate lines to freeze in an ERV (known issue with HRVs).
- Optimizes Energy and Saves Money: Energy recovery recycles energy by reusing the otherwise-wasted energy and humidity from exhaust air to temper incoming outdoor air, which saves money year after year by lowering demand/load on your mechanical AC/heating equipment.
- Easy to Install: RenewAire ERVs can be mounted in multiple orientations and they do not require drain pans, which makes them a breeze to install. By comparison, HRVs require drain pans, which can complicate installation. Also, ERVs provide a single exhaust point, which means less equipment to purchase and install (no need for individual bath fans).
- Easy to Maintain: Since RenewAire ERVs do not require drain pans (like HRVs), issues with frozen drain lines in cold-weather applications are avoided. Additionally, since ERVs provide a single exhaust point, this means less maintenance and cleaning. Our ERVs are effortless to maintain—simply check and replace disposable filters as needed and vacuum the ERV core face once a year.
The Best Solution
The best solution is RenewAire's energy recovery ventilation technology, which provides enhanced IAQ, greater ventilation efficiency and major energy cost savings.
Diagram Description: A diagram compares three ventilation types: Exhaust-Only, Balanced Ventilation, and Energy Recovery Ventilation, illustrating how they handle outdoor temperature, room air, and supply air (tempered vs. untempered, filtered vs. unfiltered).
Better Health + Lower Bills = Increased Ventilation Via ERVs
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 62.2 committee has established a residential ventilation standard, known as Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings. The goal of this standard and its continuous revisions are to not only evaluate and recommend every building's minimum ventilation needs, but also emphasize indoor air quality and its relationship with occupant health.
See the chart below to calculate the minimum ventilation required for your home: .03 x sq. ft. + 7.5(bedroom +1). For example, a 2,200 sq. ft. home with 4 bedrooms requires a minimum of 104 CFM.
| SQUARE FEET | 1 BEDROOM | 2 BEDROOMS | 3 BEDROOMS | 4 BEDROOMS | 5 BEDROOMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <500' | 30 | 38 | 45 | 53 | 60 |
| 501'-1000' | 45 | 53 | 60 | 68 | 75 |
| 1001'-1500' | 60 | 68 | 75 | 83 | 90 |
| 1501'-2000' | 75 | 83 | 90 | 98 | 105 |
| 2001'-2500' | 90 | 98 | 105 | 113 | 120 |
| 2501'-3000' | 105 | 113 | 120 | 128 | 135 |
| 3001'-3500' | 120 | 128 | 135 | 143 | 150 |
| 3501'-4000' | 135 | 143 | 150 | 158 | 165 |
* Infiltration credit not considered, please contact RenewAire to assist in selecting a unit that is best suited for your home.
RenewAire Single/Multi-Family ERV Fresh Air System Series
SL Series
- 30-130 CFM
- Low-profile, commercial-grade appliance, often used for multi-family units.
- EC motors, variable speed with boost-mode, Dial-A-Flow easy balancing, plug-in and hard wired power available.
- MERV 13 filter accessory.
EV Premium Series
- 30-390 CFM
- Residential ERV certified for commercial-grade applications.
- EC motors, variable speed with boost-mode, Dial-A-Flow easy balancing, plug-in and hard wired power available.
- MERV 13 filter accessory.
- EV Premium SH, MH, LH awarded TecHome Builder's 2023 Brilliance Award.
BR Series
- 40-140 CFM
- Indoor
- Two-duct design.
GR Series
- 40-110 CFM
- Indoor
- Contractor grade—four-duct design.
EV Series
- 40-200 CFM
- Indoor
- Four-duct design.
Optimize Energy Efficiency in Every Space
Optimizing Energy Efficiency
RenewAire ERVs are a sustainable ventilation solution. Our static-plate, cross-flow core separates the outgoing, polluted indoor airstream from the incoming fresh airstream—while simultaneously transferring total energy (heat and water vapor) between the two. Airstreams do not mix and pollutants are not transferred across partition plates. In the winter, that means that the cold, dry outside air is preheated and humidified by the outgoing warm interior air. And in the summer, the warm, humid outside air is precooled and dehumidified by the outgoing air-conditioned interior air.
