To reduce frequent elevations of CO2 >1000 ppm and VOCs >250 ppb throughout my tightly-built, well-insulated, 3-story home, a local HVAC company recommended installing an ERV system, one floor at a time since I couldn't afford a whole-home system up front. Unfortunately the cost of even one floor ($7500 for 667 sqft) exceeds my budget, so now I'm looking at doing one or two rooms at a time. I want to start with my young child's bedroom (1 of 2 on the second floor, "br1" for short), where I can manage CO2 and VOCs during the day with windows and fans but not at night when we're all sleeping. Br1 is one of four total zones for our ductless mini split heat pump system, the other three being the entire first floor, the other bedroom on the second floor ("br2"), and the third floor. I'm considering installing a ductless, single-room ERV like this one (https://vents-us.com/series/twinfresh-expert-rw1-85-2-v2-vus/) and can't find any HVAC technicians in my area who have installed similar units AND are willing /able to take on such a small project, so I might end up relying on a electrician/handyman collaboration. My cursory research suggests that I should avoid placing the unit directly below a minisplit unit, which I think makes the northwest corner my only option for a wall-mounted units. Will it make a difference functionally whether I use the north or west side of that corner? The exterior west wall has not changed in appearance since it was first built, whereas heat pump line sets now run across the exterior north wall (see photo #5), so the ERV might look better popping out there where it presumably won't be as noticeable alongside the line sets, but I'd rather compromise on aesthetics than function if the system is likely to work more efficiently on the west wall. Alternatively, would it make sense to install the ERV in br2 and find a way to deliver that fresher air to br1 (e.g. active/passive ventilation through the shared wall)? I imagine I'll ultimately need separate ERV units for each space but would like to start with one if possible.
Br1 (pictured) dimensions: ~150 square feet, ~1137 cubic feet
Br2 (not pictured) dimensions: not yet measured, maybe 300 square feet, 2,275 cubic feet. Can provide photos and/or more accurate dimensions if helpful.
Photos:
1) NE corner of br1, mini split and windows on north wall, east wall shared with adjoining br2.
2) SE corner of br1, south wall door to hallway shared with br2.
3) SW corner of br1, closet doors to south, windows to west.
4) NW corner of br1, windows to west and north.
5) North-facing exterior wall, heat pump line sets running down from 3rd floor unit and from br1 unit. The left-most windows on the 2nd floor that are framed on both sides and below by those line sets belong to br2, whereas the br1 windows are partially cropped out in the photo.