Founded in 1928 by Elizabeth Hart Shields Eddy, Eddy Village Green skilled nursing care center
began as a 19-bed nursing home in Troy, NY.
Today, through an array of various housing, home care, and other senior services, “The Eddy”
serves more than 40,000 people in 22 counties. Administered by Northeast Health, a regional
health care network, the system includes Eddy Village Green at Cohoes, in Cohoes, NY.
Completed in 2009, this facility consists of 16 ranch-style homes modeled after The Green
House ®, an innovative concept that eliminates the institutional feel of traditional nursing
facilities. Serving the elderly of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area, these efficient and cost effective units uphold and enhance Elizabeth Eddy’s original vision of safety, comfort, and top quality care.
Designed by architecture+
(Troy, NY), each home has
12 private bedrooms and
baths surrounding a core
public area, which includes a
small library and a family style kitchen/living/dining
area. Although they are
designed with the latest
technology and security in
mind, they are also very
comfortable thanks to
efficient heating and cooling
systems that operate with
outside air ventilation 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.
ERV TO THE RESCUE
In configuring an HVAC system for the facility, the architectural/engineering firm SMRT sought
a system with minimal first cost as well as minimal operating costs. In the end, SMRT designed
such a system — a 13-ton unitary HVAC unit with an integrated Airxchange® energy recovery
wheel (also known as a heat wheel or enthalpy wheel) to supply 3,500 cfm of outside air to each
Green House.
This energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system not only provides exceptional comfort and IAQ,
it dramatically reduces energy costs. And because the system operates so efficiently, SMRT was
able to specify smaller HVAC units, reducing first cost as well. These units are mounted on a
curb adjacent to each structure.
With units operating 24/7, SMRT wanted the most efficient system possible, and Russ Bailey,
P.E., of SMRT, knew integrated energy recovery wheels would yield significant energy savings.
With rising energy costs and climate concerns, energy recovery wheels are an ideal way to
reduce HVAC costs while complying with code-mandated outside air requirements. The wheels
recycle the heating and cooling energy in exhaust air (not the air itself), thereby reducing the
load on the HVAC system. This reduction in load not only translates into significant ongoing
cost savings, but it also allows the downsizing of HVAC equipment, thereby reducing first cost
and providing an immediate return on investment.
RESULTS
The results are impressive: Based on local utility rates, Northeast Health is saving $23,168 every
year, compared to what the not-for-profit business would have been paying with a conventional
HVAC system. The system also has proven to be reliable and easy to maintain.
“There has never been a complaint about air freshness,” says Tom Gray, Northeast Health’s
director of facilities management. Gray also emphasizes the quiet operation of the system, which
provides continuous comfort despite the region’s very cold winters and hot, humid summers.
“Keeping the wheel segments clean could not be easier,” adds Gray. “We slide the cassette part
way out of the unit and remove the segments for quick cleaning when the filters are changed. We
recently purchased a spare set for those times when an overnight soak is required to remove
grease or oily contaminants.”