Yearly Heat Loss Analysis of a Heat Recovery Ventilator Unit for a Single-Family House in St. John’s, NL, Canada

This paper represents an energy consumption and heat loss analysis of a heat recovery ventilator unit in a single-family detached house in St. John’s, NL, Canada. An energy-efficient house is a growing attraction to control the air infiltration, provide a comfortable environment with reduced yearly electricity cost. A mechanical induced ventilation system is inevitable to increase energy efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the house in order to supply fresh air. A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) is an air to air heat exchangers that recovers heat from inside of the house and delivers this preheated and fresh air to the space for maintaining the occupant’s comfort. In this paper, yearly energy consumption with the heat loss of a typical heat recovery ventilator unit is presented. MATLAB, BE opt, and Microsoft Excel are used to do all necessary simulation with calculation using one-year logged data. Methodology, results with graphs and detailed analysis of this research are included in this paper. This research indicates that the cost of running a HRV for a year in a house in St. John’s could be as high as $484 per year with an unknown air quality improvement