ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) has issued a white paper titled "Characterizing the Efficiency of Energy Recovery Ventilation and Informing the Design of HVAC Systems," which supplements ARI Guideline V, "Calculating the Efficiency of Energy Recovery Ventilation and its Effect on Efficiency and Sizing of Building HVAC Systems."

Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) conserves energy and reduces electricity demand associated with the heating, cooling, humidification, and dehumidification of buildings, says ARI. ERV technology promises significant benefits and is available on a variety of product platforms. The new white paper has been developed to help ensure that it is fully utilized and properly integrated into the HVAC system, the association says.

"The publishing of the white paper and guideline is a first step in describing the combined efficiency of air conditioning systems that utilize more than one heating or cooling technology to meet the building load," said Bede Wellford, a member of ARI's Energy Recovery Ventilation Product Section. "These documents provide accurate information on equipment sizing and system efficiency that is essential for design, product selection, and system optimization when energy recovery is used."