Many newly built homes in Ontario come equipped with an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) or ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) to help manage indoor air quality. As important as these systems are to a home, some homeowners choose to turn them off as a way of saving money on energy costs.
If this is something you’re doing or thinking of doing, you need to be aware of what some of the unintended consequences might be. Read on to find out more.
What is an HRV or ERV?
First off, let’s take a quick look at what HRV/ERVs are and what they do for your home.
Newer homes are built to be more airtight, and while this certainly improves energy efficiency, it also means that fresh air has less opportunity to enter your home naturally. The result: stale and dirty indoor air.
HRVs and ERVs are part of your home’s heating and ventilation system and provide a constant supply of fresh air by exchanging outdoor air for indoor air. While doing this, they also do the following:
- Transfer heat or coolness from the outgoing air to the incoming air to maintain a consistent indoor temperature.
- Filter incoming air to remove pollutants like dust and pollen.
- In the case of ERVs, remove excess moisture from your home.
You can’t get all this from just opening a window!
What happens when you turn it off?
Of course, you’ll only get the benefits of an HRV/ERV if you keep it running. Turning it off will mean poorer indoor air quality, which not only makes things unpleasant and uncomfortable, but could also pose health risks.
Not using your HRV/ERV could also result in damage to your home. For example, excessive moisture can damage wood items (furniture, hardwood floors, window frames, etc.); cause paint and wallpaper to bubble, crack or peel; and lead to mould growth.
Improper use can affect your warranty
Another thing to keep in mind is the impact of not using your HRV/ERV on your new home warranty coverage. As the owner of a newly built home, it’s your responsibility to properly use and maintain its various systems and components.
Therefore, if your home includes an HRV/ERV, you should use it as intended. If any issues arise that result from a failure to do so (like the ones mentioned above), they will be excluded from your coverage and your builder will not be required to resolve them.
When you consider that the cost to repair some of these situations can be far higher than any savings you might get from switching off your HRV/ERV, you’ll see why it’s not worth taking the risk.
HRV/ERV dos
We’ve looked at what you should not do when it comes to your HRV/ERV, so we’d like to leave you with some things you should do. Along with keeping it on and letting it do its job, here are a few more dos to keep in mind:
- Have your HRV/ERV serviced regularly (ideally once a year) by a qualified technician;
- Clean or replace the filter every few months (or according to the manufacturer’s instructions); and,
- Clear away anything (like leaves or snow) that may be obstructing outdoor intake vents.
If you have any further questions, refer to your manufacturer’s instruction manual or contact your builder.