Posted on Mon, Apr 30, 2012
If you live in a cooling dominated or less than 4000 HDD climate - you might skip this article. Else - in the world of heat/energy recovery mechanical ventilation there exists this nemesis known as dew-point temperature..... and when this is associated with really cold outside conditions - this results in frost accumulation on a heat (energy) exchanger core. You have warm moist air from inside the building exposed to a very cold surface. There is no magic here- condensation at best, and frost at worst is going to happen. Basically- the manufacturer must ensure that the core is not exposed to conditions that will result in frost accumulation on the core. Every manufacturer has slightly different strategies based on the design of the core. The UltimateAir RecoupAerator’s core is a random matrix fiber - and as designed does not start to frost until outside temperature drop below 12 F. That is assuming that inside relative humidity at around 70 F is at or above 25%RH.... inside relative humidity plays a big role in whether or not frost occurs.
The most common defrost strategy employed by manufacturers is known as ‘recirculation defrost’. This strategy temporarily allows the leaving air to be redirected into the incoming air duct to warm it up enough to keep the core from frosting. This cylce is generally 25-75% of an hour, every hour depending on outside temperature. NOTE- that while this is happening - there is no (or very little) fresh outside air coming in. This effectively lowers your fresh air ventilation rate... and turns your mechanical ventilator into a recirculation fan pushing air around for little reason.
UltimateAir has provided a pre-heat - pulse modulated solution that allows for no decrease in ventilation. This is the most efficient solution which ensures the fresh air required for the health of the occupants in the home. This is one of many other methods that best keep the incoming air at or above 12 F.
That is the short of it. Defrost is a fairly complex notion to discuss with regard to the cost associated with it. Know that UltimateAir has your health in mind first.
Contact UltimateAir for more details.
Posted on Thu, Apr 19, 2012
Read about how the RecoupAerator played a role in this 
century old Victorian house transformed into a cutting edge net zero home as told in the Natural Home & Garden Magazine article: Modern History.
Posted on Thu, Mar 29, 2012
Enter the Passive House Project
Did you know that buildings are responsible for 48 % of greenhouse gas emissions per year and that 76 % of electricity generated goes to the building sector. In the past couple years, a new and innovative option has been brought about to establish a way to save our environment and save thousands of dollars in reduced energy usage. It goes by the name passive house which refers to the building style of buildings that are well insulated, air tight, and primarily heated by passive solar. In passive homes, energy losses are minimized and an airflow is provided through an energy recovery ventilator that purifies the air as well as prevents energy loss and keeps the air supply fresh and constant. This is where we come in as a company. Air ventilation systems such as the ones needed for a passive house are supplied by UltimateAir to ensure that the best air quality can be provided for any home, office, or school at an affordable cost. UltimateAir is one of the only companies that supplies air ventilation systems that are completely green and recover 95% of energy that would normally be lost. You don’t have to have a passive house to purchase our ventilation system called The RecoupAerator, but it makes it all the more affordable and healthy for your body, your home, and the environment.
The chart below from www.parsit.parsons.edu shows how the typical home compares to the energy savings of a passive house.
Posted on Fri, Mar 23, 2012
Breathe Healthy
To be able to take a deep breath in your own home 
that you know is safe, pure, clean, and healthy is an assurance that you can’t pass up. At UltimateAir we have a product that will allow you to finally be able to trust the oxygen and air particles going in your body. The RecoupAerator, a top-of-the-line air filtration system, does all that and more! This ERV system recovers 95% of would-be lost energy as well as the filtration of air particles as small as 3.5 microns.
This month at UltimateAir we have created a webinar that will help you learn more about the RecoupAerator, your health and the many reasons why this product is for you. Each month we will come out with new and interesting topics that will relate to your life including tips for air safety, indoor air pollution, ways to improve your living, and green energy.
Make sure you visit our website at www.ultimateair.com/library/webinars/ to stay tuned for more of our webinars including our latest webinar on your health and ways to improve your health through your indoor air ventilation.
Thanks!
UltimateAir
Posted on Sat, Mar 10, 2012
Reflections of the NESEA Conference
This week, two of our leading members from the UltimateAir crew attended the North Eastern Sustainable Energy Association conference in Boston, Massachusetts. While they were there they learned more about creating green energy construction and attended educational sessions about renewable energy sources. UltimateAir attended the conference to learn more information on how our company can enhance the RecoupAerator ® and bring more innovative qualities to our product.
