Cheapest Energy Star HRV
Trevor_Lambert
| Posted in Mechanicals on
Looking to quickly find the cheapest possible HRV that has an Energy Star rating and can flow 120 cfm. No other specs matter. Preferably a unit I can buy and install myself, since that’s going to be a huge cost penalty. Any advice appreciated.
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The Panasonic Intelli Balance is an ERV, but there is a cold-climate version. I’m not sure if it is the lowest cost option, but it can get you close to the target CFM.
I am aware of the Intellibalance, but unfortunately it does not meet the cfm requirement (actually 116.6cfm to be precise, 120 was rounding up). IIRC, the Panasonic tops out at 100. But honestly, with my inspector, it wouldn't matter if it topped out at 116.5, he's that rigid.
Trevor,
Two of the Panasonic unit set to 60 CFM each would work and be relatively affordable.
Trevor,
The Fantech VHR 150R is $666 online. Here is the link:
https://www.supplyhouse.com/Fantech-VHR150-VHR-Series-Heat-Recovery-Ventilator-w-Fan-Shutdown-Defrost-6-Top-Ports?gclid=CjwKCAjwlIvXBRBjEiwATWAQIpFQJeFFZfm5fuQZycxST4L9ZquiarplsSEGCcNDALEZLq1rnze00hoCxFUQAvD_BwE
The Lifebreath RNC5-ES is $659. Here is the link:
http://www.hvacquick.com/products/residential/HRVs-and-ERVs/Residential-HRV-ERV/Lifebreath-RNC-Series-HRV-Heat-Recovery-Ventilators?gclid=CjwKCAjwlIvXBRBjEiwATWAQIkaRAPwnbjGzx_7qT5WcemgQUXP0AMvCIRGEXSv5RIt9CVyGmSpTvRoCoR4QAvD_BwE
Thanks Martin. Supplyhouse doesn't ship internationally, but the other one does. Hopefully I can actually find one of these for purchase in Canada (both of which are Canadian manufacturers), but I'm expecting they will tell me they only sell to professional installers.
If you are looking for a cheap HRV that is Energy Star rated, take a look on Kijiji. A lot of homeowners don't know what they do or they don't work because they were installed improperly and you can pick one up for a few hundred bucks. You'll just have to look up the specs for the unit you find to make sure it's Energy Star rated.
For instance: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-heating-cooling-air/peterborough/vanee-hrv-model-60h/1342374634?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
$175...Energy Star...can't get much cheaper than that...
Edit: Just noticed you asked for one that supplies 120 cfm. The 60H will not achieve that.
Trevor,
Midbec carries fantech and will sell to a home owner. That's where I bought my HRV. That said, YUSTER's idea seems like a great one as well.
I managed to find a new one for less than $600 in London. Zehnder is stepping up and supposedly has a solution to satisfy the building inspector, in which case I won't have to go down this road. I definitely need a backup plan in case this falls through. Will check out Kijiji too.