Heat Recovery Ventilation and Thermal Insulation: Economic Decision-Making in Central European Households

Tomasz Schabek () and Barbara Król ()
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Tomasz Schabek: Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, POW St 3/5, 90-255 Lodz, Poland
Barbara Król: Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24 St, 31-155 Cracow, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: Energy conservation has become a critical issue, especially in the context of global environmental challenges and rising energy costs. This article emphasizes the growing importance of sustainability by integrating technical evaluations of heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems and energy demand reduction with an economic analysis of new detached buildings in Poland. We studied the economic efficiency of the application of HRV in the context of different insulation thicknesses and quantities of air exchanged. Through over 2500 building energy performance simulations, the study explores the economic and environmental interplay between investments in HRV and insulation technologies. The findings demonstrated that households can achieve significant energy savings, around 2600 kWh annually, by installing an HRV system. These savings are contingent upon various factors, including air exchange rates, insulation thickness, and the thermal properties of windows. The economic analysis revealed that economic benefits due to optimal insulation are in the range of EUR 1000–8600 and from EUR 500 up to 5900 regarding investment in HRV, depending on the energy price and intensity of ventilation.

Keywords: building energy performance; heat recovery ventilation (HRV); economic analysis of energy investments; energy efficiency in residential buildings; thermal insulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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