“Build it Tight and Ventilate Right: High Performance, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery” (presented by 475)

Presentation Description
Building high performance buildings, up to and including Passive House certified, means we need to ‘Build Airtight and Ventilate Right’. This presentation discusses the importance and benefits of properly balanced, filtered, continuous ventilation with heat recovery in high performance projects. By using mechanical heat recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems to provide oxygenated fresh air to occupants, we can control how much air is brought in, supply and exhaust it to/from desired zones, and improve the quality of that air, while reducing the amount of energy needed to heat that incoming air. HRV and ERVs come in many forms. We discuss through-wall pendulum HRVs and centralized cross-counterflow systems. These systems have been shown to have cognitive benefits to occupants and can reduce the risk of mold in buildings.

Learning Objective 1:
Outline the relationship between air-tightness and a building’s comfort, energy-efficiency, and risk of condensation, rot, and mold.
Learning Objective 2:
List the benefits of mechanical, continuous, balanced, ventilation with heat recovery to the building and occupants.
Learning Objective 3:
Describe the differences between HRVs and ERVs and various types of systems.
Learning Objective 4:
Outline the components of a centralized home-run system, and how to properly design a system for projects.

Presented by Gabrielle O’Grady, Product Consultant – Specializing in Ventilation

Presenter bio: Gabrielle’s passion for craftsmanship began early as her parents and Austrian-trained cabinetmaker Opa built her family home in Wisconsin. She received her B.S. in Physiology, Neurobiology, and Chemistry in 2011 and worked in the medical field in MA, NYC, and CO before returning for a M.S. in Sustainability in the Urban Environment with a focus on Architecture, to study building science, green building design, healthy materials, and how they relate to human health. Gabrielle worked for 3 years in retro-commissioning commercial buildings before joining the 475 team where she focuses on ventilation and indoor air quality.