Reducing carbon footprint with heat recovery systems

Cutting greenhouse gases using heat recovery solutions

Not just better air – but a better planet🌍

What Is a Carbon footprint?

Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases – primarily CO₂ – generated by your daily energy use. In buildings, the biggest contributors are:

🔥 Heating systems

❄️ Cooling systems

💨 Ventilation losses

Ventilation is often overlooked – yet exhausting warm or cooled indoor air without recovery leads to significant energy waste, and consequently, higher emissions.

 

Why does it matter?

Buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions.

Ventilation systems without energy recovery:

  • Require more energy to reheat or recool incoming air
  • Increase HVAC system workload and costs
  • Significantly raise your environmental impact

In the context of Net Zero targets, ESG commitments, and rising energy prices, energy-efficient ventilation is no longer optional – it’s essential.

 

What can help?

At ZERN ENGINEERING, we manufacture high-performance air-to-air heat exchangers that:

 1. Recover thermal energy from exhaust air
 2. Transfer it to fresh incoming air 
 3. Operate without mixing the air streams
 4. Reduce heating and cooling energy demand by up to 40%*

(*depending on climate, system setup, and airflow – see IEA Report)

🔍 But how do we measure this performance?

We use Thermal Efficiency (TE) – the percentage of heat recovered from exhaust air and reused in supply air.

For example:

A TE of 85% means that 85% of the heat that would otherwise be lost is retained and transferred back indoors.

Let’s make it practical:

A domestic ventilation unit with 250 m³/h airflow and a 20 °C temperature difference (e.g. indoors 22 °C, outside 2 °C) using a ZERN plate heat exchanger with 85% TE can recover approximately 1.2 kW of thermal energy.

That’s 1.2 kW your heating system doesn’t need to produce – every hour.

✅ The higher the TE, the greater your savings – in kilowatts and kilograms of CO₂.

 

Which heat exchanger should you choose?

Let’s look at three proven technologies – and how they help in real-world situations:


🔷
Sensible plate heat exchangers

How they work: Airflows are separated by a series of parallel plates. Heat is transferred from exhaust air to fresh air through the plate surfaces – with no air mixing.

Ideal for: Homes, apartments, hospitals, and hygienic environments where air separation is critical.

Example:

In a small residential HRV unit, a sensible plate exchanger (TE = 85%) handles 200 m³/h airflow.

Result: ~1.0 kW heat recovery, cutting heating demand by 25–30% in winter – and reducing annual emissions by up to 200 kg CO₂ (with gas heating).


🔷
Rotary heat exchangers

How they work: A slowly rotating wheel transfers thermal energy – and, in some versions, moisture – between exhaust and supply air.

ZERN ENGINEERING offers three types:

– Condensation: transfers only sensible heat

– Enthalpy: transfers heat + moisture

– Sorption: enhances latent transfer using a coated hygroscopic surface

Ideal for: Medium and large ventilation systems in commercial or industrial settings.

Example:

A supermarket installs ZERN ENGINEERING rotary exchangers (enthalpy type) for 3 000 m³/h airflow.

Result: Up to 14 kW heat recovery with added humidity transfer – saving thousands of kWh and over 800 kg CO₂ annually (with electric heating).


🔷
Enthalpy plate exchangers (membrane-based)

How they work: A special polymer membrane allows heat and water vapor to pass, but blocks gases and microorganisms.

Ideal for: Schools, offices, and residential buildings in humid or cold climates.

Example:

In a kindergarten with 400 m³/h airflow, an enthalpy exchanger maintains comfortable indoor humidity in winter.

Result: Lower heating and humidification needs, better comfort, and hygienic operation compliant with VDI 6022.

 

Ready to make an impact?

Whether you’re designing systems for residential, commercial, or public spaces – the right heat exchanger helps cut emissions, reduce energy bills, and support environmental goals.

Contact ZERN ENGINEERING to select the right heat exchanger for your project – based on airflow, climate, and sustainability targets📩

Humidity control with enthalpy heat exchangers – smart, hygienic approach to indoor air quality

In modern ventilation, managing humidity is just as critical as controlling temperature. That’s where enthalpy heat exchangers stand out – they not only recover heat, but also preserve indoor moisture balance, ensuring comfort, energy savings, and hygiene.

