Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
Energy Conservation Comes to Labs at Harvard's School of Public Health
Laboratories are one of the most energy-intensive building typologies, often consuming 3-5 times the MMBtu per square foot compared to office buildings. This is mostly due to the need for single pass ventilation in the building, resulting in high heating and cooling requirements.
The School of Public Health has installed a new technology in one of its largest lab building, the FXB Building, that will allow for demand control ventilation in the labs, resulting in significant energy savings for the building. It is estimated that this project will reduce energy use by almost $25,000 per year in FXB with less than a 2.5 year payback.
The OptiNet AirCuity controls system uses a multi-point sampling system to cost-effectively monitor multiple indoor environmental parameters in the air, such as temperature, CO2 levels, humidity, particulates, and total VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The monitoring system is connected to the HVAC system and allows the HVAC system to react to the actual operating conditions in the building. For example, if the minimum allowable level of particulates is triggered, from a spill or chemical leak, the HVAC system will automatically increase air changes per hour (ACH) in the space to a set level.
The real-time data is also transmitted wirelessly to a web page, allowing facilities staff to have more information on the actual operating conditions of the building. The HGCI is hoping that the HSPH project will open the way for the HGCI to promote these kinds of strategies to other laboratory buildings around campus. The HSPH project leader is Danny Beaudoin.
Harvard School of Public Health
Francis Xavier Bagnoud Building
Architect: Payette Associates
Photo: Brian Vanden Brink