Which type of ventilation is focused on recovering energy for reuse?

The correct answer, which focuses on recovering energy for reuse, is energy recovery ventilation. This type of ventilation system is specifically designed to transfer heat and moisture between incoming and outgoing air streams. By utilizing a heat exchanger, energy recovery ventilation can pre-condition incoming fresh air by using the energy from the outgoing stale air, thereby improving the overall energy efficiency of a building.

This system is particularly beneficial in climates where there is a significant difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures. It helps reduce heating and cooling costs by retaining valuable thermal energy that would otherwise be lost. Furthermore, energy recovery ventilation provides a continuous supply of fresh air while minimizing the energy demand from heating or cooling systems.

In contrast, the other options represent different forms of ventilation that do not primarily aim at recovering and reusing energy. Exhaust ventilation systems remove stale air from a building but do not recover energy from that air. Passive ventilation relies on natural processes like wind and thermal buoyancy to circulate air, without any mechanical means or energy recovery process. Mechanical ventilation does provide controlled air supply or removal but does not inherently focus on energy recovery like energy recovery ventilation does.