Next month, Small Planet Supply is hosting a webinar featuring our own Eric Fenno, discussing the difference between centralized and decentralized heat recovery ventilator systems and what to consider when deciding which type of system is best for your home or build.  This is the first time that we’ve offered this webinar.  We wanted to know more about the webinar and what will be covered, so we sat down with Eric Fenno to learn more about what he has planned.

This January marked the eleventh year Small Planet Supply has been selling Zehnder HRV and ERV systems in the western USA and Canada.  Since then, we’ve sold thousands of systems to homeowners and multi-family builders.  In honor of our eleven years of selling these amazing Zehnder systems here’s eleven reasons why we love Zehnder HRV and ERV systems and why they are a good choice for your home or project.

A Zehnder system is an investment in your home and your family's health. Did you know that some homeowners don't get their systems commissioned and (unbelievably) some homeowners haven't turned their systems on?

After all the work that has gone into designing and installing a system that will provide fresh air to your home, commissioning is the final step to make sure that air flow in your home is happening exactly as designed. Our new USA commissioning agent, Sarah Nuamah, has written a brief blog post about what you can expect in the commissioning product and we provide an introduction to Sarah.

With all the emphasis on the importance of designing energy-efficient buildings, it can sometimes get lost that there also needs to be a qualified workforce to build them.  There can also be the assumption that this can only be done at the post-secondary level.  Rancho Cielo’s building construction academy in Salinas, California demonstrates that solid construction skills can be taught to even younger participants.  Rancho Cielo Construction Academy is one of several vocational programs run by Rancho Cielo. Participants in the program range from ages 16-24 years of age.

Remember last year, when Small Planet Supply introduced Fresh-r? We were so excited to offer this amazing decentralized HRV system to our customers. This innovative heat recovery ventilation system, built in the Netherlands, was a perfect choice for new and retrofit applications, as well as for Small Planet Supply. Fresh-r had already been certified in Europe and the Fresh-r team were ready to start the UL - CA Certification process and have the first units to the USA as soon as the process was completed.

Next month, Small Planet Supply will be hosting a webinar with Zehnder America’s Szabi Fekete.  In his role providing quotes and sales support to customers, Szabi has been able increase his already substantial knowledge of Zehnder systems that he had gained in his nine years as a service and commissioning agent.  Small Planet Supply’s past Zehnder webinars have been popular but often focused on the same theme.  Szabi’s presentation next month will be focused on indoor air quality and air quality standards.   We sat down with him to learn more what he has planned. 

Indoor air quality is a critical aspect of a healthy living environment. In recent years, more attention has been given to the importance of proper ventilation in homes, buildings, and offices. One of the best ways to improve indoor air quality is to install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). HRVs are designed to bring in fresh air while also conserving energy and reducing moisture buildup. Zehnder, a leading manufacturer of ventilation systems, has made it their mission to make the use of HRVs easy for everyone.

Since Washington increased its energy efficiency credit requirements in the residential building code, I’ve run across a few blog articles that suggest ways to meet using natural gas heating or water heaters. Since a key reason for changing codes is to build homes or multi-family buildings that are better for the environment, I thought I’d take some time to look at the code and see how hard (or easy) it is to meet the code without using natural gas. WSU’s Energy Program was an excellent resource for learning about the code and all the informative graphics (except for the drain water recovery system) are from their PPT presentations.
A quick caveat: these totals are based on Washington State Building Code requirements there may be additional requirements for local building jurisdictions.

In our last blog post about California’s Title 24, we outlined how the new mandatory building code energy credits system works, and how a recovery ventilator can give a massive boost to EDR credits. California’s Title 24 requirements continue to call for improvements to a new building’s energy usage, and we’re back with more data further prove that best-in-class recovery ventilators are the way to go for efficiency, comfort, and meeting regulations. Based on tests done by Build Smart Group and Luke Morton, Mortan Building Group, the following findings display just how beneficial any Recovery Ventilator can be, and especially so for best-in-class, such as the Zehnder systems carried by Small Planet Supply.

Small Planet Supply is excited to offer Fresh-R HRV systems to our customers. These systems are of particular interest to our customers who want to add an HRV to an existing build or as part of a retrofit, as they are designed differently than other HRV systems. Fresh-R eschews tubing in walls or ceiling as a way to distribute fresh air within a home. Instead, it uses de-centralized in-wall units or on-wall units to bring air in and out of your home and some grills or forward ventilators on interior walls to ensure fresh air is received in all rooms of your home.

Recently our Zehnder Commissioning Agent Steve Lamberg reported an issue at some of his customer maintenance calls: Zehnder units not getting any supply air because the exterior ports were clogged. Dust builds up on the metal grill, then there is some moisture, and the result is a paste that prevents supply air from getting in.

While this may not be an issue for some of our customers, we wanted to ensure that all Zehnder owners are aware of this maintenance step and check their outside ports, especially the supply ports, as part of their usual seasonal maintenance. If you check your exterior ports and they are dirty or clogged, here is what to do.

From the moment outside air enters the system, a Zehnder system (and its filters) are designed to keep air contaminants from entering your home, while efficiently recovering heat (or cooling) from the air exiting your home.

Do you know every level of filtration available to you for your Zehnder recovery ventilator? If you’ve recently installed one of these units, or purchased a house that included one already, you hopefully know of (and are changing) at least the in-unit filters. These two filters, one for supply and one for return air, do the brunt of the filtration work to keep your unit running efficiently and delivering the cleanest air, but there are a few other filters that complement the system.