Energy recovery ventilator

Abstract

An energy recovery ventilator wherein two of the air flow openings are in direct communication with either the fresh air space or the stale air space. The energy recovery ventilator has a housing with at least a first face panel holding a heat exchange device. The housing includes two air flow openings in the first face panel of the housing, in direct communication with the stale air space, and two other air flow openings in the housing in communication with the fresh air space through duct pipes. Alternatively, the first two air flow openings are in direct communication with the fresh air space, and the other two air flow openings are in communication with the stale air space through duct pipes. The energy recovery ventilator also includes a hinged bar mounting system and a control system. The features of the present invention facilitate ease of installation.

1 . An energy recovery ventilator comprising: 
 a housing having at least a first face panel;    a heat exchange device supported in the housing;    a first air flow opening in the first face panel of the housing;    a second air flow opening in the first face panel of the housing;    a third air flow opening in the housing;    a fourth air flow opening in the housing; and    wherein the first air flow opening and the second air flow opening are capable of being in direct communication with either a return air duct for a heating or cooling system or a fresh air space.    
   
   
       2 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the housing also has a second face panel opposite the first face panel, a third face panel, a fourth face panel opposite the third face panel, a fifth face panel, and a sixth face panel opposite the fifth face panel.  
   
   
       3 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 2 , wherein the third air flow opening is located in the third face panel and the fourth air flow opening is located in the fourth face panel.  
   
   
       4 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the first air flow opening is in direct communication with the return air duct to receive stale room air from the return air duct, and the second air flow opening is in direct communication with the return air duct to deliver fresh air to the return air duct.  
   
   
       5 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 4 , wherein the third air flow opening is in communication with a fresh air space to receive outside air from the fresh air space through an intake duct pipe, and the fourth air flow opening is in communication with a fresh air space to deliver exhaust room air to the fresh air space through an exhaust duct pipe.  
   
   
       6 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the fresh air space is the outdoors.  
   
   
       7 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the first air flow opening is in direct communication with the fresh air space to receive outside air from the fresh air space, and the second air flow opening is in direct communication with the fresh air space to deliver exhaust room air to the fresh air space.  
   
   
       8 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 7 , wherein the third air flow opening is in communication with a stale air space to receive stale room air from the stale air space through an intake duct pipe, and the fourth air flow opening is in communication with the stale air space to deliver fresh air to the stale air space through an exhaust duct pipe.  
   
   
       9 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a hinged bar mounting system, the hinged bar mounting system including a first hinge bracket removably fastened to a mounting surface and a second hinge bracket removably fastened to the housing.  
   
   
       10 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 9 , wherein the mounting surface is the return air duct.  
   
   
       11 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 9  wherein the mounting surface is a wall.  
   
   
       12 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 9 , wherein the first hinge bracket is shaped to engageably receive the second hinge bracket.  
   
   
       13 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 12 , wherein the first hinge bracket and the second hinge bracket engage to support the energy recovery ventilator on the mounting surface.  
   
   
       14 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a perpendicular orientation on a bottom surface of a horizontal section of the return air duct of a heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       15 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a bottom surface of a horizontal section of the return air duct of a heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       16 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a side surface of a horizontal section of a return air duct of a heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       17 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a vertical section of a return air duct of a heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       18 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed on a wall.  
   
   
       19 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 18 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator is installed on a wall using a through-the-wall accessory kit.  
   
   
       20 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator further comprises a control system.  
   
   
       21 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 20 , wherein the control system is a built-in control system including a plug-in power source.  
   
   
       22 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 21 , wherein the control system operates the energy recovery ventilator for a portion of each hour.  
   
   
       23 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 21 , wherein the control system can be wired to a control system for the heating or cooling system to operate a heating or cooling system blower concurrently with the energy recovery ventilator.  
   
   
       24 . An energy recovery ventilator for a heating or cooling system, the energy recovery ventilator comprising: 
 a housing having at least a first face panel;    a heat exchange device supported in the housing;    a stale room air inlet in the first face panel of the housing, the stale room air inlet being in direct communication with a return air duct in a heating or cooling system to receive stale room air from the return air duct;    a fresh air outlet in the first face panel of the housing, the fresh air outlet being in direct communication with a return air duct in a heating or cooling system to deliver fresh air to the return air duct;    an outside air inlet in the housing, the outside air inlet being in communication with a fresh air space to receive outside air from the fresh air space through an intake duct pipe; and    an exhaust room air outlet in the housing, the exhaust room air outlet being in communication with a fresh air space to deliver exhaust room air to the fresh air space through an exhaust duct pipe.    
   
