Healthy Home in the Desert

8/21/24

One of the most fascinating—and beneficial—features of our home is the Energy Recovery Ventilator, or ERV, which I’ve come to think of as the “lungs of the home.” An ERV is designed to constantly breathe fresh air into the house while expelling stale indoor air. What makes it special is that, while it exchanges the air, it also transfers heat and moisture between the outgoing and incoming air streams. This means that in the hot Arizona desert, our ERV works to pre-cool the fresh air entering the house, reducing the burden on our heating and cooling system. In the winter, it does the opposite—retaining warmth from the outgoing air and transferring it to the incoming air. This keeps the indoor temperature stable and consistent throughout the year, while ensuring that fresh, clean air is always circulating.

The ERV also works together with our heat pump to create a highly efficient system for maintaining a comfortable indoor climate. The heat pump efficiently warms and cools the air, using much less energy than traditional HVAC systems, while the ERV ensures that the air we’re breathing is fresh and healthy. Together, they strike a perfect balance—keeping our home cool and comfortable during the intense desert heat and warm during the rare chilly nights. It’s amazing how efficiently this system operates, even in such an extreme climate, and how well it maintains a comfortable temperature without ever feeling overpowering or drying out the air.

What really struck me when we moved in, though, wasn’t just the air quality or the stable temperature—it was the quiet. In every home we lived in before this one, the heating and cooling systems were noisy and disruptive. I remember the loud hum of the units cycling on and off, and the blowers pushing out air that always seemed to be directed right at you, drying out your skin and making the house feel uncomfortable. But in this home, the ERV and heat pump work together so quietly and seamlessly that you hardly notice them. The gentle airflow is evenly distributed, so there’s no more dealing with blasts of air in one part of the house and dead zones in another. The air just feels balanced and natural, creating a sense of calm throughout the home.

The continuous operation of the ERV also prevents the need for drastic temperature changes or noisy blowers kicking on. There’s no more waking up in the middle of the night because the air conditioning suddenly roared to life. Instead, the system operates in the background, always maintaining the perfect temperature without any harsh transitions. And because the air is constantly being refreshed and conditioned, it never feels stagnant or dry.

The quietness of the system is more than just a comfort—it’s a key part of what makes our home feel like a sanctuary. There’s no background hum or mechanical noise interrupting our daily life, allowing us to enjoy the peace and calm that this desert home provides. Coupled with the clean, fresh air and the steady temperature, this quiet operation makes living here an entirely different experience from anything we’ve known before. It’s not just the data behind the system that impresses me; it’s the way it makes me feel —refreshed and comfortable.

For reference: We have a Continuous Whole House Panasonic ERV with additional 4” Aprilaire filters, and a Mitsubishi/Trane heat pump.