Heat recovery ventilation for energy-efficient buildings: Design, operation and maintenance

Abstract

Since the 1990s, many efforts have been intensified to fight global warming and energy crisis. Considering that the building sector is responsible for about 40% of the EU energy use and 36% of CO2 emissions, many sustainable concepts have been revived from the past, a number of new innovative technologies have been invented, and new construction standards and policies have been implemented. Sustainable architecture offers tailor-made solutions to minimize the negative environmental impacts of buildings without compromising its users' comfort. According to studies, humans spend about 90% of their live-time indoors; indoor air quality has a major effect on human health. Hence, bringing fresh air into all habitable areas without letting the warm/cool air escape has become a priority. If properly operated and maintained, heat recovery ventilation (VHR) in energy-efficient buildings leads to an increased filtration and removal of micropollutants, and an overall improvement of the indoor air quality, thus generating more comfort and less health-related problems. A systematic case study in Italy is used in this research providing evidences of the effectiveness of mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems. This paper discusses a case with a combination of poor design, operation and maintenance to answer the questions of: what are the concerns about potential failures that are associated with these systems; and are there any cons in the technical aspects of a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system?.