ERV & HRV Solutions

Fresh air recovery ventilators and whole house fan solutions for Chicagoland.

Illustration of how an ERV works: stale indoor air flows out of the house while fresh outdoor air flows in through the energy-exchange core

Today’s homes are built tight. That’s great for your energy bills, but it means the same air, and
everything in it, keeps circulating with nowhere to go. An ERV or HRV brings in fresh,
filtered outdoor air and sends stale air out, without throwing away the heat you’ve paid for.

What Is an ERV or HRV?

Both are whole-home balanced ventilation systems. An HRV is a heat recovery ventilator; an ERV is an energy recovery ventilator. Each runs two airstreams side by side: one quietly exhausts stale indoor air while the other draws in an equal amount of fresh, filtered outdoor air. The streams pass through a heat-exchange core without ever mixing, and that core is the clever part. In winter it captures warmth from the outgoing air and uses it to pre-heat the fresh air coming in; in summer the process reverses to keep the heat outside.

The difference between the two comes down to moisture. An HRV transfers heat only. An ERV transfers heat and a portion of the humidity, so it can help keep summer mugginess outside and slow the winter dry-out indoors.

The result, either way, is the freshness of an open window without the pollen, the dust, or the energy waste, running in the background every day of the year.

ERV or HRV: Which One Belongs in Your Home?

In our climate there’s a genuine case for each. Chicagoland summers are humid, and an ERV eases the moisture load on your air conditioning; in winter it helps your home hold onto humidity the furnace would otherwise bake out, which makes it a natural companion to a whole-home humidifier. An HRV is the straight-ahead heat saver, and it can be the better fit for homes that generate a lot of indoor moisture of their own.

There’s no one right answer, and we won’t pretend there is. We look at how your home is built, how it’s heated and cooled, and how your family lives in it, then recommend the system that actually fits. And if what your air really needs is purification or humidity control instead, we’ll tell you that too.

A parent playing with their baby in a bright bedroom with fresh, comfortable air

Signs Your Home Could Use Balanced Ventilation

Ventilation problems rarely announce themselves. Here’s what they look like in daily life.

Stale, Stuffy Air

Cooking smells that linger into the next day, bedrooms that feel stuffy by morning, air that never quite feels fresh. When a house can’t exhale, everyday odors and staleness build up.

Window Condensation

Fog or frost on the inside of your windows in winter is trapped humidity with nowhere to go. Over time that same moisture feeds mold and mildew in corners and closets.

Tight, Modern Construction

New builds, spray-foam insulation, and freshly air-sealed homes keep conditioned air in, and everything else too. The tighter the envelope, the more a home needs its own source of fresh air.

Recognize your house? We’ll evaluate your ventilation in a single visit and give you a straight answer.

ERV & HRV Installation

A recovery ventilator has to be sized and balanced to your home: the unit’s airflow matched to your square footage, the intake and exhaust routed properly, and the whole system tied into your existing ductwork and controls. Our technicians handle the complete installation, from helping you choose between an ERV and an HRV to balancing the finished system so it moves exactly the air it should. Estimates on new ventilation system installations are always free.

ERV & HRV Maintenance

A recovery ventilator mostly minds its own business, but it does need a periodic touch: filters every few months, a core cleaning once or twice a year, and a check that both airstreams are still in balance. We handle it as a quick standalone visit, or fold it into your seasonal tune-up on the Pot of Gold Maintenance Plan.

ERV & HRV Repair

Weak airflow, a noisy or failed fan motor, frost building up in the core, or a control that’s stopped responding: we diagnose and repair recovery ventilators whatever the brand or age of the unit. And if a unit is truly at the end of its road, we’ll say so honestly rather than sell you repairs it doesn’t need.

Why McNally’s For Your Ventilation?

McNally’s has kept Chicagoland homes comfortable since 1999. We’re family-owned, and we treat
your house as one connected system, because that’s what it is.

Balanced ventilation only works when it’s designed around your heating, your cooling, and your
ductwork. That’s the ground our technicians work on every day, and we’ll give you the
same honest recommendation we’d want in our own homes.