HVAC Adjustments Continued for Cleaner Air Indoors

In response to the pandemic last year, Facilities Operations at The University of Scranton implemented multiple adjustments to Campus Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in academic buildings and most office buildings on campus to improve indoor air quality.

The University increased the 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 also continue to 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 has replaced air filters prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

For residence hall bedrooms and remote office spaces that did not have HVAC systems, the University has provided portable room air cleaners with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. 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. New HEPA filters have bene installed in all the existing portable air cleaners in preparation of the fall semester.