It stands for "energy recovery ventilator" - in a nutshell it just blows fresh air into your house and exhausts stale air, but uses the heat in the exhaust air to warm up the incoming air so it's more comfortable and energy efficient compared to an open window with a fan in it.
Before you go too far that route (a multi-thousand dollar install) I recommend getting an indoor air quality meter to get a sense of what might be the problem. I recommend the Airthings View Plus, which is about $300 but is comprehensive and reliable and since (in my case) I made a multi-thousand dollar decision based on it, it was worth the investment.
In my house it was obvious there's a massive CO2 buildup, CO2 itself isn't as big a deal itself but an indicator of stale air (ie, it's not being vented out by itself) and somewhat elevated radon. The ERV isn't the "prescribed" solution for radon but since it ends up venting it out it's fine.
One last thing - for me, the connection between energy and indoor air quality was obvious in retrospect. I could wake up early and be miserable, but once I stepped outside to take my son to school I'd feel better. Or vice versa - I could be full of energy running around all day, then come home and immediately get drowsy.
It only took about 15 years to realize indoor air was the cause.
Before you go too far that route (a multi-thousand dollar install) I recommend getting an indoor air quality meter to get a sense of what might be the problem. I recommend the Airthings View Plus, which is about $300 but is comprehensive and reliable and since (in my case) I made a multi-thousand dollar decision based on it, it was worth the investment.
In my house it was obvious there's a massive CO2 buildup, CO2 itself isn't as big a deal itself but an indicator of stale air (ie, it's not being vented out by itself) and somewhat elevated radon. The ERV isn't the "prescribed" solution for radon but since it ends up venting it out it's fine.
One last thing - for me, the connection between energy and indoor air quality was obvious in retrospect. I could wake up early and be miserable, but once I stepped outside to take my son to school I'd feel better. Or vice versa - I could be full of energy running around all day, then come home and immediately get drowsy.
It only took about 15 years to realize indoor air was the cause.