ERV with Dehumidification & Heating/Cooling
Hi GBA experts,
I’m building a passive house in a mild climate in Australia (Zone 2 Hot-Humid).
We know humidity will be somewhat of an issue a lot of the year and I originally planned to install an ERV, mini-split, and a stand-alone dehumidifier with a tank but came across a product I haven’t seen before.
https://www.dehumsaust.com.au/luko-fd-eq-series-fresh-air-energy-system-for-passive-housing/
I’m in discussions with the rep to get a better understanding, but from what I can tell, it’s a slightly less efficient ERV that actively dehumidifies incoming air (or internal air, I’m awaiting clarification), and is also connected to a heat pump to provide ducted heating and cooling via the ventilation system.
Has anybody seen this or have thoughts about whether it seems like a good solution or a turducken best to avoid?
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Replies
https://www.minotair.com/minotair-pentacare-v12_en/
Similar idea. Sounds great in theory. The organization I work for builds affordable housing apartments to PH standards, and we are considering these for apartments.
Room A might require 2x the ventilation and .5x the cooling and .7x the dehumidification of room B. You aren't going to correctly balance all three in a single ducted system like this.
For optimal comfort/health/efficiency, start with three+ supplies to each room, each one controlled by a per room X-stat. Then decide where you want to sacrifice comfort/health/efficiency for lower cost.
Lstiburek: "The most dysfunctional, difficult to control systems combine multiple functions into one device."
+: because sometimes one room requires heating while another requires cooling.