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Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, and Green Consultants by Nichoel Farris, Lime Designs
Re: Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, an
I'd like to see that. The air flow channels would be so small you would need a compressor to push the air through. The costs of operating the air movers is what offsets the value of the heat recovered. There are standards for the number of air changes required per hour, so efficiency of the heat exchanger becomes a concern as the size of unit grows to meet the needs of the building.
A heat exchanger needs to be efficient. It really doesn't matter how big the thing is. If it recovers 80% of the heat now being lost in ventilation and it uses less than that to make it happen, it has a market. Cost of unit would determin payback and therefore marketability.
Most heat exchangers are "flat plate" design (whether they are plates or pipes), and the air laminates and rolls along the surface. The air near the exchange surface stays in contact with the exchanger and most air moves through the thing without coming in ontact with the exchange surface. You are doing good if you even get close to 50% efficiency. Most don't come anyway near that.
Re: Go Green
Athena, you are right about the air quality. That is why Energy Star, Build It Green, and LEED Homes require a reduction of formaldehydes and offgasing, in addition to fresh air ventilation built into the sealed combustion units. This keeps the formaldehyde level well below the 28ppb benchmark for good air!
Nichoel Farris
Green Builder / Designer
American Home Sales
Re: Go Green
"Fresh air ventilation built into a sealed combution unit" has no effect on the quality of air in the building. It just allows the heating unit to function independent from the living space ventilation, so low pressure in the home does not suck air and flue gasses down the chimney.
In older homes the chimney stack sucked air out of the home and fresh air leaked in all over the place. Now seal the home up and you have to ventilate or breath bad air. Ventilation causes heat to be carried out with the exhausted air, and what I am saying is that there is nothing on the market that actually recovers more heat energy than the energy used by the ventilating blowers.
What heat recovery ventilation system would you recommend and how much of the exhausted heat does it recover?
There is certainly nothing available to recover heat from clothes dryers and stove exhausts, or is there?
Thank you
Re: Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, an
Building standards are changing every year, making homes more air tight to keep the heat in. Sealed buildings contain stale air, so we ventilate them. Hot stale air is released and cold fresh air is bought in. Heat is lost from the building with the exhausted air. That accounts for the hot vents that homeless people sleep on in the winter. No, there is no such thing as a usefull Heat Recovery Ventilation system available. They all use the same type of 1 cubic foot plastic heat transfer modual. Its about as useful as a motorcycle radiator on a city bus. Their claims of "sensible efficiency" are misleading, because what they are really saying is that it "feels like" it is doing something. They restrict the amount of fresh air comming in to prevent freeze up.
Until we have an efficient heat exchanger to capture the heat from ventilated air, improvements in insulation beyond a certain point are detrimental to the health of the occupants.
OK, green builders, tell me please that I don't know what I am talking about.
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It is fashionable and seems to be everywhere!
For those looking to green your business, contact your local Chamber of Commerce. Some cities have free programs to help you get your business on the “green track!” And you usually get a great little “Green Business” plaque to display as well.
If you are looking for green commercial or residential building or design, the best place to go is either the USGBC website or Build It Green website. They have an exhaustive directory of licensed green professionals in your area. And the are both very useful when you are looking for green building information.
And if you want a green update on your home (paint, flooring, finishes) your best bet is to find a green consultant in your area. They are well versed with the green integrity of different products. There is no “Perfectly Green” product, but a Green Consultant can help you chose the product right for your home, your family, and the environment.
Author,
ecohomes@msn.com
Nichoel Farris
Green Builder / Designer
American Home Sales
www.ecomanufacturedhomes.com