At this year's AHR Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, enVerid Systems, a developer of HVAC Load Reduction technology, took home the top honor of Product of the Year for the company's enVerid HLR 1000E module. 

The enVerid HLR 1000E had previously been recognized as the 2019 AHR Expo Innovation Award winner in the Green Building category.

“Being named Product of the Year is an enormous honor and extremely gratifying to our entire team,” says Dr. Udi Meirav, founder and president of enVerid Systems. “But even more importantly, it is a recognition of the transformative potential of HLR technology for the entire industry. We hope this will further encourage the industry to accelerate the adoption of HLR-based designs of HVAC systems and bring its phenomenal benefits to buildings all over the world.” 

As published in our January issue of SNIPS, we talked with Meirav about the future of green buildings before enVerid's big win.

How has enVerid Systems noticed the demand for indoor air quality (IAQ) change over the years?

More and more research from major institutions like Harvard University are showing that IAQ has a significant impact on cognitive performance. Consequently, we have Fortune 100 financial institutions and tech companies using our HLR technology to improve IAQ, and as they lead the way, others are likely to follow. 

In addition to removing contaminates, does HLR technology have the ability to enhance air? For example, bringing more moisture into the air?  Yes, to some extent. The HLR does not directly enhance humidity levels in the air, but it can have a significant impact because it reduces the need for outside airflow entering the building. Winter air is very dry in northern climates, so by reducing this dry (and cold) outside airflow coming into the building makes it easier to maintain indoor humidity levels. Likewise, in the summer it is the opposite problem and HLR technology can reduce the amount of humid air coming into the building to prevent mold or other humidity issues. 

enVerid Systems’ HVAC Load Reduction technology has just received an AHR Expo Innovation Award. As the popularity of zero energy buildings continue to rise, how do you foresee the need for technology like the HVAC Load Reduction evolving?

The most inefficient aspect of buildings today is ventilation. Zero energy buildings cannot afford to use massive volumes of outside air for ventilation — the cooling of this air during the summer, and heating of the air during the winter can be 50 percent of the overall HVAC load. Air cleaning is far more effective and economical. In fact, we see many engineers now specifying HLR technology instead of relying on ventilation only. Furthermore, this has enabled building owners to decrease the cost of their buildings because they no longer need energy recovery ventilators (ERV) or demand control ventilation (DCV) systems.

How has enVerid Systems noticed the demand for indoor air quality (IAQ) change over the years?

More and more research from major institutions like Harvard University are showing that IAQ has a significant impact on cognitive performance. Consequently, we have Fortune 100 financial institutions and tech companies using our HLR technology to improve IAQ, and as they lead the way, others are likely to follow. 

In addition to removing contaminates, does HLR technology have the ability to enhance air? For example, bringing more moisture into the air?  Yes, to some extent. The HLR does not directly enhance humidity levels in the air, but it can have a significant impact because it reduces the need for outside airflow entering the building. Winter air is very dry in northern climates, so by reducing this dry (and cold) outside airflow coming into the building makes it easier to maintain indoor humidity levels. Likewise, in the summer it is the opposite problem and HLR technology can reduce the amount of humid air coming into the building to prevent mold or other humidity issues. 

What is next for enVerid Systems? Our engineers have a variety of projects they are working on — ranging from improved sorbents to better sensors and new applications of HLR technology.

For more information about enVerid technology, visit  enverid.com.