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Old 09-20-12, 09:33 AM   #8
MN Renovator
Less usage=Cheaper bills
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S-F View Post
All he does is use Panasonic bath fans with Aldes Airlet vents in the rooms. Nothing too complicated there. And it's still not "natural" ventilation. It's mechanical because it's driven by motorized negative pressure. It's cheaper than a HRV to install but there is no tempering of the incoming air. At the level of superinsulation that these natural builders are taking houses it matters little.
Using inverter drive bath fans and passive air inlets is exactly what my energy auditor suggested that I do for ventilation. In the summer I strongly disagree with him in my climate because it would suck outdoor into my walls and condense in the walls due to the pressure pulling extra infiltration through the areas that were missed during retrofit, but I'd be okay with this idea in the winter. In the summer, pluming outdoor air into the return and using a damper to open it on a controlled interval while the air conditioner is running would both pull in cool fresh air and pressurize the house. You wouldn't want to pull more than the exact quantity of ventilation needed to have the right amount of fresh air in the house when temperatures are extreme though.

I do like the Panasonic WhisperGreen fans though, selectable CFM values and it adjusts fan speed against pressure changes to maintain the same CFM.

Last edited by MN Renovator; 09-20-12 at 09:35 AM..
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