🔍 What is an enthalpy heat exchanger?

An enthalpy heat exchanger is an air-to-air energy recovery device that transfers both sensible heat (temperature) and latent heat (moisture) between supply and exhaust air streams. It uses a special membrane that enables water vapor to pass while blocking air, contaminants, and particles.


⚙️ How does it work?


At the heart of the exchanger is a semi-permeable membrane designed for selective diffusion. When warm, humid air from inside the building flows past one side of the membrane, and cooler, drier outdoor air flows on the opposite side, a vapor pressure difference occurs.

This drives water vapor molecules to naturally diffuse through the membrane – humidifying the incoming air in winter or stabilizing it in transitional seasons.

At the same time, the membrane:

1. Allows only water vapor to pass

2. Blocks gases, odors, viruses, and microorganisms, ensuring clean and hygienic air transfer without direct mixing.


✅ Advantages

  • Humidity balance – keeps indoor relative humidity at optimal levels (40-60%) to support comfort and health.
  • Energy efficiency – reduces the need for active humidification or dehumidification, cutting HVAC energy costs.
  • Hygienic operation – the membrane prevents the transfer of bacteria, viruses, gases, and mold spores – critical for health-sensitive environments.
  • Virus protection – during events like the COVID-19 pandemic, enthalpy exchangers provided a safe ventilation method without risking airborne cross-contamination.
  • Mold-resistant – made from non-organic, moisture-stable material, the membrane does not support mold growth or “blooming.”
  • Comfort enhancement – prevents dry air in winter and excessive humidity in summer.
  • Stable indoor air quality -supplies fresh, conditioned air while maintaining clean separation from exhaust air.


🏢 Best applications

Enthalpy heat exchangers are most effective in climates with cold winters or mixed seasons, where maintaining indoor humidity is important and heat recovery contributes to energy savings.

In very hot and humid climates, however, they may not be ideal for applications requiring significant dehumidification – sensible-only or desiccant-based systems may be better suited in such cases.


Typical applications include:

🏠 Residential homes – improving comfort and air quality, especially in colder regions.

🏫 Schools and offices – promoting well-being, reducing sick leave, and improving concentration.

🏥 Healthcare and senior facilities – where humidity control and air hygiene are essential.

📚 Museums and archives – to protect sensitive materials from fluctuations in moisture.

🏨 Hotels – ensuring guest comfort and consistent indoor climate throughout the year.

🏢 Passive or high-efficiency buildings – where airtightness and moisture balance are vital.

Enthalpy heat exchangers offer more than just energy savings – they create healthier, more stable indoor environments, making them a smart choice for modern ventilation needs.

ZERN ENGINEERING achieved Hygiene Certification VDI 6022

We are proud to announce that our plate heat exchangers have officially passed VDI 6022 certification, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the highest hygiene and safety standards in ventilation technology.

🔍What is VDI 6022, and why does it matter?

VDI 6022 is one of the most comprehensive European standards for ensuring hygienic air quality in HVAC systems. It sets strict requirements for the design, materials, cleanability and microbiological safety of ventilation components used in sensitive environments such as hospitals, schools and public buildings.

🧪 Certified according to multiple international hygiene standards:

Our testing and validation covered compliance with the following standards:

✅ VDI 3803, sheet 1 (05/2020)

✅ DIN 1946, part 4 (09/2018)

✅ ÖNORM H 6020 (03/2024)

✅ ÖNORM H 6021 (01/2023)

✅ SWKI VA104-01 (01/2019)

✅ SWKI VA105-01 (08/2015)

These validations confirm that our solutions meet the highest hygiene standards, reinforcing their suitability for health-critical applications across a wide range of building environments.

📐Why these methods are important?

Conformity with multiple standards means our products have been assessed from different regional and methodological perspectives, ensuring:

– Compatibility with various national building codes.

– Reliable protection against microbial growth.

– Long-term hygienic performance with low maintenance effort.

♻️ Why it matters?

This certification is more than just a label – it reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and our alignment with international quality standards.

At ZERN ENGINEERING, we believe that innovation must go hand in hand with responsibility, and we are dedicated to moving forward, not standing still.

🔗 Welcome to explore more
✉️ If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out

Thank you for trusting ZERN ENGINEERING.

Effective solutions for energy recovery.