The building industry has done a great job at making buildings energy-efficient. Insulation is better, and windows seal tighter. When was the last time you noticed a draft in new construction? In the strategy to eliminate drafts and leaks, energy costs have dropped – but what gets sacrificed? Our Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). If everything that happens on the inside stays on the inside, then it’s not hard to imagine that allergens, humidity from cooking and showers, stay inside the well-sealed boxes we have created.
Opening a window in the dead of winter, or at the peak of summer, could help in bringing in fresh and clean air. But here’s the problem: propping that window open would force your HVAC system into overdrive (in either season) and would sacrifice energy efficiency.
The ERV Energy Recovery Ventilator
Think of the ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) as the lungs of a building.
INNOVA’s AIO (All-in-One) Heat Pump system, with an integrated ERV (and no outdoor unit) is designed to exhaust the stale, polluted air from the inside and inhale fresh, clean air from the outside. The air never mixes, but heat and moisture transfer between them. In winter, the warm air leaving the building pre-heats the cold air coming in. In the summer, the process reverses, pulling heat and humidity out of the incoming air before it reaches the living space.
The numbers are worth knowing: INNOVA’s AIO recovers up to 81.7% of the heat energy from exhaust air. You get that fresh feeling of an open window without the utility bill that normally comes with it.
Shouldn’t this be the Law?
New building codes are requiring buildings to be built so well that they barely lose any heating or cooling. This may be a good sign, but it means fresh air can no longer find a way to enter a building on its own. Once a building stops leaking air naturally, mechanical ventilation isn’t optional. It’s required to prevent what building scientists call Sick Building Syndrome, the documented health effects of chronically poor indoor air.
Canada’s National Building Code now requires ERV in new residential construction. British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec have each implemented this with their own specific details: British Columbia’s Step Code ties ventilation requirements to energy performance tiers, while the Ontario building code specifies that an ERV is the assumed ventilation strategy for every new dwelling. California, Washington, Minnesota, Vermont, and several other northern states have adopted similar requirements under their residential energy codes.
The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Shift
Before COVID, most people never gave a second thought to the air that they were breathing. COVID changed that – fast. Suddenly, building owners, hotel operators, and property managers were no longer satisfied with temperature control alone. They wanted systems that actively managed air quality.
When ventilation is done well, people rarely notice it. They just feel better. Overall comfort and wellness is the real measure of a well-ventilated space.
INNOVA’s AIO (All-in-One)
What are the challenges with traditional ERV’s? They require a separate system: separate unit, separate ductwork, separate commissioning. INNOVA’s AIO All-In-One system integrates the ERV directly alongside the heat pump, MERV 13 filtration, and bathroom exhaust in a single compact package. One installation covers all four functions. No additional mechanical room space, no extra trades to coordinate.
Don’t choose between a building that’s energy-efficient and one where people actually feel good. An ERV is what makes both possible at the same time.
Contact INNOVA to learn how AIO handles ERV compliance for your next project.
