How much does home ventilation cost?

by Hannah Stephens

Energy recovery ventilation systems help keep your home well-ventilated and reduce energy loss. They work by transferring heat from the air exiting your home to the incoming air supply. An ERV system can also keep your home cool in the summer because the outgoing air cools the supply air.

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However, installing an ERV system can be expensive, and they're not the best option for every home.

Can You Install an ERV System If You Have an Existing HVAC System?

You can install an ERV system with existing ductwork. Furthermore, an HVAC technician can often connect your existing furnace to your ERV system, allowing you to switch on the furnace via the same controls. However, you must keep your furnace fan switched on to move air throughout your home's ductwork.

According to Attainable Home, buying and installing an ERV system costs around $2,000 (CAD 2,644) on average. Expect to pay between $1,660 and $1,940 (CAD 2,194 and CAD 2,565) for a typical mid-range unit and between $235 and $330 (CAD 311 and CAD 436) for installation labor.

The quality of your ERV HVAC system can significantly impact your project costs. At the lower end of the scale, the most basic ERV systems cost around $1,000 to $1,550 (CAD 1,322 to CAD 2,049) for the unit itself and $135 to $225 (CAD 178 to CAD 297) for professional installation. Meanwhile, premium models start from around $2,230 (CAD 2,948) and can cost up to $2,350 (CAD 3,107) or more. Expect to spend around $2,290 (CAD 3,027) in total for a high-end model and installation.

The labor cost to install an ERV system varies depending on the cost of living in your area. ERV systems are relatively uncommon in domestic buildings, so you may struggle to find a local company with the expertise to install your system. Expect to pay more if your contractor has to travel a long distance to reach your home.

You'll need to change your ERV system's filter every three months after installation. Fortunately, new filters are relatively inexpensive — most homeowners spend around $22 (CAD 29) per year.

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Can an Energy Recovery Ventilation System Help Me Save Money on My Energy Bills?

ERV systems recover roughly 70% to 80% of the energy in the air leaving your HVAC system. Therefore, they could save you money on your energy bills compared to a traditional HVAC system, but that isn't always the case.

How much money you can save by installing an ERV system depends on the climate where you live. The U.S. Department of Energy says that households in areas with extremely hot summers and cold winters achieve the most significant cost savings. Meanwhile, installing an ERV system in a milder climate is often not worth the cost. In some cases, the cost to run the unit will exceed the money saved by recovering energy from the exiting air.

All CAD conversions are based on the exchange rate on the date of publication.

Ventilation installations include various types of equipment that can provide personal comfort improvement, energy-bill savings, and climate-protection of the building structure.

The ventilation installation provides for air-movement without further conditioning other than filtering. Fresh-air can be brought in, stale-air can be exhausted out, and circulating interior-air causes a cooling effect on human skin.

You will find that the typical cost of a ventilation installation varies by Type as seen in the following table, and in Related Cost Guides.

Other considerations and costs

• Ventilation can save money on energy bills, and help avoid damage repair work.
• Structural integration is often necessary, retrofit cases can be labor intensive.
• The cost of the retrofit new-opening of wood framed walls and roofs will start at around $75 per square foot and further depend upon integration materials and labor.
• When roof or exterior wall surfaces are being renewed it is a good time to think about new Ventilation installations.
• Always understand the energy consumption needs of any equipment you choose.
• There may be local subsidy or grant for the upgrade of energy efficiency.
• Multi-phase electrical circuitry is generally required for units of greater than 12,000 BTU’s per hour, or 5 horsepower, or 3.500 kilowatts.
• During the initial inspection the contractor should inform the homeowner of any and all necessary modification or upgrade on electrical circuits or building structure.
• The professional installer may charge an additional displacement fee or minimum-job charge.

DIY considerations

• Some Ventilation installation work is DIY friendly, home improvement centers often provide DIY kits with the material.
• Ventilation installations may call upon several trade-skills including carpentry, roofing, and electrical; and call on their respective tool-boxes.
• Ventilation installations work may have a critical closure deadline.

References

• Craftsman Estimator Costbook, complete series year 2015.
• Latest prices found on Home Depot and other vendor Web sites.
• Literature review of DIY Web sites.