Recently the majority of multi-family residential buildings have satisfied the ventilation requirements of the dwelling units via natural ventilation and have not provided an additional means of mechanical ventilation. Changes to ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and the adoption of those changes into local codes require multi-family dwelling units to be mechanically ventilated. This paper evaluates systems and equipment available to meet the code mandated mechanical ventilation requirements and discusses the impacts of the selection on the building. Areas of impact evaluated are building aesthetics, capital cost, annual energy cost, utility billing structure, building space requirements, systems and equipment maintenance and green construction rating impact.