HVAC Adjustments Mean Cleaner Air Indoors

Facilities Operations at The University of Scranton is in the process of implementing multiple recommendations made through a Campus Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Survey of academic buildings and most office buildings on campus. The survey was completed by Martin Rogers Engineering Consultants in the spring semester.

The recommendations included the increase of outdoor air and relief air of HVAC systems where possible. This process reduces the recirculation of air into the space while improving the air quality by flushing more impurities out of the space. The University will run HVAC systems longer, both before and after the space is occupied, in order to clear more aerosols from the space. The University will also increase the supply air rate in the HVAC system by increasing the fan speeds wherever possible, thereby increasing the air change rate in the space. The University has also treated all heating and cooling coils with an anti-bacterial spray and will replace air filters prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

Lastly, the University will replace electric hand driers with paper towel dispensers, since studies have shown that electric hand driers can circulate aerosolized particulate.

For residence hall bedrooms and remote office spaces that did not have HVAC systems and, therefore, were not included in the survey, portable room air cleaners with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters will be used. HEPA is a type of pleated mechanical air filter that can remove 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles down to 0.1 microns.