By Anne Fonda
The V in HVAC stands for ventilation. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system moves heated or cooled air throughout your home. Your HVAC system operates in a closed loop, recirculating indoor air. It does not bring in outside air. This isn’t generally a problem in homes where you can open the windows, have screen doors, or live in an older home that lets in outside air through cracks and crevices.
An HVAC ventilator is a whole-house ventilation system that provides mechanical ventilation for newer homes that are well-insulated and tightly sealed; in some places, this mechanical ventilation is required by building code. You may also benefit from a whole-house ventilator in an older home if you have signs of poor ventilation.
Poor ventilation can result in a decrease in indoor air quality (IAQ), including:
These odors, chemicals, and gases linger because they cannot escape. Opening a window is a temporary solution. A whole-house ventilator can help remove indoor pollutants, odors, and fumes from your home and circulate fresh air year-round.
In a nutshell, HVAC ventilators pull in fresh outside air, pass it through a filter, and send the conditioned air through your ductwork/vent system. They push stale indoor air out at the same time. This can result in:
American Standard has two kinds of whole-house ventilators: the inline ventilator and energy recovery ventilators.
Our inline ventilator offers a cost-effective mechanical fresh air solution that also helps prevent humidity and temperature extremes. It comes with high/low temp and high humidity lock-out options with timed sampling to ensure adequate ventilation without excessive energy use.
If you choose the premium energy recovery ventilator (ERV), you get a unit that can help control the indoor humidity as well as the temperature, even when your HVAC system isn’t running. In addition, the energy recovery ventilator system can result in heating and cooling energy savings as well.
The premium ERV retains heat and moisture from air in winter, but dehumidifies incoming air in summer, so your home is comfortable throughout the entire year. By conditioning the air before it gets to your HVAC system, the ERV lowers the demand on your HVAC system, which can also lower your heating and cooling bills. Our ERV has an adjusted sensible recovery efficiency of up to 88%.
Your American Standard dealer can help you decide if an HVAC ventilation system is a good choice for your home.
Anne Fonda, Content Writer
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Sean Goddard, Product Manager, Coils & Indoor Air Quality
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