What is a BPE ERV?

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HVAC stands for Heating Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.  HVAC pertains to the entire system that controls the amount, quality, and comfort of the air moving around inside a home, building, or facility. A good HVAC system will meet or go beyond standards set by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Poor HVAC can affect human health and productivity. BPE feels there is no excuse for shoddy indoor air quality!

For most building or home purposes, a BPE energy recovery system can save 70% to 90+% thermal energy when heating and cooling! The payback on such a system is typically eight months to a few years. Meanwhile, you’ll enjoy healthy indoor air quality and thermal comfort immediately! 

 If only heat recovery is needed (and not moisture control) an HRV is needed.  BPE ERVs only discharge moisture to the outside and can be fully sealed to act as an HRV on request. BPE makes ERVs and HRVs that can be expected to have a service life of over 20 years with reasonable maintenance. 

Thermal comfort is when people wearing normal clothing are generally comfortable. ASHRAE standard 55 defines this as 68° F to 78° F and when 80% of people are reasonably comfortable. 

In a nutshell, ERVs can balance humidity levels between the outdoor air coming into a space and the stale air leaving. A high efficiency unit provides precise control of humidity without dropping the temperature.

Building Performance Equipment, Inc. has patented the technology for utilizing excess condensation by transferring it into the exhaust stream rather than into your building. In doing so, it provides improved heat transfer while avoiding the need to drain the condensate. In other words, BPE Regenerative Condensate® Return Technology recycles moisture to increase thermal effectiveness, resulting in 34% latent efficiency (efficiency of water vapor) even during hot and humid summer temperatures.

• All BPE ERVs are superiorly cost effective - 70% to 90+% thermal efficiency.
• Patented  fixed-plate, reverse counter-flow technology, which allows for reductions in peak demand as well as significant energy savings.
• BPE units meet ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1 2019  Ventilation for Acceptable Air Quality and can help new or retrofitted buildings meet LEED and  ENERGYSTAR® requirements for various incentive  programs.
• Prolongs life cycle of existing HVAC systems by  reducing mechanical stress. Units can work with or  separately from existing HVAC systems.
• No Cross Contamination of air streams
• Up to 34% latent effectiveness (humidity) via BPE Regenerative Condensate Return® Technology
• Energy Efficiency Ratings (EER) of 36 to 160  (industry standard is 10)
• Excellent support staff and computer modeling
• Galvanized steel construction 

Generally, a unit should provide 20 cfm per person. Choosing a model is as easy as multiplying the number of people who will typically share an indoor space by 20. Choose the BPE model with the number that is larger than the resulting number…  

Example:  A home or office with 6 People:  20 cfm x 6 = 120.

For this example, you would choose a BPE XE-MIR-200i.

For large projects, always consult a design professional and refer to: 

ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) standard:

62.1 Acceptable Indoor Air Quality for commercial buildings and 

62.2 Acceptable Indoor Air Quality for residences.

Also, BPE IAQ specialists and engineers are always happy to help with project specifications! 

BPE units can be ordered with or without fans.  The energy recovery modules have so little back pressure that many times existing exhaust fans can be used. Then there are our integral units where fans and controls are built in. Our BPE-XE-MIR-200i is perfect for small offices and homes. The UNI line can be stacked to accommodate larger spaces on up to industrial complexes and arenas.

BPE engineers and IAQ specialists can also help with fan selections for your application.

If you can install a bathroom fan and have a three-prong outlet, most people can install a residential or a small office BPE unit without help.  

For larger units or multiple and/or stacked modules in a space such as a large public high school you will need professional installers.

 Call your local BPE representative or call BPE at 201-722-1414. 

Generally, the less moving parts the better!  

BPE ERVs have no moving parts in the energy recovery module. Only the fans move and typically, they last 10 to 20 years.

 Filters are always a good idea to keep dust and allergy issues under control.  BPE ERV units come standard with Merv 8 filters and can be upgraded to Merv 13 filters as requested or needed. 

 A BPE ERV has the lowest cross contamination of any ERV/HRV on the market and will pull out contaminated air and bring in fresh air.  Schools in central New Jersey used hundreds of BPE ERVs for classrooms, using displacement ventilation to provide a single path of fresh air coming in as contaminated air is pulled from the other side of the classroom. Installing decently pleated filters on the main system is a smart move, too. 

 Typically, an ERV system is used in addition to an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system since most HVAC systems do not have fresh air ventilation.  BPE allows an existing building to add back in ventilation without major mechanical retrofits. 

