Does AAON Provide Energy Recovery Options?

What Is Energy Recovery?

Energy recovery is the process of transferring thermal energy and moisture between two airstreams: one at a higher temperature or humidity and one at a lower temperature or humidity. In a typical HVAC application, this means reclaiming energy from the building's return or exhaust air before it is discarded, then using that energy to pre-condition the incoming outdoor air.

This allows the HVAC system to spend less energy heating or cooling outdoor air because that work has already been partially done. Beyond efficiency, energy recovery can help stabilize humidity levels, which directly impacts occupant comfort, air quality, and the prevention of mold and bacterial growth.

Energy recovery can be captured in two forms:

• Sensible recovery transfers heat (temperature) only.
• Total (enthalpy) recovery transfers both heat and moisture.
• Climate: Is the environment hot and dry, or humid and coastal?
• Application: Is comfort conditioning, dehumidification, or sensible heat transfer the primary need?
• Corrosion risk: Is the installation near a seacoast or other corrosive environment?
• Cross-contamination sensitivity: Does your application require strict separation of airstreams?
• Efficiency targets: What are your efficiency targets, do you need the highest efficiency option?

AAON Energy Recovery Wheel Options

AAON offers energy recovery wheels in both aluminum and polymer medias. The right media choice depends on your climate, application, and performance goals.

Aluminum Energy Recovery Wheels

Aluminum wheels are built for hot, dry climates. Their excellent thermal conductivity enables highly effective heat exchange, and because corrosion is less of a concern in arid environments, aluminum is a common choice for this climate. These wheels are available as total enthalpy wheels, meaning they can recover both heat and moisture when the application calls for it.

Polymer Energy Recovery Wheels

Polymer wheels excel in high-humidity and coastal environments where corrosion resistance is a priority. Designed to transfer both temperature and moisture, polymer wheels come in a segmented design that allows individual sections to be removed from the unit for external cleaning or replacement without a full wheel changeout. The tradeoff is a slightly higher airside pressure drop compared to aluminum, which can modestly increase energy consumption.

Sensible vs. Total Energy Recovery Wheels

Choosing between sensible-only and total energy recovery wheels depends on whether humidity transfer matters for your application.

Sensible (Heat Recovery) Wheels handle thermal exchange only. They are the right fit when outdoor humidity is consistently lower than indoor humidity, making moisture transfer unnecessary or undesirable. Common applications include swimming pools, locker rooms, and similar spaces where the goal is temperature control rather than dehumidification.

Total (Enthalpy) Energy Recovery Wheels recover both heat and moisture, making them ideal for comfort air conditioning applications such as schools, offices, and multi-family residential buildings.

High Efficiency Polymer Energy Recovery Wheel

For projects demanding peak performance, AAON offers a high efficiency polymer energy recovery wheel built to exceed standard options. These wheels deliver higher efficiency with lower airside pressure drops, maximizing the energy return per unit of fan power consumed.

Cross-Flow Fixed Total Energy Recovery Plates

AAON also offers cross-flow fixed total energy recovery plates as an option on both the RQ and RN Series packaged rooftop units up to 70 tons. Similar to energy recovery wheels, these plates pre-condition outdoor air to reduce heating, cooling, humidification, and dehumidification loads on the system.

The defining advantage of fixed plates is their lack of moving parts. With no rotating components, there are fewer mechanical failure points and no risk of cross-contamination between airstreams, making fixed plates a strong choice for sensitive applications where air separation is critical.

The trade-off is efficiency. Fixed plate energy recovery is generally less effective at energy transfer than rotary wheels, and the higher pressure drop across the plates requires fans to work harder to maintain airflow.

AAONAIRE Certification and Standards

All AAONAIRE energy recovery wheels and plates are certified under the AHRI 1060 program, which establishes standardized performance ratings for air-to-air energy recovery ventilators.

How Do I Know Which Energy Recovery Option Is Best for My Project?

Selecting the best energy recovery solution requires evaluating several factors:

AAON covers a full range of products for these needs, from aluminum sensible wheels for dry climates to high efficiency polymer wheels for code-compliant, high-performance buildings, to fixed plates for contamination-sensitive environments.

Contact your local AAON representative to identify the energy recovery configuration best suited to your project.