Schools Benefit from Airxchange More Than Most
Buildings
- Schools have
higher occupant
densities than most buildings leading to higher building code
requirements for outdoor air ventilation
- Higher outdoor
air ventilation means a greater percentage of the HVAC system is
dedicated to treating outdoor air
- ERV can save up
to 40% of HVAC operating cost and should have an instant payback for
most school applications
State of Ohio Mandates Use of Energy Recovery
Ventilation in Schools.
For these reasons, the state
of Ohio mandates the use of energy recovery ventilation in all of their
schools. In their School Design manual, the State of
Ohio states:
“Energy
recovery shall be used
as a part of the design for classroom, gymnasium, locker room, and
student dining/auditorium systems in order to reduce the energy
consumption required to provide the necessary outdoor ventilation
rates. The energy recovery systems will require both sensible and
latent heat recovery necessitating the use of desiccant heat wheels or
the equivalent.”
The Environmental Protection Agency Recommends
Energy Recovery Ventilation for Schools.
The EPA also provides
extensive information regarding
indoor air quality and use of energy recovery ventilation in schools.
As part of the design process, the EPA specifically recommends energy
recovery in order to reduce by 2/3 the negative implications of outdoor
air ventilation on an HVAC system.
The EPA also
provides software to assist architects,
engineers, school officials, and others in calculating the economics of
energy recovery in schools.Learn
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