Policies and Energy Efficiency of Heat Recovery Ventilators in South Korea

Byung-Heon Jeon, Su-Kwang Yang, Young-Chull Ahn and Yul-Ho Kang ()
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Byung-Heon Jeon: School of Architectural Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Su-Kwang Yang: School of Architectural Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Young-Chull Ahn: School of Architectural Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
Yul-Ho Kang: Research Institute for Future Wind Energy Technology, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-28

Abstract: To reduce national greenhouse gas emissions, the South Korean government has encouraged new energy businesses and implemented policies to reduce energy consumption in buildings, and aims to construct all new buildings as zero-energy buildings by 2025. According to the promotion of policies on passive houses and zero-energy buildings, the thermal insulation and airtight performance of new buildings have been further enhanced. However, to enhance indoor comfort and air quality in new airtight buildings, it is critical to secure an adequate amount of ventilation. Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) in South Korea have been used for more than 20 years as high-efficiency energy equipment; however, the high-efficiency standard 20 years ago (cooling efficiency 45%, heating efficiency 70%) is still being employed without any change. Most HRVs in the Korean market either meet or exceed this standard. This study examined HRV performance changes from 2010 to 2020 based on the data of 847 HRV performance certifications given by a certification agency. It also analyzed how institutional strategies and related laws contributed to the enhancement of such performance. As HRVs in South Korea are only required to satisfy the pre-defined efficiency criteria, the development and use of HRVs focus more on cost reduction rather than efficiency enhancement. Under such market conditions, it is challenging to research and design highly efficient HRVs along with customer satisfaction. If better market conditions are offered that would welcome HRVs with higher efficiency, the development of better HRVs, as compared to those analyzed in this research study, would be possible.

Keywords: heat recovery ventilator; ventilation; energy policy; energy performance; building energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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