ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) has issued a new guideline: 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 by demand associated with the heating, cooling, humidification, and dehumidification of buildings. ERV technology, according to ARI, promises significant benefits and is available today on a wide variety of product platforms. The new guideline is designed to help ensure that it is fully utilized and properly integrated into the HVAC system.

"ARI Guideline V 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, vice president of marketing for Airxchange Inc. "This guideline provides accurate information on equipment sizing and system efficiency that is essential for design, product selection, and system optimization when energy recovery is used."

The guideline and its intended use are available for free download at ARI's Web site, www.ari.org.

Publication date: 12/29/2003