Since we have a wood burning fireplace, installing an HRV was a requirement. An HRV, as this article explains, is a simple device that keeps heat in while moving stale air out. It's a good idea regardless of whether you have a wood burning fireplace or not, but like everything else in construction, it comes at a cost.
One of the difficult things in our environment is that we have to plan for temperatures ranging from minus forty to plus forty... so we go nuts with insulation requirements and sealing the house up as tight as can be. This is great for energy efficiency and comfort, but it can lead to more stale air in the house (the furnace does not run as much as it used to!) and sometimes moisture build up in bathrooms (the moist air can't simply disappear through uninsulated walls anymore). That's why I always recommend running bathroom fans an excessive amount of time in new homes (30 minutes per shower, and that's with a good fan) and that's why many mechanical engineers are adding HRVs to the mix.
Building is not getting cheaper... sigh.
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