How to compare HRV and ERV installer quotes

Get two or three written quotes and check each one against the same eight items, so you're comparing the same job and not just the bottom line. Anything a quote leaves out is a question to ask before you sign.

Start with two or three written quotes

More than one quote shows you the range of designs and prices for your house. The FTC advises getting multiple estimates that describe the work, materials, completion date, and price. Electrify PDX, writing about heat pumps, suggests at least three, even if you have a contractor you've used before.

Ask that each quote be itemized, with equipment and labor listed separately. EnergySage makes the point that comparing quotes on the total alone isn't the best way to find the right fit, and that a big difference in price is a reason to ask each contractor why.

The eight things every quote should cover

1. The exact unit. The brand and model number, not "HRV" or "ERV" alone. EnergySage recommends asking for the model number if a quote doesn't include it. With the model, you can look up the specs and the manual yourself.
2. Fresh air to each bedroom. Which rooms get a fresh air supply, and where stale air is pulled from (usually damp rooms like bathrooms and the laundry). The Building America checklist for balanced systems calls for each occupied room with a door to have at least one ducted supply or return. For the bedroom goal of 800 ppm or less while you sleep, ask how much outdoor air each bedroom will get on the normal setting: about 17 cfm per person sleeping there, so about 34 cfm for two. Getting a bedroom to 800 explains the number.
3. Measured airflow balancing. An HRV or ERV is meant to move about as much air in as out. The quote should say the installer will measure airflows with a flow hood, flow grid, or anemometer and adjust them, not just set the dials.
4. A written commissioning report. The measured airflows, room by room, on paper you keep. This is your proof of what the system delivered on day one.
5. Boost or CO₂ control. A way to run the unit faster when you need it, such as a timer or boost button, and whether a humidity or CO₂ sensor control is available for that model.
6. Permit and inspection. Who pulls the permit and who schedules the inspection. The FTC lists a contractor asking you to get the permits yourself as a warning sign.
7. Patching and finish repairs. If walls or ceilings get opened to run ducts, who patches, textures, and paints, and to what standard.
8. Labor warranty stated. How long the installer stands behind the work, in writing, separate from the manufacturer's equipment warranty.

Payment and deposit

HouseExhale's guideline is to put down no more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract up front, whichever is lower. Electrify PDX names the same two caps for heat pump contracts and suggests a written schedule of payments for the rest of the job. The FTC advises never paying the full amount up front and notes that some states limit how much a contractor can ask for as a down payment.

What to ask at the site visit

A good site visit takes time. The installer should look at where the unit would sit, how ducts would reach each bedroom, and where the two outdoor hoods would go. Questions worth asking:

• Where will the unit go, and can I reach the filters easily? The Building America checklist says filters should be easy for occupants to get to.
• Will it have its own ducts, or connect to the furnace ducts? If it connects, how will stale air be pulled from the bathrooms?
• Where will the intake and exhaust hoods go? The exhaust should sit at least 10 feet from any air inlet and not blow onto a walkway.
• How will you measure airflow at the end, and will I get those numbers?
• How does this unit handle our coldest weather, and does it need a condensate drain?
• If the bedroom still averages over 800 ppm afterward, what will you do?

Also check that the contractor is licensed and insured. The FTC suggests confirming the license with your state or county.

Bring your room report

Your room report is the most useful thing you can hand an installer. It shows which bedroom you measured, how many people slept there, whether the door was open or closed, and what the readings looked like across several nights, including after a free change.

Ask each installer how their design would change those numbers in that room. A design that sends fresh air to the main living area but not to the bedroom you measured may not fix the problem you came in with.

Choosing is not signing

Once you have a favorite, go back to it with every gap from the checklist. Ask for a revised written quote that fills them in. The FTC suggests that the contract include the start and completion dates, any promises made in conversation about scope and cost, and a written statement of your right to cancel within three business days.

It's fine to take your time. A careful installer will expect questions, and the answers you get now are much easier to sort out than disagreements after the walls are closed up.