We used to have no air returns in our basement...built in the 90's...and it was cold down there. When we redid our furnaces and AC units and systems, we rerouted some ducts and added cold air returns. What a difference!! Does it get cold in your climate?

It gets colder than almost anywhere on the earth! I'm exaggerating, but do live in the Winnipeg area. What I need to know, though, is whether or not the bases are covered here in my situation.

Well seems like it’s going to be very cold in winter?

I think this is a common practice. Fortunately it's not hard to cut in a central return if you want to add one. Our building codes (and most builders) seem to assume an unoccupied, mostly un-conditioned basement-- they specify insulation, for example, between the basement and first floor. Only the recent "stretch code" changes for energy efficiency require adequate basement insulation.

Hi, Tom,

You don't note whether the basement is finished living area. If not, it wouldn't require heating or air conditioning provided there is insulation installed in the basement ceiling to insulate it from the conditioned living area. It would, however, benefit from ventilation and it sounds like the HRV is designed to provide that. If it is finished living area, it may be conditioned by heating only. That could be provided by a different system-such as mini splits, baseboard radiant heat, electric radiant heat, etc. than the central system serving the upper floor(s.)

I think we need more info and the HVAC guy is who you should be asking this question since he has been there

Why would you expect to find returns in a basement, which when unfinished is considered a storage room, when there is no supply to balance? At most an open basement's furnace (cold climate) may have a return at the plenum, so why does this stand out to you as not "proper HVAC" in what appears to be a spec house (no A/C installed initially) in I'm guessing Minnesota with the HRV?

Edit: oops, forgot it was Canada. If your region is not strict about measuring the envelope tightness like Minnesota is, and the builder still installed an HRV, then that is a good thing. And now I see why no A/C was there, but the comments on lack of return in the basement still applies.

Is the basement unfinished or is it a living space?

Ditto to those commenting: if there is no supply in the basement, you would not add return air. Without a supply of conditioned, dry air, you'd simply be pulling dirty moist air from the basement and dumping it into the conditioned space. The only air changes would be in sucking air through any gaps in the basement envelope

I believe the diffusers on the ceiling in the basement push out heat when the furnace is running. There are two bedrooms down there, one that is quite large as it has a walk in closet, and it is a finished basement.

The area leading up the stairs is quite wide and large and I am wondering if that is supposed to suffice?

Best practice is to provide a return in each bedroom. An alternative would be a transfer grill in each bedroom with one or more returns on the same (basement) level.

I wonder why, though, with a new house build in a bitterly cold climate that they would not do that? Is it possibly unnecessary with an HRV unit in place?

I believe it is connected to the existing forced-air heating system.

If the HRV is interconnected with the heating and air conditioning system then it would be delivering fresh air to rooms in proportion to their heating and cooling loads (i.e., the calculated room air flows) rather than where it makes most sense from an occupant standpoint. Since people tend to spend eight hours each day in a bedroom (teenagers being the notable exception) it makes more sense to deliver fresh air to bedrooms than it does to evenly distribute fresh air throughout a home. Full disclosure: I can't promise your teenager's behavior or skin will be better by introducing fresh air into the bedrooms, but it can't hurt.

I think a better ventilation strategy is to take stale air from rooms like bathrooms, laundry rooms and closets and deliver fresh air to bedrooms. It would be interesting to get your HVAC designers' take on it.

I agree. I'm talking to someone next week. I talked to one of the HVAC gentlemen just now and he told me they usually put at least a couple of fresh air returns in the basement and he is wondering if they have been covered up. He is sending by a person that is in part responsible for the design next week. There are air diffusers in the bedrooms downstairs. They also have separate controls in the bathrooms to turn on after you shower for 20, 40, or 60 minutes. The small laundry room has one of those 20, 40, 60 minute switches, too. The kitchen just relies on an exhaust fan.