RenewAire Puts the V in HVACR

For a company founded on the principles of energy efficiency and one that continues to this day to measure its success based on the energy efficiency and environmental quality of its products, RenewAire is doing quite well indeed.

The Madison, WI, company is a leader in energy-recovery ventilation systems, removing stale indoor air and bringing in fresh outdoor air through a highly developed air-to-air energy exchange core, all the while carefully modulating the flow for proper humidity levels in an energy-efficient way. RenewAire has also pioneered the use of “plates” that separate the two air streams to prevent mixing and contamination. For HVACR wholesale distributors, RenewAire offers opportunities to carry products for indoor air quality in the residential and commercial markets while reducing energy costs. Distributors also like to be associated with a company that is dedicated to ‘green’ principles.

RenewAire was born out of a competition, says Doug Steege, vice president of marketing and sales. “We actually won a competition that was sponsored by a local utility company for designing and installing a couple of solar water heaters in 1978,” he says. The company won for practical reasons: Its design could actually be built and marketed. In fact, RenewAire sold and installed about 1,000 solar water systems. During this period, its founders became more involved in renewable energy systems and, specifically, air-to-air heat exchangers. “We thought it was a nice complement — that was not dependent on tax credits — and a nice niche market for us.”

RenewAire's entry into the energy-recovery ventilation market in 1983 came at a fortuitous time in the construction industry. Homes were being built with greater energy efficiency in mind. Tightly sealed homes meant that cold air could not get in, and warm air could not escape. But this resulted in homes with poor, stale air quality and moisture damage. With a RenewAire system that could efficiently exchange indoor and outdoor air, contractors realized that they could solve a persistent problem of homeowners who wanted the benefits of fresh air while at the same time keeping their energy costs low.

RenewAire pioneered the use of a static plate cross-flow exchanger that transfers both heat and humidity, moderating the extremes of humidity as well as temperature. With this transfer of moisture, there is no buildup of condensation and moisture, which results in higher heat-recovery efficiencies and more reliable operation. During the air-conditioning season, RenewAire is typically three times more energy efficient than products that only transfer heat. The transfer of heat and humidity during the winter months means that RenewAire products typically recover more than 30 percent more energy than other air-to-air exchangers.

“We're a company that was founded on energy efficiency,” Steege says. “If the energy recovery ventilation fans were not able to save significant amounts of energy and it was wasted out of the exhaust stacks, then we wouldn't be meeting our mission.”

Bernardo Ugalde puts the finishing touches on a commercial HE6X energy recovery ventilator unit.

Its first customer was Auer Steel and Heating in nearby Milwaukee, and Steege says they remain a customer to this day. From Auer Steel and Heating to the national network that exists today, wholesale distribution is the way that RenewAire goes to market. “We have excellent distributors, many of whom are active in HARDI,” says Steege, adding that the company is always looking for long-term distribution partners to help grow its business. RenewAire has been a HARDI member for 10 years.

RenewAire sells a broad line of energy-recovery ventilators for the residential market under the RenewAire brand. It also builds products for Trane and American Standard. Last year the company introduced a line of bathroom fans that many consider the most energy-efficient fans in North America — five times more efficient than the average bathroom fan. “We're very happy with the sales. It's been very well received,” Steege says. “Obviously the residential construction market is down, but it's a good time for laying the groundwork for when the market does come back.”

Its line of commercial products is also broad, including package units up to about 8,000 CFMs. RenewAire also has applied products that can be set up in a mechanical room and built up to any size required for a facility, or be used in packaged air handlers.

RenewAire products have helped HVACR wholesale distributors establish a niche in the energy-recovery ventilator market. The simplicity of RenewAire's products — in both design and installation — has helped ease the worries of distributors and contractors. “RenewAire products can be sold to contractors with not a lot of experience in this area because of the simplicity and reliability of its inherent design,” Steege says. Once contractors have installed a couple of energy-recovery ventilators on residential projects, it's easy to expand that to light commercial jobs. “The products are exactly the same, just scaled up slightly,” Steege adds.