RenewAire ERV Guide

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.¹

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.²

Reduced Productivity: Berkeley Lab found that deficient IAQ can cost $200 billion in debilitated worker performance and $58 billion in lost sick time.³

Ventilation can enhance IAQ and decrease the transmission of airborne infectious diseases, including COVID-19: bit.ly/COVID19WP_22

¹ "Why Indoor Air Quality is Important to Schools," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), https://bit.ly/2SoyRJc.

² Romm, "Exclusive: Elevated CO₂ Levels Directly Affect Human Cognition, New Harvard Study Shows," Climate Progress, https://bit.ly/2Vp6AE2.

³ Alevantis, Berman, Mills, Perlman, "The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings," U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), https://bit.ly/2KnP5Oc.

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).

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.

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

Note: The table above compares different ventilation types. Exhaust-only systems primarily vent from single spaces. Balanced ventilation and ERVs offer whole-home ventilation. ERVs also provide filtered and tempered supply air, perform well in all climates, optimize energy, and are easier to install and maintain.

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: The diagram illustrates three ventilation types: Exhaust-Only (Bath Fans), Balanced Ventilation, and Energy Recovery Ventilation. It shows outdoor air temperature and room air temperature, and how the air is treated (tempered/untempered) before entering or leaving the building. ERVs are shown to pre-condition incoming air using outgoing air's energy, resulting in tempered supply air.

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 is to not only evaluate and recommend every building's minimum ventilation needs but also emphasize indoor air quality and its relationship with occupant health. ERVs reduce energy costs while meeting the standard.

See the chart below to calculate the minimum ventilation required for your home: 0.03 x sq. ft. + 7.5(bedroom +1). For example, a 2,200 sq. ft. home with four bedrooms requires a minimum of 104 CFM.

Minimum Ventilation Airflow Required by Home Size*

* 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 Systems

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.

BR Series

• 50-140 CFM
• Two-duct design.
• Indoor, residential ERV.
• Duct mounted or thru-the-wall.
• MERV 13 filter accessory.

EV Premium Series (Award Winning)

• 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.

EV Series

• 40-110 CFM
• Four-duct design.
• Indoor, residential ERV.
• MERV 13 filter accessory.

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.

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.
• 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 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.
• 120-8,800 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.
• 1,500-13,200 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.

Options & Accessories

Options

• Integrated Programmable Controls.
• ECM motors.
• Variable frequency drives.
• Motorized isolation dampers.
• Bypass economizers.

Accessories

• HE+DX Coil Integrated System.
• Indirect gas-fired duct furnaces.
• Electric duct heaters.
• Combo curbs.

View Life Size Versions of Select ERVs: EV PREMIUM X, HE07IN, HE10RT, HE1.5XIN, LE10RT, DN3RT.

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.

Summer: In summer, the warm, humid outside air is precooled and dehumidified by the outgoing cool interior air.

Winter: In winter, the cold, dry outside air is preheated and humidified by the outgoing warm interior air.

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 is shown, divided into climate zones (1-8) based on moisture and temperature characteristics (Moist A, Dry B, Marine C). This map is used in conjunction with tables to determine energy recovery requirements based on zone and airflow.

Percentage of Outdoor Air at Full Design Airflow Rate (CFM)

RenewAire Ventilation Solutions Increase Monetary Benefits.

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

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