Every prudent homeowner wants their home to be as energy efficient as possible. Our warm summers and cold winters can cost you quite a bit if your home keeps leaking that energy, and there are numerous steps you can take to keep those heating and cooling costs down. Some of them are easy to implement, such as adding weather stripping around cracks in doors or windows, or using fans to circulate the air and cool the home in the summer.
But if you’re in the market for something more extensive – something requiring a professional’s attention – then we strongly recommend an energy recovery ventilator installed in your attic or similar space. It can make a huge difference to your home in a number of ways.
What Does It Do?
An energy recovery ventilator, or ERV, essentially consists of two ducts with fans on either end. One fan blows air out of your house and the other pulls air into your house. The two ducts don’t touch, but a heat exchanger connects them and transfers heat between the two such that the incoming air is the exact same temperature as the outgoing air.
What Kind of Benefits Does That Provide?
At first glance, and ERV may seem like a lot of effort for very little effect, but in point of fact, it actually does a great deal. For starters, the heat exchanger helps ease some of the temperature losses from your conditioned air, helping your home stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter more readily. Hat cuts down on energy use in your HVAC system a great deal, which can save you money on monthly bills and expenses.
Furthermore, less use means less strain on the individual components of the system. That means your air conditioner and heater will last longer and run with less of a risk of breakdowns and similar problems with an ERV in place. And ERVs work all year too, which means your heater gains the exact same benefits that your air conditioner does.
And it goes beyond that. Households can get very stuffy during extreme weather 9both hot and cold) as you refrain from opening doors or windows in order to maintain the comfortable temperatures your heater or air conditioner works so hard to generate. Stuffy air can become stale after a time, and germs and bacteria can circulate in a closed-up home: passing illnesses along to family members very quickly.
ERVs take care of the problem swiftly and effectively, swapping out the stale air for fresh air as the system runs. That way, your home never takes in that bottled-up feeling and you can refresh the air without having to waste energy by opening a window. That helps improve the quality of life for your entire home, and when accompanied by the savings the ERV provides your HVAC system, can save you a lot of money and worries over the ensuing years.
If an ERV sounds like a good fit for your South Jordan, UT home, call in the professionals of At Your Service Plumbing, Heating & Air to perform a top-notch installation.