Diagram Description: Diagram showing the flow of fresh air entering and stale room air exiting, with arrows indicating the transfer of heat and water vapor within the ERV core.
ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard
"Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings" is a benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the U.S. and across the world. ERVs are required in several instances based on climate zone and percent of outdoor air at full design airflow rate.
RenewAire in Action: HVAC Load Reduction & Healthy IAQ at GCU
- HVAC loads reduced by 40%
- Annual HVAC costs reduced by 40% every year for the life of the ERVs
- Excel in small spaces due to downsized HVAC equipment
- Work within limiting parameters of existing HVAC infrastructure
RenewAire ERVs Reduce University's Annual HVAC Cost by 40%: BIT.LY/2JPAFT5
RenewAire Core Technology
Certification
- Commercial Units: Certified by the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) for an industry-leading, low-to-zero Exhaust Air Transfer Ratio (EATR) at typical static pressure differential.
- Residential Units: Certified by the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) against standard CAN/CSA-C439-18 for an industry leading CFM/w and energy transfer effectiveness (except BR 70).
- Superior core flammability performance; passes UL-723 and UL-1812.
Maintenance
- RenewAire cores are easy to clean without removing them from the unit, and they never require washing.
Innovative Construction
- Core exchanger material is cellulosic-based and doesn't contain or use halogenated flame retardants or PVCs.
- Manufactured with a galvanized steel frame.
Reliability
- An industry-leading 10-year structural and performance warranty for the static-plate core, two-year warranty for commercial products and five-year warranty for residential products.
Exceptional Performance
- Moderates heat and humidity via total energy recovery to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.
- No need for frost protection or condensate pans.
- Laminar airflow ensures that particulates do not accumulate in the core.
Reduced Costs
- Optimized energy efficiency via core energy transfer decreases ventilation energy requirements, which can result in smaller air conditioning and heating needs.
Commercial ERVs
The simplicity, flexibility, reliability and efficiency of the RenewAire HE and LE Series Commercial ERVs excel in every commercial application. The packaged solutions of the HE Series and the large capacity of the LE Series offer a wide airflow range, as well as static capacities. These innovative commercial ERVs can be applied in every type of building in every climate to maximize energy efficiency, downsize HVAC equipment and reduce costs.
HE Series
- Packaged solutions
- Indoor/outdoor
- 166–8,800 CFM
LE Series
- Large capacity
- Indoor/outdoor
- 1,500–11,000 CFM
Applied ERVs
The flexibility and efficiency of the RenewAire CA, PA and SA Series Applied ERVs allow for numerous applications, airflows and configurations. The CA Series modular cabinets house up to four energy recovery cores and can be installed individually or be stacked up to five cabinets high. The PA Series modular arrays of 6, 8, 9 or 12 energy recovery cores can be installed side-by-side. The SA Series is designed for air-handling Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and caters to greater airflow needs.
CA Series
- Modular cabinets
- Indoor/outdoor
- 500–4,400 CFM
- Stackable to 20,000 CFM
PA Series
- Modular panels
- Indoor
- 1,500–unlimited CFM
SA Series
- 2,250–70,400 CFM
- Packaged core with plenum assembly
- Flexible and modular
- Large airflow capacities
Read our SA Series case study, HVAC Engineers and Contractors Solve Refrigeration Tonnage Constraints in Hospital Lab HVAC Retrofit: http://bit.ly/2JpAft5
DOAS Systems
Specific codes within various regions call for DOAS-type products to deliver 100% outside air to each occupied space. Additionally, many codes call for incorporating energy recovery. ASHRAE standard 90.1 and IECC require a minimum of 50% of total effectiveness for the energy recovery component. Even when not mandated, it is one of the best ways to improve a building's energy efficiency.
