What is an Energy Recovery Ventilator designed to do?

An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) is designed to recover heat from the air, specifically when it comes to managing the exchange of stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. This process is crucial for maintaining energy efficiency in buildings, especially in climates where heating or cooling is necessary.

When the system exchanges indoor air with outdoor air, it uses a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the outgoing stale air to the incoming fresh air, either warming it during winter or cooling it during summer. This process minimizes the load on heating and cooling systems, leading to lower energy consumption and cost savings.

While enhancing indoor air quality is an important aspect of ventilation systems, the specific role of an ERV is more focused on the recovery of heat. The other options related to circulating hot air and filtering contaminants from water do not accurately reflect the functionality of an ERV, which is specifically designed for air exchange and energy recovery purposes.