BPE has been involved with many off-the-grid, low-power-usage, and net-zero construction projects.

A residential unit with controls and fans takes less power to operate than a 60-watt light bulb! EER (Energy Efficiency Ratings) of over 60 EER are common (3x as efficient as geothermal solutions).

BPE ERVs and HRVs have removed over 800,000 cars years of pollution off the grid in North America. The goal is to continue recovering heating and cooling energy so that people and businesses reduce their carbon footprint by using less fossil fuels. In turn, the atmosphere absorbs less CO2, NOx, and Sox. If we’re ever going to limit the Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, it’s important to tackle the industries that produce the most carbon. By helping the building industry adopt clean energy practices, we strive to play a major role in a healthier planet full of healthier people.  

The system utilizes fixed-plate heat exchanger technology. The supply and exhaust airstreams pass through alternating, isolated channels separated by thin, highly conductive plates. Energy is transferred entirely via conduction and convection across the plates, eliminating the need for motors, belts, or rotating wheels.

Exceptional reliability and near-zero maintenance. Without bearings to wear out, belts to replace, or motors to fail, the system avoids mechanical downtime and reduces long-term operational costs. 

By using durable materials like high-grade galvanized steel and specialized polymers that resist corrosion and mechanical fatigue. Because there is no internal friction or physical wear, the structural integrity of the core remains unchanged over decades. 

No. Fixed-plate configurations feature virtually zero cross-contamination(often less than 0.1%). The airstreams are completely physically separated by solid walls, making this technology ideal for critical environments like laboratories, healthcare facilities, and cleanrooms. 

Generally, fixed-plate systems have a stable, predictable static pressure drop. While rotary wheels can experience fluctuating pressure due to seals and rotation, fixed plates maintain consistent aerodynamic performance based entirely on airflow velocity. 

Advanced plate geometry, such as counterflow configurations, allows for prolonged thermal contact between the airstreams. This maximizes the sensible heat transfer coefficient, enabling effectiveness levels exceeding 80% to 90% under optimal conditions. 

In crossflow cores, air travels at a 90-degree angle, yielding lower efficiencies (typically 50-70%). Counterflow cores direct the airstreams parallel but opposite to one another, maximizing the temperature gradient and achieving significantly higher efficiencies. 

It depends on the plate material. If equipped with standard aluminum plates, it recovers only sensible energy (temperature). If equipped with a specialized polymer membrane (an Energy Recovery Ventilator or ERV core), it can transfer latent energy (moisture) across the membrane walls. 

The high efficiency means significant heat is recovered from the exhaust air to warm the incoming outdoor air. However, if the outdoor air is extremely cold, moisture in the exhaust air can condense and freeze. 

Frost control is managed via external controls rather than internal mechanics. Methods include face-and-bypass dampers (diverting a portion of outdoor air around the core) or timed pre-heating of the incoming air. 

Maintenance is strictly limited to periodic inspection and cleaning of the core faces, alongside routine replacement of upstream air filters to prevent dust accumulation within the plate channels. 

Depending on the material, they can be vacuumed, blown out with compressed air, or washed down with water and mild detergent. Many industrial units feature slide-out core tracks for easy access. 

High-efficiency counterflow units can be physically larger than rotary wheel systems because they require more surface area to achieve equivalent energy transfer. However, their modular design allows them to be stacked or arrayed in parallel. 

Yes. They are frequently retrofitted into existing systems or integrated into custom air handling units (AHUs) as the primary energy recovery module. 

The system itself is completely silent because it has no motors or moving components. The only noise generated is from the static pressure resistance managed by the main HVAC supply and exhaust fans. 

While the initial capital cost can be higher than simple crossflow or low-end systems, the high efficiency combined with the absence of replacement parts and maintenance labor typically yields an ROI within 2 to 5 years, depending on local utility rates. 

They excel in regions with extreme temperature differentials (very cold winters or hot summers), where the high sensible efficiency dramatically reduces the load on primary heating and cooling plants. 

Yes. Cores can be specified with epoxy coatings or built from corrosion-resistant materials to handle aggressive exhaust streams, such as those found in marine environments, swimming pools, or chemical processing plants. 

By drastically lowering the building's Energy Use Intensity (EUI), these high-efficiency cores earn substantial points under the Energy and Atmosphere (EA) categories for optimizing energy performance. 

Choose this system if your priorities are zero cross-contamination, zero mechanical maintenance, and a strict 20+ year asset lifespan. While wheels handle latent load exceptionally well, fixed plates win on pure mechanical reliability and airstream isolation.