RD Series
- Commercial
- Indoor/outdoor
- 500–4,250 CFM
DN Series
- Commercial
- Indoor/outdoor
- 375–4,950 CFM
- Available with packaged refrigeration.
Options & Accessories
Options
- Integrated Programmable Controls
- ECM motors
- Variable frequency drives
- Motorized isolation dampers
- Bypass economizers
Accessories
- Indirect gas-fired duct furnaces
- Electric duct heaters
- Combo curbs
- Filter alarms
View Life Size Versions of Select ERVs: (Visual representations of ERV models are available on the RenewAire website.)
RenewAire ERVs Temper the Air
Our ERVs moderate the extremes of outdoor supply-air temperature and humidity year-round, providing a sustainable ventilation solution for every climate.
Diagram Description: Two diagrams illustrate the ERV's function in different seasons. In Summer, warm, humid outside air is precooled and dehumidified by outgoing cool interior air. In Winter, cold, dry outside air is preheated and humidified by outgoing warm interior air.
Green Building Trends
High-performance, green-building standards seek to reduce energy use and increase ventilation to improve health, wellness, IAQ and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Sustainable design initiatives like ASHRAE Standard 189.1, LEED, 2030 Challenge, Living Building Challenge and WELL Building Standard have grown in popularity among architects, engineers, contractors and building owners alike.
RenewAire ventilation technologies create healthier and more comfortable indoor environments, while optimizing energy efficiency. This is done by reusing otherwise-wasted total energy from the exhaust air to condition incoming outdoor air. The results are exceptional IAQ, IEQ, energy reductions and cost savings.
RenewAire ERVs are the sustainable ventilation solution.
Why Energy Recovery is Critical
Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency Demands
The main responsibility of a 100% outdoor air unit is to dehumidify the incoming air. In this process, the system inherently handles large heating and cooling loads. Adding energy recovery significantly minimizes these loads and the HVAC equipment required to condition the air.
ASHRAE 90.1-2010 requires the use of energy recovery based upon a unit's supply airflow, outdoor air percentage, geographic location and hours of operation. The standard mandates the total effectiveness (sensible and latent) by a minimum of 50% when required.
The effectiveness of energy recovery devices varies depending on the type, material and airflow balance. This value is determined based on the test procedure outlined in the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute's (AHRI) Standard 1060.
Diagram Description: A map of the United States showing different climate zones (Marine, Dry, Moist, Warm-Humid) relevant to ventilation requirements.
| ZONE | 30% ≤ 40% | 40% ≤ 50% | 50% ≤ 60% | 60% ≤ 70% | 70% ≤ 80% | 80% ≥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B, 3C, 4B, 4C, 5B | NR | NR | NR | NR | ≥ 5,000 | ≥ 5,000 |
| 1B, 2B, 5C | NR | NR | ≥ 26,000 | ≥ 12,000 | ≥ 5,000 | ≥ 4,000 |
| 6B | ≥ 11,000 | ≥ 5,500 | ≥ 4,500 | ≥ 3,500 | ≥ 2,500 | ≥ 1,500 |
| 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A | ≥ 5,500 | ≥ 4,500 | ≥ 3,500 | ≥ 2,000 | ≥ 1,000 | ≥ 0 |
| 7, 8 | ≥ 2,500 | ≥ 1,000 | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 | ≥ 0 |
Design Supply Fan Airflow Rate (CFM)
RenewAire Supports the Pillars of Sustainability
- ? People: Reduce acute and chronic health problems, Improve alertness and cognitive function, Boost productivity.
- ? Planet: Committed to green manufacturing since 1982, Protect the environment with less energy use, Achieve a green structure with greater energy efficiency.
- ? Profit: Can benefit from a short payback period, Realize annual energy savings, Trouble-free operations and maintenance.
For unit details and certifications, visit: RenewAire.com/our-ervs
(Information regarding Soler&Palau Ventilation Group and RenewAire LLC copyright and branding is excluded as per instructions.)
