Greenheck Energy Recovery Ventilation Advances Indoor Air Quality
The Panorama Idea Home built by Thrive Home Builders was designed to maintain indoor air quality and achieve energy efficiency. Ventilation is a key component of this mission, so to deliver outstanding air quality and minimize energy loss, Thrive chose a suite of innovative products from Greenheck.
Thrive is committed to building spaces that are healthy for both occupants and the environment, and with climate change exacerbating wildfires, the Panorama Idea Home in Breckenridge, Colo., filters out pollutants and toxins from smoke. For homeowners with respiratory issues like asthma, indoor air quality (IAQ) is crucial.
The Greenheck system installed on the Panorama Idea Home incorporates a series of technologies designed to work together and optimize performance.
Gene Myers, founder and chief sustainability officer for Thrive, says improving IAQ is more than just achieving airflow. “Today we know this isn’t enough,” Myers says. “We have to monitor more than just airflow, and with Greenheck, we can measure and adjust for everything, from smoke and toxins to humidity.”
The workhorse of the ventilation system is the ERV which features best-in-class performance characteristics and a sensible recovery efficiency (SRE) of 84% at 32°F. Practically, SRE refers to the efficiency of the system in transferring heat from the outgoing stale air to the incoming fresh air without mixing the two air streams. An SRE with this rating means that even when temperatures dip to freezing, 84% of the heat from the outgoing air is transferred to the incoming air. This helps maintain indoor comfort while reducing the energy required for heating.
The SYNC180’s variable-speed motor offers three high-speed settings to maximize air quality as needed. The unit's exclusive duct collar design featuring piezometer rings measures the maximum airflow capacity of the installation and, when paired with the Greenheck PrecisionSYNC™ control, enables the installer to dial in precise airflow to meet design and code requirements. The unit also features Constant CFM, which ensures that the system maintains a consistent airflow regardless of changes in external conditions, such as filter load or duct length. Additionally, it is Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) certified for cold weather, needed at the high elevation of the Panorama Idea Home.
Tracking air quality is the task of the HAVEN monitor, which works on an almost intuitive level using real-time readings. The system is highly sensitive, detecting particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.4). These particles, common in wildfire smoke, pose health risks by being small enough to penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.
The HAVEN IAQ Monitor and Controller work together to actively manage and improve your indoor air quality by automatically responding to changes in your environment by activating your HVAC equipment. They integrate seamlessly with Greenheck’s Energy Recovery Ventilators, providing a smart, efficient, and automated solution.
Rounding out the Greenheck family of products specified for the Panorama Idea Home are the Greenheck exhaust fans, designed, tested, and certified to move air in common installations (0.4 in. wg) and above. The MasterSPEC™ units feature virtually silent EC motors with adaptive 50-80-110 cfm speed selection and two-speed whole-house continuous ventilation to meet ASHRAE 62.2 standards. The optional humidity and CO2 plug-and-play sensors offer in-the-field customization for demand-controlled ventilation solutions. The MultiSPEC™ fans also feature EC motors with 50-80-110 cfm speed selection with a low-profile design that easily fits in a 2x4 stud bay and allows for ceiling or wall mount installations.
For Myers and the team at Thrive, delivering outstanding IAQ and incorporating an ERV into the Panorama Idea Home design were top priorities. However, partnering with Greenheck offered other advantages.
“Greenheck works together with builders and their contractors and home energy raters to help design ventilation systems to meet code and indoor air quality (IAQ) demands. They also offer installation support, and their innovative business model helps optimize the value chain and minimize costs," Myers says.
“For us, it was a win-win. We had the products we needed to achieve the IAQ goals and also the service we needed as a builder to keep on schedule.”
Resources and links:
