Publications

Bathroom exhaust fans are important for indoor air quality and comfort in a home. Like any appliance, it requires regular care and maintenance for a long life and optimal performance. Routine cleaning is simple and should be performed at least once a year.
Care and Maintenance of Your Bathroom Exhaust Fan

HVI, in cooperation with independent testing laboratories, developed the Adjusted Sensible Recovery Efficiency (ASRE) metric, as a means of testing Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV). This metric assesses product efficiency by evaluating airflow performance, as well as effectiveness of transferring heat or energy. The higher the ASRE rating, the more efficient the product. Below are links to two ASRE-related documents. One is geared toward consumers, the other toward builders/industry.
Consumer Guide to Adjusted Sensible Recovery Efficiency for HRVs and ERVs
Builder Guide to Adjusted Sensible Recovery Efficiency for HRVs and ERVs

Attic ventilation is an important part of an overall ventilation strategy to make homes more durable and comfortable. Without proper attic ventilation, the home's HVAC equipment must work harder to maintain the indoor comfort level. Utilizing a properly sized and installed powered attic ventilator (PAV) along with accommodations for adequate make-up air, one can ensure that the hot and humid attic air is exhausted and replaced with the fresh outdoor air.
Attic ventilation

According to US EPA estimates, radon gas is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is the second leading cause of lung cancer overall. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year and about 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. This fact sheet was developed in collaboration with the US EPA and contains basic radon facts for consumers. It also outlines how to arrange for your home to be tested for this life threatening and naturally occurring radioactive gas.
Basic Radon Facts for Consumers

It's all around you — invisible to the eye — but essential. It's the air you breathe. In your home, everything from cleaning supplies to paints, solvents, pesticides and excess moisture can affect air quality. Proper ventilation is a critical component to maintaining healthful air quality.
HVI Quick Guide to Ventilation and Air Filtration

A useful guide that can be used as a resource for learning more about the wide range of ventilation products produced by HVI members and how you can apply these products to improve comfort and health in your living environment. Follow the links below for the complete 2009 full-color guide, available in .pdf form and the html version of the articles contained in the 2006 guide.
Fresh Ideas — The Guide to Home Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality
Articles from 2006 Fresh Ideas Home Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality Guide

This consumer-focused HVI inline fan brochure explains the definition and purpose of inline fans, how they can make homes more comfortable and their numerous benefits while stressing the importance of HVI Certification.
HVI Inline Fan Brochure

HVI provides information on why bathroom exhaust fans are necessary in all homes, what functions they serve, what to look for when making a purchase, and much more.
Bathroom Exhaust Fans

This convenient HVI HRV/ERV brochure contains information on why HRV/ERVs are beneficial, provides an easy-to-understand definition of HRV/ERVs, helps consumers understand which ventilator is right for them and much more.
HVI HRV/ERV Brochure — English
HVI HRV/ERV Brochure — French

This handy HVI range hood brochure provides an overview of the function, form, and performance of kitchen range hoods — including ventilation rates based on range hood length — while highlighting the value of selecting HVI-Certified products.
HVI Range Hood Brochure — English
HVI Range Hood Brochure — French

Guidelines for ventilating both large and smaller bathrooms using intermittent or continuous ventilation. Examples include square footage and recommended airflow.
Bathroom Ventilation Guidelines

Every home needs ventilation to protect people from unhealthy indoor pollutants and to protect the building from excess moisture and heat. Learn more about the wide range of ventilation products produced by HVI members and how to apply them to create more comfortable and healthier living environments.
Benefits of Ventilating

The last three decades of home building research and development have demonstrated that airtightness is critical to improving the energy performance and durability of all homes, both new and existing. Home buyers are increasingly aware of the need to conserve energy to reduce operating costs and the impact on the environment, escalating the demand for better built homes. In addition to home buyers, government entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are taking steps to encourage home builders to build tighter homes.
Proven Airtightness Essential for Energy Efficient Homes

Mechanical ventilation plays a critical role in maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in homes. In this article, the Home Ventilating Institute, the authority on residential ventilation systems, offers guidelines on how to select the right ventilation system for your home, how much air it should move and why, types of ventilation systems, and where to get more information on ventilation standards.
Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Position Paper

This guideline document provides an overview of residential mold prevention for the average consumer — the resident of today's North American housing. It provides a basic scientific explanation of mold fundamentals, findings related to problems blamed on mold, and an introduction to psychrometrics — the science of air containing moisture. That scientific base is then applied as a general guideline for making the practical decisions associated with residential design, construction, ventilation and operation for effective mold control.
Mold, Moisture, and Houses — Ventilation is an Effective Weapon

Homes built in recent years are often larger and more airtight than in the past in order to keep conditioned air from escaping. These larger homes often have larger bathrooms with whirlpool baths, steam showers and other amenities to provide added comforts. As a result, many homeowners and builders have recognized the need for quiet ventilating fans. Homeowners want to enjoy a quiet, relaxing whirlpool bath without being disturbed by a loud ventilating fan. They choose a quiet model in order to fully enjoy their home investment.
Low Sone Fans by HVI

In recent years, as new homes have become more airtight, the awareness of the need for residential mechanical ventilation has been growing more than ever. Proper ventilation is essential to removing excessive moisture, which promotes mold and mildew build-up and can deteriorate the building's structure. Ventilation is also important to help reduce the build-up of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that affect indoor air quality (IAQ) and may cause health problems for occupants.
Ventilation Controls for Life-Styles

Nick Agopian and Russell Pope; Presented at AHR Expo 2022
This presentation explores the links between ventilation, regulatory requirements, indoor air quality (IAQ), and health while touching on vogue topics of today. Learn about key ventilation strategies and how the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) and the Healthy Air Research and Certification Authority (HARCA) are working together to advance the residential ventilation industry.
Ventilation: What We Need Looking Forward

Tex McLeod, The McLeod Associates; Presented at Comfortech 2008
This session demonstrated how the current green building trend requires contractors to understand how a house works as a system to ensure that ventilation and IAQ needs are met.
A House is a System

Don Stevens, Panasonic Home and Environment Co.; Presented at Comfortech 2007
To meet your customer's IAQ needs you must understand the rules, the rates and equipment performance. But trying to meet the needs of the building inspector, national building codes, energy codes, ASHRAE, state and local requirements can be confusing. This session explained the details and provided attendees with the tools needed to make ventilation work for them. In addition attendees learned about the value of ventilation products that have been certified for airflow, sound and energy performance ensuring that they meet the code and the customers needs every time.
Codes, Ventilation Rates & Certified Ventilation Performance

Paul Raymer, Heyoka Solutions & Doug Steege, RenewAire LLC; Presented at Comfortech 2007
Green is the new buzz word for energy efficient, sustainable, healthy building with an eye to the long term environmental effects. The public excitement over global warming and green building can be a marketing advantage, while well-designed, properly installed, properly commissioned heating, cooling and ventilation systems will bring you more business and reduce your callbacks. If you ignore ventilation services, you're leaving a profit center on the table and you're not doing your customers any favors. This session focused on green building opportunities and programs, now and into the future.
Green Buildings: Without Ventilation, They're Just Moldy! — Paul Raymer's presentation
Green Buildings: Without Ventilation, They're Just Moldy! — Doug Steege's presentation

John Ouellette, M.D.; Presented at Comfortech 2008
Everyone's talking about it and everyone seems to be offering a solution. But, what do you, as the contractor, need to know to provide the products and systems that ensure IAQ? Find out from the experts what you really need to know to identify IAQ problems and provide solutions that work. All homes, new, old and green have IAQ issues and require good ventilation practice — learn how to expand your business and your customers' satisfaction with this presentation.
Indoor Air Quality Solutions — Knowledge Makes the Difference

Tex McLeod, The McLeod Associates; Presented at Comfortech 2007
In the HVAC business today your customers are asking for solutions to indoor air quality problems. But how often do you offer ventilation as the best choice to meet their needs? If you typically offer only filtration and ultraviolet lights you may not be solving their problems, leaving customers dissatisfied and money on the table. In this session you will learn about the key role that proper ventilation plays in controlling IAQ. Increase customer satisfaction and your business opportunities — learn how to put the 'V' back in HVAC!
Ventilation: The Best Solution to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Don Stevens, Panasonic Home and Environment Co. and Paul Raymer, Heyoka Solutions; Presented at Comfortech 2008
In this presentation, the ventilation requirements of green building programs such as Energy Star, LEED for Homes and the NAHB Green Building program are clarified. Understanding these requirements has become critical as the number of homes built to green building standards expands rapidly in all regions.
Understanding Ventilation in Green Building Programs — Don Stevens' presentation
Understanding Ventilation in Green Building Programs — Paul Raymer's presentation

Gord Cooke
The reality is that the natural infiltration of air is not a reliable source of adequate amounts of air to maintain good air quality. This article explores the reasons for this and then outlines the benefits of controlled mechanical ventilation. Article written by Gord Cooke; reprinted from HPAC Jan/Feb 2005 with permission.
Natural Versus Mechanical Ventilation Article

Suellen W. Pirage, PhD
Over the past decade, there has been extreme media attention to issues about mold and allegedly adverse effects. Unfortunately, misinformation about mold and health effects abounds and often the public is led to believe that exposure to mold is a dangerous event. This paper presents common points of misinformation about mold and health. Scientific documentation to refute the misinformation is presented.
Mold and Health Issues

Roger Morse and Don Acker
Microbiological organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, are important components of our ecosystem. These microorganisms break down dead material into its constituent components and as such are important participants in earth's continuing life cycle. However, if these microorganisms proliferate in buildings, they can adversely impact indoor air quality (IAQ), create hazardous health conditions for the occupants and contribute to the deterioration of building components.
Indoor Air Quality and Mold Prevention of the Building Envelope

Healthy House Institute (HHI)
Air — though invisible, it is the most basic, life-sustaining feature of your home. Preventive measures, ventilation, and daily habits play a role in protecting your home's precious supply.
Air QuickGuide

Rick Karg
Best Practices for Residential Ventilation