By Anne Fonda
When we’re talking about a ventilator, we mean a whole-house ventilator that helps circulate fresh air into your home, year-round. A ventilator is an extra component that can work with your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to provide a higher level of comfort.
Today’s energy-efficient homes are better insulated and tightly sealed. While that’s good for your energy bills, it can prohibit fresh air circulation in your home. You might think your HVAC system brings in fresh air, but that’s a myth.
Your HVAC system is a closed loop, meaning it does not mechanically bring outdoor air into your home. Instead, HVAC systems circulate and re-circulate the air already inside your home.
Poor ventilation can affect indoor air quality and result in:
These odors and chemicals linger because they cannot escape. Opening a window is a temporary solution, at best. A whole-house ventilation system can help remove indoor pollutants, odors, and fumes from your home and circulate fresh air year-round.
HVAC ventilators work with a process called positive pressure ventilation or balanced ventilation, depending on the system. The ventilators draw in outside air, pass it through a filter, and send the conditioned air through your ductwork/vent system.
The main benefits of installing a whole-house ventilator can include:
A whole-house ventilator can help control the indoor humidity as well as the temperature, even when your HVAC system isn’t running. If you choose a more sophisticated energy recovery ventilator (ERV), you can see heating and cooling energy savings as well. That’s because the ERV recovers heat and moisture from the outgoing air during cold weather. During hot, humid weather, it pre-cools and dehumidifies incoming air.
By conditioning the air before it gets to your HVAC system, the ERV lowers the demand on your HVAC system, which also lowers your energy bills. In fact, according to energy.gov, an ERV can recover approximately 70-80% of the energy in the exiting air and deliver that energy to the incoming air.
Choosing the right whole-house ventilator is easy with the help of an HVAC professional with experience in installing these systems. Factors to consider when selecting a ventilator to improve your indoor air quality include:
Browse Trane ventilators.
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 Jennie Bergman, Senior Product Manager, Indoor Air Quality
Air filters are installed in HVAC systems to remove dust, dander, allergens, and other harmful particles from the air in your home. You can change and maintain air filters on your own.
Particulates are very small particles such as mold spores, skin flakes, or bacteria, that are not visible to the naked eye.
A humidifier is an HVAC system that adds moisture to the air in your home, with the end goal of changing indoor humidity levels. Humidifiers can be stand alone, or added into an existing HVAC system, like a heat pump.
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