People often think that old homes are leaky and therefore get plenty of fresh air, but study after study has shown that where the leaks are and where the people are often doesn’t overlap. The addition of smart ventilation to a home can improve your health, cognition, and sleep quality, as well as reduce odors and improve your comfort. In any home.
This was a DIY project by Build Equinox co-founder Alex Long, retrofitting his >100 year old home with the CERV. Purchased in 2012, the home has gone through many aesthetic changes as well as functional – new roof, windows, attic insulation, basement insulation, and solar. In 2020 during the COVID lockdown, Alex replaced the home’s entire HVAC system, completely removing the natural gas connection to the house in favor of air source heat pumps and a heat pump water heater. This is a very dynamic home, containing a home-gym, pottery studio, and beer brewing space, and the CERV is flexible enough to ensure great air quality no-matter the activity!
This project is an excellent example of how to economically retrofit a leaky old home into a high-performance, comfortable home with careful planning and strategic implementation. Through a series of articles (linked below), Alex detailed the entire procedure of the retrofit, from first integrating the CERV2 with an existing central furnace, to then removing the furnace and integrating the CERV with two 1-ton ducted heat pumps.
Specifications
- Size: 1650 sq ft
- Bed / Bath: 3 / 1.5
- Year Built: 1920
- Heating & Cooling: Air Source Heat Pumps (2x 12,000 BTU, 1x 9,000 BTU)
- Ventilation: CERV2
- Solar PV: 8.4 kW
Gallery
Related
newspaperCERV Retrofit: New Lungs for a 101-Year-Old Home (Part 1)
