Commercial Market Embraces Energy Efficiency – The NEWS

Posted on by

RenewAire was asked to contribute to the following NEWS article:

The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS
May 13th, 2013

A recent study published by Bloomberg Finance L.P. and The Business Council for Sustainable Energy shows that since 1980, energy intensity of commercial buildings has decreased more than 40 percent, which can be attributed, in part, to higher levels of efficiency in new buildings and improvements to hardware and operations relating to HVAC systems within older buildings.

Read Full Article

RenewAire Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation!

Posted on by

In honor of our 30th year of ERV leadership and manufacturing, RenewAire has released a video that summarizes our technology as well as our commitment to sustainability. No other company offers greater value, performance, comfort, fuel savings, and ROI in the delivery of advanced ventilation solutions than RenewAire. See why in this video.

Tools of the Trade – EV90 Display Kit

Posted on by

RenewAire is pleased to announce the introduction of the In-Store Display Kit for the EV90 Residential / Light Commercial ERV. When this point-of-purchase display is placed on a parts counter or aisle display rack, HVAC contractors can easily see the details and attributes that make RenewAire the superior choice for fresh outdoor air.

EV90 on Display Stand

This cost effective, yet profession display stand and signage utilizes reusable appliques that can be applied (and later removed) to an unsold EV90 pulled from inventory. For contractors with showrooms, the unit on display does not create dead inventory, but can be sold to a customer and later replaced, all without the display stickers leaving any residue or compromising the unit in any way.

The Display Kit comes with two different message options for the top signage. One theme is more suited for wholesaler showrooms, while the other is great for consumer oriented audiences such as contractor showrooms or for use at home and building shows.

Other uses for these kits include model home displays, utility efficiency program displays, anywhere there will be an interested crowd of contractors or homeowners.

Interested in obtaining one or more of these Display Kits? Please contact your RenewAire Representative to obtain them without any charge to you.

ERVs Found Superior for Residential Moisture Control in Recent Canadian Studies

Posted on by

National Research Council Canada – Construction Innovation – Volume 17, Number 4, December 2012

RenewAire receives many calls from homeowners confused regarding which is best – ERV or HRV. Outside of a narrow list of applications such as constant sources of high humidity, dryer exhaust, or kitchen grease hoods, RenewAire recommends ERV for all climates, both summer and winter – year-round. Nevertheless, other manufacturers confuse this simple picture, leaving homeowners questioning the best choice.

The National Research Council Canada, a Canadian government agency published the results of two studies, one conducted in summer and one in winter comparing the performance of HRVs versus ERVs. You can read the full article here.

The summer study finds ERVs superior at humidity control to HRVs, citing a 12% benefit over one week of detailed side by side testing. This study also indicated that ERVs may recover some unwanted humidity when exhausting from bathrooms, for a few minutes a day, but the overall humidity is lower over the course of the day.

The winter field study finds ERVs able to ventilate without over-drying in winter versus HRVs.

RenewAire’s Energy Recovery Ventilators work in summer, winter, hot, cold, humid or dry, moderating extremes in outdoor ventilation air year-round.

 

Our Feline Friends Value Fresh Air Too! – Customer Testimonial

Posted on by

The below is an unsolicited “thank you” for RenewAire’s ERVs solving a number of indoor air quality issues at a growing Grand Rapids, Michigan TNR / Cat Rescue. The testimonial speaks for itself and requires no further comment…Cat Looking Upward

“Hello, I would like to thank you for the quality products, and the extensive after-purchase support that you provided on my recent project. They were both remarkable.”

Bill Gabbard,
Carol’s Ferals
www.carolsferals.org
Facebook=carolsferals

Background:

“I am the facility maintenance-guy, (for lack of a less fancy title), at a large cat shelter/TNR (trap, neuter, return) facility. We operate out of a 2700 sq. foot facility that was built as a ranch-style home, that has since been converted for our needs. There are two separate furnace/AC systems that operate independently, due to an earlier addition of a second den and 2 more bedrooms. Our main focus is Trap-Neuter-Return. We empower our community to trap and fix stray and feral cats, and we have fixed nearly 7000 cats in 7 years. Our facility is also a loving home to up to 130 cat-residents at any given  time!  Sixty-five percent of the home is dedicated to cats up for adoption, who roam about freely. The other thirty-five percent of the home is dedicated to cats that are post-surgical, and/or other recovering medical issues…these cats are caged and live in a hospital environment.We have always run both furnace-blowers 24/7 for filtering and circulation reasons, and still do. Believe it or not, the facility never reeked of litter or cats like some folks might imagine, (three shifts/teams come in and clean/feed three times a day), so it was not so much a cat smell…but it was horribly stuffy, and stale. When we chose this facility, we never intended to grow so large, or serve so many cat-residents. Continue reading →

Is Carbon Dioxide an Indoor Pollutant?

