What AHRI 1060 Covers AHRI 1060 is the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute standard that rates air-to-air energy recovery ventilation (ERV) and heat recovery ventilation (HRV) equipment. It defines how manufacturers must test and report the performance that buyers actually compare: sensible effectiveness, total (enthalpy) effectiveness, rated airflow, external static pressure, and supply- and exhaust-side […]
EN 308: Test Procedures for Air-to-Air Heat Transfer in Recovery Equipment
Purpose of EN 308 EN 308 is the European standard that specifies test procedures for air-to-air heat transfer in heat recovery equipment. Rather than setting a pass/fail threshold, it defines how to measure temperature effectiveness and, for enthalpy devices, moisture effectiveness under controlled inlet conditions. What Gets Measured The test fixes inlet dry-bulb temperatures and, […]
How to Read an Air-to-Air Heat Exchanger Test Report
Start With the Test Standard First confirm which standard the report uses — AHRI 1060 or EN 308. The method defines the conditions, so a number from one standard is not directly comparable to a number from another. Sensible vs Total Effectiveness Read both sensible (temperature) and total (enthalpy) effectiveness. A plate exchanger only reports […]
The epsilon-NTU Method: Predicting Heat Exchanger Performance
Effectiveness, the practical metric Effectiveness (epsilon) is the ratio of actual heat transferred to the maximum thermodynamically possible: epsilon = actual_heat_transfer / (Cmin x (Thot_in – Tcold_in)) It is the number you see quoted as “70% efficient” for a recovery core, and it is directly related to the efficiency metrics reported for air-to-air units. NTU: […]
Seasonal Energy Recovery Efficiency: Why Nameplate Effectiveness Is Not the Year
Rated vs real A core may be rated at 75% effectiveness, but the energy saved over a year is lower, because recovery is most valuable in extreme weather and can even hurt in mild weather (it reheats supply you wanted cool). The seasonal efficiency weights effectiveness by the hours and temperature lifts actually seen. What […]
Dew-Point Effectiveness vs Temperature Effectiveness: Two Numbers for ERV
Temperature effectiveness (sensible) Temperature effectiveness compares supply temperature change to the maximum possible: epsilon_T = (T_supply_out – T_supply_in) / (T_exhaust_in – T_supply_in) This is the number a sensible plate reports, and it is what most generic “efficiency” labels mean. Dew-point effectiveness (total / enthalpy) For an enthalpy wheel or membrane, moisture matters, so effectiveness is […]
Heat Recovery Efficiency Metrics Explained
When comparing heat recovery products, efficiency numbers can be confusing. Manufacturers may quote temperature effectiveness, sensible recovery efficiency, or total energy recovery. Understanding these metrics helps you make fair comparisons and avoid under- or over-sizing equipment. Temperature Effectiveness (Sensible) Sensible effectiveness is the most common metric for air-to-air heat exchangers. It compares the actual temperature […]
Heat Recovery Effectiveness Test Standards
“Effectiveness” is the number every code and rating system quotes, but the value only means something if the test method is stated. This article maps the main heat recovery effectiveness test standards and how they define the metric. Definitions Sensible effectiveness ηs = (Tsupply − Toutdoor) / (Textract − Toutdoor). Enthalpy (total) effectiveness ηt = […]