Over the weekend, UltimateAir’s Craig and Matt attended the conference bringing our product as well as an open mind. Craig and Matt attended several educational sessions where they learned how to create a product that can operate to filter air in larger spaces. They also learned the importance of air quality in a passive house to improve an overall lifestyle. UltimateAir also got the opportunity to go on a passive house tour where Craig and Matt got the chance to learn the background behind the passive house and new efficient additions being made to the newest passive homes. The tour of the convention showed off many products that are a must in a normal passive home including our product the RecoupeAerator ®. Katrin Klingenberg speaks about the tour in her passive house tour blog. Along with attending important learning sessions, Craig and Matt also had the chance to connect with other businesses to learn their sales strategies and renewable energy ideas for the future.
We definitely cannot wait until NESEA’s 
conference next year but most of all, we cannot wait to set forth our new ideas and designs and get to work. We would like to thank NESEA for the invitation and for the wonderful weekend and Katrin Klingenberg for the much enjoyed passive house tour.
www.ultimateair.com
Posted on Wed, Feb 29, 2012
NESEA Building Energy Conference 12 - March 6-8
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association will be holding this years Building Energy Conference on March 6-8, 2012 at the Seaport World Trade Center Boston, MA. This building conference will bring together some of the greatest architects, builders, engineers, policy makers and building managers to network and generate future ideas. While at the conference, there will be educational sessions and a world-class trade show that businesses from all over the world will be attending. UltimateAir’s Matt Baker and Craig Kinzelman will be attending the ten sessions to learn new and improved techniques to complement and enhance The RecoupAerator.
Some of the sessions that we will be attending next week are: Renewable Energy, Green Financing, High Performance Mechanics, Health Care, Game Changers, Renewable Heating and Whole System in Action. At these sessions we will be learning fresh and innovated designs and concepts to expand The RecoupAerator to its fullest potential. We will be acquiring skills from engineers and designers that are ranked top in the world. After the sessions we will have a chance to attend the trade show to network with other business and hear their ideas. During the conference, we will also have a chance to listen to some successful speakers give their testimonies and their secrets to success. We are all very excited to go and present our ideas to the pubic and our product to the community. Overall, the conference should be a blast!
Check out our friend Katrin Kingenberg's blog on http://passivehouse.us/blog/
Come Visit Us at the NESEA Conference!
We will be in booth #438 - Come say hi!!
Posted on Tue, Feb 28, 2012
UltimateAir at the Home Improvement Show
In February, UltimateAir and distributor Energy Wize, 
participated at the Miami Valley Home World Show in Dayton, Ohio. On site, was Greg Wnek of UltimateAir, Wendell Ott and Roger Humell of Energy Wize.
With Spring approaching, home improvement season is right around the corner. While new additions and kitchen upgrades have traditionally been popular during home improvement season, the Energy Wize and UltimateAir booth saw a stream of visitors looking for something more; that being, a home improvement for quality of life. Simply put, this home improvement strategy boils down to lowering your home's energy use and improving it’s indoor air quality by providing Whole-House Ventilation.
Energy Wize offers energy audits that gather data from using a thermal imaging camera and a blower door test to pinpoint areas that may need to be sealed or insulated. Depending on the report and actions followed, it is often recommended that a Whole-House Ventilation System be put in place through using an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) made by UltimateAir. This allows fresh air from the outdoors into your home's supply ducts while expelling the stuffy, stagnant air outside. At the same time, the ERV retains the heat and energy from the outgoing air stream; a concept in greater need once insulation steps are taken. A door opening or keeping a few windows open is often times not enough fresh air for people. Many have said Whole-House Ventilation is like "always having your windows open." However, instead of having unconditioned or un-filtered air blowing in, the incoming air goes through a filter capturing particulates 1.8 microns or larger, a feature that by itself has been popular among allergy and asthma sufferers.
Nonetheless, the show saw attendees that are now more than ever looking for an improvement strategy that gears toward lowering utility bills and improving health as indoor air quality continues to be a major health risk, one in which is well documented by the EPA. UltimateAir's ERV is one a few products Energy Wize carries, and they do so because of its energy efficiency and local manufacturing base. Recently, homeowners are realizing at the end of the day that time is truly their only asset. Steps taken to spend money on items other than their utility bill has this home improvement strategy becoming popular. Along with this, the improved health benefits allow the time spent together between loved ones to be an enjoyable experience, an asset that by itself is immeasurable.