Posted on by

ASHRAE Journal – March 2013

Are your employees or those of your customers working within an environment that is conducive to peak decision making, mental performance, and top overall productivity? The authors of this study concluded that relatively low concentrations of carbon dioxide (between 1,000 and 2,500 ppm) will have a direct effect on occupants’ work performance. The ASHRAE Journal article summarizing the study states that while additional studies are necessitated, there is a surprising and dramatic direct influence of these lower levels of carbon dioxide on human mental performance such as basic activity, initiative, information utilization, breadth of approach and basic strategy, all components of decision-making and task performance. They argue that the findings from this study have implications on minimum ventilation standards as well as strengthen the argument that it is imperative that minimum standards must not only be adhered to and implemented, but may be too low to be effective.  Read Full Article

ERVCalc – A Powerful Tool for HVAC Professionals

Posted on by

ERVCalc is a multifaceted web based software tool for the HVAC professional that can perform a number of calculations and tasks related to sizing and applying RenewAire’s advanced ventilation products, some of which are listed below:

  • ERV leaving air temperature/humidity based upon indoor and outdoor conditions
  • Ventilation air load reduction in both winter and summer
  • Development of a ventilation schedule based upon ASHRAE 90.1 guidelines and assigning ERVs to each or multiple ventilation zones
  • Calculate ERV annual savings
  • Create schedules that can be dropped into plan documents

ERVCalc can be reached either by clicking the calculator icon towards the bottom of our www.RenewAire.com home page, or directly at www.ervcalc.renewaire.com. After creating a New Account, you can proceed in one of two directions. The recommended direction is to click on Projects and launch a new project. However, if a simple leaving air, or unit performance calculation is all that is needed, then choose Quickcalcs. Need assistance in using ERVCalc? Just give us or your Representative a call.

Ventilation – The Prescribed Choice for Schools

Posted on by

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long recognized Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) as a critically important component of creating and maintaining school facilities. As part of its IAQ Design Tools for Schools, the EPA encourages that an outdoor air supply be introduced for better IAQ. More specifically, Continue reading →

Tools of the Trade – RenewAire Commercial Catalog

Posted on by

RenewAire Commercial Product Catalog and ERV Core SampleRenewAire’s Commercial Product Catalog is a handy desk reference that all design professionals should have at their disposal. It concisely covers product features, specifications, energy transfer performance, airflow performance, weights and dimensions. You can receive your free copy by contacting your RenewAire Representative, Wholesale Distributor, or Engineered Systems Specialist. While requesting the Catalog, ask for a free sample of our ERV Energy Exchange Core Material as well.

RenewAire Announces the New CA Outdoor Series ERVs!

Posted on by

Remarkable Applied Series

Flexible ERV for Limitless Applications

  • Remarkable Performance
  • Remarkable Simplicity
  • Cost Effective
  • Indoor and Now Outdoor Models

Some ventilation projects require more flexibility than packaged ERVs allow. Realize your energy-efficiency goals with RenewAire’s Applied Products family of ERVs. Continue reading →

Unique School Projects Offer Partnerships

Posted on by
The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS – September 14th, 2012

RenewAire’s support and early interest in The Green Schoolhouse Series is highlighted in last September’s NEWS article.


Read Article

ECM Motor Benefits Part 3

Posted on by

ECM Motor Option for Direct-Drive Commercial ERVs
Benefit #3 – Operational Flexibility

HE1XINHIn ECM Motor Benefits Part 2, I touched on the benefit of variable airflow operation as it relates to simplifying setup and airflow balancing for RenewAire’s EV450 and HE1X Energy Recovery Ventilators fitted with factory installed ECM Motors. Beyond airflow balancing, the ECM Motor(s) offers the HVAC designer a wide variety of low voltage (24VAC) control schemes to meet the ventilation needs of the facility. Continue reading →

Advanced Energy Recovery Ventilation Versus Bathroom Fans

Posted on by

Simple bath fans are often promoted to provide your home’s critical indoor fresh air component. First and foremost, a bath fan ventilation system has no energy recovery component. RenewAire’s remarkable static-plate energy recovery core preconditions the incoming ventilation air using the available energy in the exhaust air leaving the home. Continue reading →

Old Fashioned Ventilation

Posted on by

Today’s homes and buildings use advanced building science concepts and products including spray foam insulation, air sealing at every joint, low E glass, odor absorbing paints, two-stage lighting, site orientation, a plethora of recycled or reclaimed building products, highly efficient heating and cooling or ground source geothermal, and then we poke holes through the well sealed envelope, pump bathroom air through it (like we always have), and call it “ventilation”! Continue reading →

