ERV / HRV (Energy & Heat Recovery Ventilators)
Balanced ventilation systems that exhaust stale indoor air and bring in fresh outdoor air continuously — while transferring most of the heat (HRV) or heat and moisture (ERV) between the two streams. They solve the tight-house stuffiness problem without throwing away the energy you paid for.
The longer answer
Modern tight construction needs deliberate ventilation: without it, humidity, CO2, and odors accumulate. The crack-a-window solution ventilates by throwing conditioned air away; a recovery ventilator keeps 60–90% of the energy while exchanging the air.
During wildfire-smoke events, ventilators should go to minimum or recirculate mode — the one season fresh outdoor air isn't the goal. Good units make that a one-button setting.
The Seattle angle
In the Puget Sound climate, HRVs are the common choice — our winters are damp enough that recovering humidity (the ERV's specialty) is rarely the goal.
Where this decision happens
Nearby in the glossary
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