Opinions on HRV systems

We've had DVS for 3 years in our house, and we have hardly any condensation and the house is noticably drier than our friends and families that don't have it.

DVS isn't a heat transfer system - if anything it is taking the warmer air from your ceiling space and pushing that out into the house - meaning that the cooler moist air already in the house if getting pushed out via windows etc.

Our power bill is minimal less than $200 during winter for 2 adults.

If you are looking for a heating option then you are better off looking at a heat pump or fire depending on where you live.

We have a HRV and got a summer kit with it we have found it fantastic our house is 7 years old and we had started to get mould and a lot of condensation since putting it last year it is a lot drier and warmer just like when we first moved in.

We have an HRV in our house and in a rental property. The tenants love it. It's a two bedroom unit that is warm and dry (the ceiling is also well insulated). It was a bit damp when we lived there, and is much better now. They say that people comment on it when they walk in.

In our house it's been less effective (1920's bungalow), but still an improvement. It definitely does not heat and we had them come back and check the system after having it put in because what the salesman told us and what it does are two different things. If he'd told us the truth we'd have still got it, but at least we would have had the right expectations!

He told us it would keep the house warmer (that only works on warm days), and I very specifically asked him about having doors and windows open etc. He very specifically said, repeatedly, that 'why would we want to, when we've got this lovely fresh air coming it'. I was surprised, but he was fairly adamant. We were left with a clear understanding that we wouldn't need to open windows to enjoy the nice breeze because the house would be so comfortable.

We had a newborn in Jan. The house was very very hot and stifling. Noone can sleep. We get the people back and the guy asks us why we have the windows closed. The system turns off if the roof is hotter than you want, otherwise it's pumping very hot air into the house (tin roof in summer? very hot air). We still need to open the windows he says. I told him what the salesman had said, he implied we had misunderstood. I said we certainly hadn't - I had clearly asked about this very thing.

Now that we know what the system will do, and what it won't, we're very happy with it. It's all about managing expectations.

Also - they are expensive, but if you get a quote after a home show or something you can get a really good price (which is how we could get two properties done... even if we were bad and got them quoted after the show, but didn't do the installation on ours until a year later )

How big is your house bumblebee? If it is a big house then you might have needed to get two fans and that is what bumps the price up. We have one fan and four vents which was $2.800.

We get free firewood as well so haven't bothered with getting any extra heating, but the house does heat up faster without the extra moisture in the air we have noticed.

Oh & we're going to add an extra intake, so in summer you select it to bring air in from outside (it sits southside in the soffit- ?iykwim?) so that it's cool air coming in- not hot roof air. Our house is renovated late 40s/early 50s single storey state house. We've had the MM 6 years, wouldn't give it up, ever! We don't open our windows, the filter is washable, works fantastic. No, DH doesn't sell them! (He does substations, not domestic!) -No bias, honestly!

Edited by tictacjunkie

We were quoted the same sort if price for HRV too (big house), but DH is a builder and has a sparky friend so they installed a Smart Vent system in our house, with the heat transfer kit, heater and summer kit. We don't have condensation anymore, it takes the chill off the air in winter, DS's asthma has been WAY better this winter so far (fingers crossed it stays that way) and in summer it pulls the cooler air from out the back so cools the house a little (very wam house). It also makes the fire so much more efficient and the hot air from the living area is pumped into the rooms. Definitely recommend it, but no - its not like a heat pump (or my parents $14,000 air con system!).

Moisture Master is just another type of dvs or hrv, they have ads on tv sometimes, I think they're mostly sold through electrical companies, so you ring your electrician (company more than individual) of choice & they sort it out. That's one thing that annoyed DH about my grands getting a HRV- they had some pushy sales guy- it wasn't installed by an electrician, no certificate of compliance issued, so if it caused a fire their insurance would be void.