An energy recovery ventilator improves indoor air quality while reducing energy usage. It does this by recuperating energy as fresh air is brought in from the outside while stale indoor air is pushed out. These devices protect dirt, dust and other contaminants from entering residential living space with an outside air filter. Integrating a MEMS sensor can alert consumers when filters are clogged or when the exchanger core requires cleaning.

Our MMR920 is ideal for this application due to its pressure sensitivity. Its structure is robust yet simple, exposing pressure media only to the back side of the sensor while its elegant design keeps pricing low. It is sophisticated for this application with I2C or SPI digital interface and 24 bit Analog Front End plus available temperature output.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the MMR920 in an ERV filter and heat exchanger monitoring, two pressure sensors are installed onto an energy recover ventilator. In the demonstration below, one sensor is used to measure pressure behind the outside air filter while a second is utilized to measure the pressure in front of the heat exchanger.