Cold Climate Ductless HRV? Choose the Vents TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro

Introducing the Vents TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro: A Cold-Climate Ready, IAQ focused Ductless HRV for Smarter Single-Room Ventilation.

If you live (or build) in a cold climate, you already know the pain: opening windows for “fresh air” is a fast way to throw comfort (and energy) out the window. At the same time, tighter homes, new builds, retrofits, condos, additions can trap humidity, odors, VOCs, and CO₂. The result is that familiar mix of stuffy air, lingering smells, condensation on windows, and rooms that never quite feel “fresh.” This mix can also be deadly for immune compromised individuals, children or adults with asthma and other related health conditions.

That’s the niche the Vents TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro was built to fill: a premium, through-the-wall ductless heat recovery ventilator designed for continuous, balanced air exchange in individual rooms, without running ductwork, and with features that make cold-weather operation far more practical than basic single-room ventilators.

The TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro is a single-room ductless HRV (often searched as “Ductless HRV”) that supplies fresh outdoor air and exhausts stale indoor air at the same time, using a counterflow copper heat exchanger to recover heat and help maintain comfort.

Why Ductless ventilation is exploding right now

Central whole-home HRV/ERV systems are ideal, when you can run ducts and have space for the equipment. But many homeowners and contractors solve ventilation room-by-room because it’s often the most realistic option and more wallet friendly if ducts aren't available.

The Twinfresh Elite 160 Pro Ductless HRV is ideal for:

• Bedrooms (where CO₂ spikes overnight)
• Home offices (stale air and headaches are common)
• Basements (humidity, musty odors, lingering VOCs)
• Additions & renovations (no easy duct path)
• Condos / apartments (limited mechanical access)
• Older homes (upgrade IAQ without tearing walls open)

The TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro is purpose-built for these use cases, especially when cold weather and automation matter.

What makes the Elite 160 Pro different

The Twinfresh Elite 160 Pro is designed for true balanced ventilation using independent high efficiency EC supply and exhaust fans and a counterflow copper core.

Balanced ventilation through one wall opening

You don’t need a second unit to balance the airflow. The Elite 160 Pro supplies and exhausts simultaneously through a single penetration, great for rooms that need consistent fresh air without pressure issues.

Heat recovery efficiency up to 88%

Ventilating with outdoor air usually means energy loss. With heat recovery, outgoing warm air helps temper incoming cool air. The result is a room that feels fresher without feeling like a draft.

Smart IAQ automation (humidity + VOC + CO₂)

Indoor air quality is a mix of moisture, chemical off-gassing, and occupancy-related CO₂. The Pro model’s sensors help the unit respond automatically instead of relying on someone remembering to change fan speeds.

Cold-climate features that matter

Cold-weather ventilation requires a plan for frost and comfort. 

The Elite 160 Pro includes:

Automatic frost protection

A built-in electric heater (100 W) that can be set to engage at low outdoor temperatures (below ~35°F) to help maintain a comfortable supply air temperature

How the TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro works
The simple explanation

The unit continuously pulls stale indoor air out and brings fresh outdoor air in, while a heat exchanger transfers heat from the exhaust stream to the incoming stream. You get fresh air with less heat loss than open-window ventilation.

The technical explanation

The Elite 160 Pro uses a counterflow copper core with separated intake and exhaust passages, transferring heat without cross-contamination. Independent EC supply and exhaust fans maintain continuous airflow: exhaust air passes through the inner channels of the core, while outdoor air is drawn through the outer channels, absorbing recovered heat before it’s delivered back to the room.

Cold-climate ready: why this matters for ductless HRV/ERV buyers

Cold climates make ventilation harder for two reasons:

1. Comfort: bringing cold air into a room feels unpleasant
2. Frost: heat exchangers can ice up in certain conditions

The Twinfresh Elite 160 Pro is designed to address both:

1. Copper heat exchanger plus automatic frost protection to support continuous operation
2. Optional heater function (100 W) that can be configured to pre-warm supply air at low outdoor temperatures, helping maintain comfort and more stable ventilation

Indoor air quality automation: set it and forget it

The Twinfresh Elite 160 Pro includes integrated monitoring and control designed to keep IAQ stable without constant adjustments:

• Humidity and temperature sensors
• VOC and CO₂ monitoring
• Auto mode that adjusts fan speed based on set points
• Control via Wi-Fi app plus Google Assistant support

In real life:

Cooking increases VOC → fan speed increases automatically

Bedrooms occupied overnight increase CO₂ → ventilation increases

Levels return to normal → fan speed tapers down

Where the Elite 160 Pro fits best

The Elite 160 Pro is positioned for rooms up to 500 sq ft (depending on layout, door undercuts, and air pathways). It’s a single-room solution, ideal when you need targeted ventilation where it matters most.

Common deployment patterns:

• One unit in a problem room (basement / office)
• One unit in a primary bedroom (fresh sleep air)
• Multiple units across key rooms for broader coverage in ductless retrofits

Performance highlights

• Airflow: 33 CFM
• Heat recovery efficiency: up to 88%
• Power: up to 22 W (plus 100 W heater)
• Power supply: 120V / 60 Hz
• Ingress rating: IPX4
• Sound: up to 2.9 sones @ 10 ft (varies by speed)
• Filtration: MERV 5 supply & exhaust
• For rooms up to 500 sq ft
• Minimum wall thickness: 6" (includes a 10" compensation duct)
• Core hole required: Ø 6 3/4" (172 mm)

Installation overview

The Elite 160 Pro is designed for through-wall installation in an exterior wall and requires a 6 3/4" (172 mm) round core hole.

Included components:

• Mounting template
• Hardware kit
• Wedges and sealer
• 10" UV-protected compensation ABS duct
• Remote control
• User manual

Installation note: Set the sleeve/unit at a 3° pitch downward to the exterior to support condensate drainage. The exterior hood is equipped with a drain hole which needs to be mounted facing downwards.

Ductless HRV/ERV vs exhaust-only fans

An exhaust-only fan removes air, but it doesn’t control where replacement air comes from. That can pull air from attics, garages, crawlspaces, doors and windows or other undesirable places.

A balanced ductless HRV/ERV approach is different:

1. Exhaust and supply happen at the same time
2. Incoming air is filtered
3. Heat is recovered instead of wasted

For many buyers, the difference is controlled, comfortable, filtered ventilation.

Maintenance and ownership

Best practices:

• Check, clean, or replace filters on schedule (maintenance indication helps)
• Keep the exterior hood clear of snow, lint, and debris
• Use scheduling/timers to match occupancy patterns
• Let Auto mode handle daily changes in indoor air quality

FAQs

Does this unit need a second unit to balance airflow?
No. The Vents TwinFresh Elite 160 Pro is designed for balanced supply and exhaust through a single wall opening.

Can I run it in supply-only or exhaust-only mode?
Yes. It supports heat recovery mode, supply-only, exhaust-only, and automatic modes.

How do I control it?
Use the remote, the Wi-Fi smartphone app, or supported voice control integrations.

What filtration does it use?
Standard filtration is MERV 5 for both supply and exhaust.