“As homes get tighter, ventilation isn’t optional—it’s essential.”— Patrick Nielsen In this episode of RESTalk, host Bill Spohn sits down with Patrick Nielsen, Global Technical Products Manager at Broan-NuTone® LLC, to discuss the evolving world of home ventilation. With over two decades of experience, Patrick walks us through the major drivers shaping residential ventilation practices today—from tighter building envelopes to the growing emphasis on indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Patrick explains the importance of dwelling unit ventilation (DUV), spot vs. whole-house strategies, and the increasing role of energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) as builders and raters seek practical ways to meet stringent codes and achieve better HERS scores. He also touches on upcoming developments like capture efficiency standards for range hoods, automated balancing features in modern ERVs, and the implications of makeup air requirements. Whether you’re a builder, rater, or HVAC pro, this episode is packed with actionable insights for navigating the ventilation challenges in today’s high-performance homes. Broan-NuTone® LLC recently joined the RESNET Suppliers Advisory Board (SAB). Patrick represents Broan-NuTone as an Advisory Member. “As a North America’s leading supplier of energy efficient residential ventilation, we value our partnership with builders and raters and help them achieve lower HERS scores. Broan-NuTone is excited to join the RESNET Suppliers Advisory Board. We greatly value our relationship with raters and understand their important role in helping builders provide homebuyers with efficient, comfortable homes. We look forward to providing our input regarding industry issues and opportunities.” Patrick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-nielsen-48b93a3/ Broan’s website: https://broan-nutone.com/en-us Broan Specficier tools (A variety of code-compliant specification tools for project applications): https://broan-nutone.com/en-us/home/specifier-tools The Home Ventilating Institute (HVI): www.hvi.org Links to ASHRAE 62.1 and 62.2 standards: https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/bookstore/standards-62-1-62-2 One of many sites to find building codes by state: https://ibhs.org/public-policy/building-codes-by-state/ Listen to full episode here.
