Jersey Shore University Medical Center Upgrades Energy Recovery Ventilation System
Location: Neptune Township, NJ
Project: The Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary, research and academic hospital founded in 1904. It also serves as a designated level II trauma and stroke center to handle medevac patients in the region and is home to the K. Hovanian Children’s hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. With over 1,000 physicians and dental staff in 60 specialty areas, interns and residents, and patients of all ages, it’s important that the facility provides a clean, safe, and healthy environment for all its occupants.
The hospital has expanded over the years to support its continuous growth, but their aging energy recovery ventilation system in the main medical building was underperforming and not providing optimum space conditions. The original energy recovery equipment that was installed in 1977. Due to the inaccessibility of the existing energy recovery wheel and the inability to effectively clean the wheel, the desired amount of outdoor air was not being delivered to ensure proper ventilation.
Indoor air quality is crucial to a hospital environment, and the cost to heat and cool a facility operating 24/7 is substantial. When it was determined the underperforming ventilation system at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center would need to be replaced over time, the medical center reached out to Airxchange® for a solution for their four failed 136” wheels.
Payoff: Over the next 3 years, Airxchange® replaced the original energy recovery wheels with a fully serviceable Energy Recovery Wheel design. Unlike the previous monolithic wheels, the new energy transfer surfaces of the segmented wheels can be effectively cleaned outside of the cabinet to ensure high performance and a long-life expectancy. With the system now operating as designed with fully serviceable wheels, the staff and patients at the Jersey Shore Medical Center can once again enjoy a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
Value of Replacement Energy Recovery Wheels at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Original Equipment: 43 Years Old
Project Date: 2017-2020
Project Scope: Replacement of four failed energy recovery wheels with Airxchange®’s segmented wheels
Total OA CFM: 134,000 – Operating 24×7
Peak Cooling Reduction: 280 Tons
Peak Heating Reduction: 6,904 MBTU/hr
*Estimated Annual Operating Savings: $125,000
*Based on the following assumptions: 84% Heating Efficiency @ $0.80 therm & $0.08 kWh / 0.8 kW/Ton Cooling Efficiency @ $0.08 perf kWh & $8.00 per kW Demand Charge.
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