Posted on Mon, Feb 13, 2012
UltimateAir’s Jason Morosko attended the
Better Buildings by Design conference. The conference was held on February 8 & 9, 2012 at the Sheraton Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont.
Jason presented at the conference the following topics.
Check out his presentation.
- Best practices of commercial ventilation operation
- The cost of ventilation options in commercial applications
- Commercial ventilation design
- Commercial ventilation and it's relationship to the heating/cooling system
“The conference was well attended, great turnout, I was impressed” 
Stay tuned to our blog for more events and conferences!
Posted on Tue, Feb 07, 2012
The Best Ventilation System
The best ventilation system will bring in an equal amount of air that
is removed from the home, while transferring the ‘energy’ from the leaving air -into the incoming air (so you don’t waste it), and filtering it. This is not as easy as it sounds. Manufactured E/HRV’s which perform this function have two air moving fans. One fan to bring fresh air in, and one fan to take stale air out. In most products available in North America - these two fans are tied to the same single motor. Now- if i have two duct systems, one to move air into the house, and one to remove stale air from the house... the only way that these two duct systems would have the same air flow is if (1) they were identical, (2) they were balanced with a differential pressure manometer after the system was commissioned, and the system never saw any environmental change. It is almost impossible for either of those two cases to be true.
Two Independantly Controlled Motors
The UltimateAir RecoupAerator has two independent variably controlled motors controlling two independent fans. With this capability, we have built in volumetric flow control - independent on each of the two air streams. This uniquely allows the RecoupAerator to balance incoming vs outgoing flow with different duct systems and a dynamically changing duct condition (filter load up, impeller load up, etc), and over its full range of flow settings.
The RecoupAerator is the only unit in the industry which has ‘flat fan curves’, independent on each of its two air moving fans.
Posted on Thu, Feb 02, 2012
The Problem
Mildew is a mold that grows under warm (temperatures between 77 – 86 degrees F.), wet, and humid conditions (relative humidity between 62% - 93%).
Window condensation is one visible manifestation of excess humidity, but ideal conditions also are found lurking out of sight within wall cavities, in crawl spaces and attics.
Under saturated conditions wood will rot, giving rise to frequent and expensive repairs, and mold spores serve as triggers for allergies and contribute to an unhealthy home environment.
You don’t have to open doors and windows to bring moisture into our home. Outside humidity, moisture generated in the home, vapor pressure (the drive that causes moisture to migrate to dryer areas), all contribute to the problem. Exhaust only ventilation (bath fans, range hoods, dryers) as well as the stack effect from a chimney will accelerate the infiltration of outside humidity through poorly installed (or non-existent) air barrier. Cumulatively this moisture can add hundreds of pounds of water per day to a home.
Solutions
Here is where an ounce of prevention is worth 100s of dollars of expensive water removal using dehumidification/air conditioning, building repairs and potentially medical expenses and even debilitating illnesses for family members.
Remediation and Prevention
Building/remodeling right and ventilating right, along with occupant awareness to reduce moisture generation will have a major impact on the prevention of moisture issues that lead to mold growth.
The Building Envelope
Minimize paths of infiltration by sealing your home and adding insulation, install a vapor-permeable air barrier, prevent water from entering basements and crawl spaces with proper sealing, drainage, and landscaping. Don’t forget to clean the gutters.
A Ventilation Strategy
Install an Energy Recovery Balanced Ventilation System. The UltimateAir® RecoupAerator,® model 200 DX will exhaust excess humidity (along with odors, stale air and pollutants) in the winter and leave a percentage of the humidity outside in the summer while bringing in an equal amount fresh filtered air. This balanced ventilation approach will help prevent unwanted infiltration by keeping the home at balanced or slightly positive pressure most of the time. It is also the most cost effective way to provide the ventilation necessary for a safe, comfortable and durable home.
A well-ventilated, balanced- pressure home with a 35 – 45% RH is one of the best investments you can make to prevent mold, reduce allergy triggers (both pollens and mold spores) and insure the health of your family.
UltimateAir's Jason Morosko writes about moisture, mold, indoor quality and other topics. Stay tuned!