   
       25 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the housing also has a second face panel opposite the first face panel, a third face panel, a fourth face panel opposite the third face panel, a fifth face panel, and a sixth face panel opposite the fifth face panel.  
   
   
       26 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the outside air inlet is located in the third face panel and the exhaust room air outlet is located in the fourth face panel.  
   
   
       27 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the housing further includes a hinged bar mounting system, the hinged bar mounting system including a first hinge bracket removably fastened to the return air duct for the heating or cooling system and a second hinge bracket removably fastened to the housing.  
   
   
       28 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 27 , wherein the first hinge bracket is shaped to engageably receive the second hinge bracket.  
   
   
       29 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 28 , wherein the first hinge bracket and the second hinge bracket engage to support the energy recovery ventilator on the return air duct.  
   
   
       30 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a perpendicular orientation on a bottom surface of a horizontal section of the return air duct of the heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       31 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a bottom surface of a horizontal section of the return air duct of the heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       32 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a side surface of a horizontal section of the return air duct of the heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       33 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator can be installed in a parallel orientation on a vertical section of the return air duct of the heating or cooling system.  
   
   
       34 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 24 , wherein the energy recovery ventilator further comprises a control system.  
   
   
       35 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 34 , wherein the control system is a built-in control system having a plug-in power source.  
   
   
       36 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 34 , wherein the control system operates the energy recovery ventilator for a portion of each hour.  
   
   
       37 . The energy recovery ventilator of  claim 34 , wherein the control system can be wired to a control system for the heating or cooling system to operate a heating or cooling system blower concurrently with the energy recovery ventilator.  
   
   
       38 . A ventilation system for a building, the ventilation system comprising: 
 a heating or cooling system having a heating or cooling mechanism, a blower to induce air movement through the heating or cooling system, and a duct system having a return air duct;    an energy recovery ventilator installed directly on to the return air duct; and    wherein the energy recovery ventilator includes a housing having at least a first face panel, a heat exchange device supported in the housing, a first air flow opening in the first face panel of the housing, a second air flow opening in the first face panel of the housing, a third air flow opening in the housing, and a fourth air flow opening in the housing, the first air flow opening and the second air flow opening being in direct communication with the return air duct.    
   
   
       39 . The ventilation system of  claim 38 , wherein the first air flow opening is in direct communication with the return air duct to receive stale room air from the return air duct, and the second air flow opening is in direct communication with the return air duct to deliver fresh air to the return air duct.  
   
   
       40 . The ventilation system of  claim 39 , wherein the third air flow opening is in communication with the fresh air space to receive outside air from the fresh air space through an intake duct pipe, and the fourth air flow opening is in communication with the fresh air space to deliver exhaust room air to the fresh air space through an exhaust duct pipe.  
   
   
       41 . The ventilation system of  claim 3   8 , wherein the ventilation system further comprises a control system that operates the heating or cooling system blower concurrently with the energy recovery ventilator.  
   
   
       42 . A method for installing an energy recovery ventilator on a return air duct of a heating or cooling system, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) removably connecting a hinge bracket on the energy recovery ventilator to a correspondingly engageable hinge bracket on the return air duct;    (b) rotating the energy recovery ventilator into a mounting position;    and    (c) removably fastening the energy recovery ventilator to the return air duct;    
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 42 , further comprising the steps of: 
 (d) attaching a first duct pipe to the energy recovery ventilator; and    (e) attaching a second duct pipe to the energy recovery ventilator.    
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein step (a) includes attaching the return air duct hinge bracket to the return air duct and attaching the energy recovery ventilator hinge bracket to the energy recovery ventilator.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein step (c) includes directly connecting a first air flow opening in the energy recovery ventilator to a first opening in the return air duct and directly connecting a second air flow opening in the energy recovery ventilator to a second opening in the return air duct.