I’ve been building “tight” houses for about 8 years now, but in the last two years I’ve really been motivated to build super tight homes. Build tight, ventilate right is our motto. The only way to control indoor air quality/humidity/temperature is by avoiding unintended air leakage. I want my houses to be a Yeti Cooler; tight, super insulated, and hold their temperature for a long time.
Along that vein it’s very important to bring fresh air into our tight houses using a measured approach. But, in our hot/humid climate there is an energy penalty for this fresh air because it’s typically hotter than indoor air temperature and much of the year it brings in additional humidity. In this video I’ll review a budget priced Energy Recovery Ventilator that does a pretty good job of rejecting some of the humidity (Energy) that comes into the Fresh Air system. This Panasonic ERV removes about 1/3rd of the moisture from the incoming air. Just to be clear this ERV is not as robust as a unit that’s tied to the HVAC unit, but for the price it brings an ERV into the affordable range for anyone building or remodeling a high performance home. Here’s a link to check Amazon’s price on this Panasonic ERV.
-Matt Risinger Risinger Homes in Austin, TX
