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Comment by bb123 | Hacker News Reader

Mechanical ventilation with Heat Recovery (MHVR) mostly solves this. Air is actively exchanged with outside to regulate humidity from cooking etc but heat from the waste air is captured and used to warm the incoming air. These are now standard in homes in the UK.

https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/mechanical-...

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“Standard” is a bit strong, maybe? I think the majority of new homes still use trickle ventilation because it’s much cheaper, and not many homes have them retrofitted?

They are certainly common, but I think far from standard.

Last I checked 20 years ago it was required. This was Minnesota though, where insulation code is generally more up to date than other parts of the US.

The original comment referenced the U.K., where it is definitely not required, but is becoming more common.

I am surprised at the idea that MVHRs have been required anywhere for as much as 20 years.

Where you are makes a big difference. 20 years ago I read about some 'passive house', and realized it was actually less insulated than the codes in Minnesota require - but it was in a mild climate so it was passive, while the more efficient houses in MN are not passive.

Correct, thanks for highlighting that, I edited to explicitly note (beyond 'energy efficient ventillation') that there are heat preservation techniques to use (heat exchangers) with the elevated level of ventilation needs while avoiding high energy loss.

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