Air Handling, Ventilation, and Air Quality
On an annual basis, continuously operating air distribution fans can consume more electricity than chillers or boilers, which run only intermittently. High-efficiency air distribution systems can substantially reduce fan power required by an HVAC system, resulting in dramatic energy savings. Because fan power increases at the square of air speed, delivering a large mass of air at low velocity is a far more efficient design strategy than pushing air through small ducts at high velocity. Supplying only as much air as is needed to condition or ventilate a space through the use of variable-air-volume systems is more efficient than supplying a constant volume of air at all times.
The largest gains in efficiency for air distribution systems are realized in the system design phase during new construction or major retrofits. Modifications to air distribution systems are difficult to make in existing buildings, except during a major renovation.
Design options for improving air distribution efficiency include:
Variable-air-volume (VAV) systems
VAV diffusers
Low-pressure-drop ducting design
Lowface-velocity air handlers
Fan sizing and variable-frequency-drive (VFD) motors As part of an overall energy upgrade, Wausau West High School, Wausau Wisconsin, replaced an old ventilation system with one that introduces 100% outside air for air quality during heating and cooling operations to improve indoor air quality and provide a healthy teaching and learning environment.
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