Office Expansion Receives Wisconsin Green Building Alliance Award

Posted on by

Project Spotlight – Madison Investment Advisors

The Energy Center of Wisconsin featured a case study in their December newsletter where RenewAire’s ERV contributed to the environmental success of a local Madison, WI project. The Madison Investment Advisors project later received a Focus on Energy Award of Excellence from the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance. Continue reading →

ERVs Exhibit Attributes of Good Ventilation

Posted on by

Ventilation is one of the most important aspects of sustainable mechanical design. It is a prerequisite of a healthy and productive indoor environment. Ventilation is integral to a durable, low maintenance structure. Through the use of Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) the size of conventional heating and cooling systems can be controlled at design conditions and will often be one of the largest contributors to operational energy cost reductions available to the engineer. Continue reading →

2012 Commercial Catalog HE2XRT Drawing Errata

Posted on by

Page 49 of the 2012 RenewAire Commercial Product Catalog has the incorrect Unit Dimensions. This has been corrected on our website. RenewAire apologies for any inconvenience this oversight may have caused. We encourage all our customers and design professionals to rely on our website for the latest and most accurate information. Thank you for your continued consideration of RenewAire products.

Geographical Use of ERVs and HRVs

Posted on by

Automobile manufacturers produce a variety of vehicles, each burning a specific grade of gasoline, diesel, or even E85 fuel, and in many cases utilizing different engine technologies for the type of fuel used. Their fuel recommendations should be carefully followed for the cars they designed and built. Since one company did not design another company’s vehicles, why would they recommend, for example, that all mid-sized cars use E85 fuel, even if theirs do? That would be considered presumptuous at best and reckless at worst. While this may be absurd in the automotive world, this is exactly what is happening in the Heat Recovery and Energy Recovery Ventilation world. Continue reading →

New York Home Centers on Sustainability

Posted on by

The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS – May 14th, 2012

RenewAire takes on the role of energy efficient ventilation in this Putnam County, NY new construction home that boasts among other accreditations a pending LEED® for Homes Silver accreditation. Along with the “immaculate energy envelope” Continue reading →

Old School Learns Cool New Tricks

Posted on by

ASHRAE Journal – May, 2012

RenewAire is part of a Northwestern High School project in Maple, WI which is located in the northernmost part of Wisconsin along the south shore of Lake Superior. Energy efficiency, of course, was part of this renovation and new construction project and RenewAire had a part in the success Continue reading →

ECM Motor Benefits Part 2

Posted on by

ECM Motor Option for Direct-Drive Commercial ERVs
Benefit #2 – Ease of Airflow Setup and Variable Airflow

HE1XINHIn ECM Motor Benefits Part 1, I introduced the energy efficiency benefits of Electronically Commutated Motors (ECM) as they have become available in today’s air handling equipment and more specifically to RenewAire’s very popular EV450 and HE1X Series of Indoor and Outdoor Energy Recovery Ventilators. A strong second important benefit is ease of airflow setup and variable airflow operation. Continue reading →

RenewAire in the News – WindMade™

Posted on by

RenewAire’s story on how we became a Pioneer Member of WindMadeTM with the help of Madison Gas and Electric’s Green Power Tomorrow Program made it into one of MG&E’s business brouchures. Download the complete prochure here: http://www.mge.com/Images/PDF/CleanPower/RenewAireFactSheet.pdf

Historical Renovation Achieves LEED® Gold

Posted on by

Project Spotlight – Indiana Tech

One goal of restoring the historic 155 year old Wilfred Uytengsu, Sr. Center at Indiana Tech was for the small, private college to develop into a more “energy-efficient and energy conscious campus.” As part of this objective, and to demonstrate their commitment, Indiana Tech chose to seek LEED® Silver Certification. Not only did they accomplish this goal, but they demonstrated excellence by exceeding Silver and achieving Gold Certification. RenewAire was elected to contribute to the success of this historically as well environmentally sensitive project.
Continue reading →

ERV Maintenance Tip – It’s Easy!

Posted on by

Residential ERV Maintenance Tip – To Sum it Up, It’s Easy!
And Don’t Forget… The Energy Exchange Core is Not a Filter

Maintenance of the RenewAire Residential Models (and Commercial too!) is the simplest in the industry. The ERV door should be unlatched and removed, the polyester orange and white filters removed (earlier units had green filters), and the diamond shaped cube or Energy Exchange Core (Core) vacuumed with a soft brush vacuum attachment. Continue reading →

ECM Motor Benefits Part 1

Posted on by

ECM Motor Option for Direct-Drive Commercial ERVs
Benefit #1 – Lowered Electrical Use

HE1XINHFirst arriving in high-end residential furnaces / air conditioners and select commercial products, Electronically Commutated Motors (ECM) have been seeping into the HVAC vernacular for many years. Continue reading →