- ERV - Dehumidifier - HVAC
And basically no regular installer does it right. Lots of efficiency nerds over at Green Home Builders, subscription required.
Also to watch for: Some solutions produce irritants like ozone. Not to say they aren’t appropriate, just that they don’t come risk free.
It would be a good question for that forum for sure.
Condensation and all that.
Basically, as long as the outside air is drier than the inside air, an HRV will work well. The moment the outside air contains more moisture, ventilating will just drive up the humidity of your space - causing many issues.
In the UK, the outside air dew point in the depths of winter is likely to be between -5 and 15 °C, and in summer likely between 10 and 25 °C. That might be a little dry at the driest, and a little sticky on a couple of days in the summer, but it's perfectly reasonable to just bring that air into the house without messing with the humidity. Most UK houses are too humid and don't have enough ventilation.
However, as soon as you start wanting to cool a house because the outside air is too hot, then that outside air will basically have 100% relative humidity when it is cooled to your house temperature, and it will probably have condensed out a load of its moisture onto whatever was cooling it, so you absolutely do need to mess with the humidity.
Outside air is normal humidity 50-80% RH at -10C. Inside it will be 20% and way too dry.
Ventilation, heat recovery and moisture recovery would be ideal.
During summer we rarely cook with and AC and windows are open most of the time.
Curious if anybody has any more insight.
Moisture builds on the heat exchange surfaces of the heat exchanger, particulates, spores, etc. in the air deposit nutrients and viable life in the crud, it thrives and multiples right into the incoming airstream for your residence.
When the window is opened the air mixes without a surface for condensation and there's much less immediate deposition so there's not an enriched medium to sustain accelerated growth entirely in the air stream, but it still probably occurs to some extent in a more diffuse manner that produces a significantly lower ambient spore/toxin/particulate load
Edit: looks like somehow it moves moisture between the exhaust/intake somehow... not just heat.