Energy Consumption and Indoor Environment of Broiler Houses with Energy Recovery Ventilators

We investigated the applicability of energy recovery ventilators in chicken broiler houses. Indoor environmental conditions and energy consumption were measured and compared in two identical broiler houses with and without energy recovery ventilators. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is an air-to-air heat exchanger, which recovers energy from exhaust air and transfers it to supply air stream. The broiler houses used in the study are typical broiler houses in Korea constructed with concrete blocks and are located in Iksan in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. Experiments were conducted for one month during the winter season of 2008. Measurements were made continuously to collect indoor and outdoor temperature, relative humidity, ventilation rates, energy consumption, and feed water consumption over an entire growing period. In order to provide the same experimental conditions, the minimum ventilation rates were maintained similarly in both houses. Our results indicated a 55% reduction in total heating energy consumption. This significant reduction is believed to be possible because the ventilation load occupied a great portion of the total heating load. Temperature uniformity was improved in the house with the ERVs, as both temporal and spatial temperature variations were reduced by continuous recirculation of indoor air by the ERVs. Further research should be conducted to optimize the ventilation system design and the operation protocols to minimize the overall energy consumptions according to the climatic conditions.