Green Living
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
What do you know about HRVs?
My DH and I are doing some research and have never heard of Heat Recovery Ventilators. Does anyone have one installed in their home? How has it helped your HERS?
Re: What do you know about HRVs?
What we learned yesturday is for about $1K investment, a HRV system takes the 'used' air out of the house and transfers the temperature of the air to new air coming in. So in the summer, it takes the 'used' cool air and transfers the cold to new air coming in. In the winer take the 'used' hot air and transfers the heat to new air coming in.
Your posts seem to have a heating/cooling theme...
Have you looked into geothermal heat? It is very common in Europe, but not so common in the US. We have it in our house and it keeps our heating and cooling bills fairly low (about 1/2 what our neighbors pay). Ours is a closed-loop system that runs into our spring fed pond in our backyard. Many systems use a vertical loop that goes deep enough to where the ground temperature is constant all year. We can suppliment our geothermal heat/cooling with electric if needed.
Duke's House: Eating and Running with the Big Dog in Chennai: eatrunbrit.com
2010 Race PRs:
5K - 24:57 10M - 1:28:20 13.1M - 1:57:29 26.2M - 4:28:29
Google "heat recovery wheels." They are the commercial version of HRVs. They are the most practical in buildings that have a high exhaust rate (blowing air outside because of smell/health reasons). (I'm a mechanical engineer who designs LEED HVAC systems)
But homes are rarely exhausted beside the bathrooms so they are usually not worth the cost and hassle. HRVs shouldn't be put on bathroom exhaust because of the humidity so your builder is probably planning on putting in a separate exhaust system (a fan that dumps air outside). That is unnecessary and a waste of energy. HRVs can offset some of that cost but the best idea is to not put a separate exhaust system in all together (saving you $ and energy).
Like someone in one of your earlier posts said look into geothermal. They cost less than solar panels and pay back much quicker. We installed one last winter (a retrofit) and love it! Putting it in new construction is the best though because everything is put in place from the begining and the cost is rolled into your mortgage. Plus there is a 30% tax credit on the whole system including the labor to install.