Air Conditioning For Educational Facilities

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To some people air conditioning and air filtration in a school may seem like a luxury but they are both essential to the proper maintenance of educational buildings. By neglecting to manage the moisture level within your school building you risk major damage to the furniture, walls, ceiling, computers, books and to the structure in general. A properly managed HVAC system with HEPA filters can prevent the growth of mold, which threatens the building but more importantly the health of the students, faculty and staff. But the benefits of air-conditioning and air filtration in a school go beyond that. Research has shown that maintaining a comfortable interior climate within a school increases the productivity of both students and teachers. There’s even a correlation between the presence of air-conditioning and academic achievement. So today when so many educational buildings are in use year round by both children and adults proper HVAC facility management is a must.

Educational buildings are particularly vulnerable to moisture during summer breaks. When buildings are less occupied air conditioning and HEPA ...
... air filtration systems may be shut down to save on energy costs. When you combine regular summer maintenance activities like the painting of rooms and cleaning of rugs with the increase in humidity you get a perfect storm for mold. During the summer your building is also at its’ highest risk for moisture related issues like pest infestation and damage to the buildings components. Without proper air filtration a major mold problem could arise in just a few days and you could be faced with a clean-up and mold remediation project that could potentially cost upward of six figures. This is the period when professional facilities management pays off the most.

The Environmental Protection Agency suggests that if you’re installing a new HVAC system, be sure you have a facilities management team that automates the outdoor intake dampers and installs carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors throughout the facility. CO2 sensors are inexpensive, easy to install and can save you money. This is the most reliable way to insure your air conditioning is running during periods when the building is less occupied while at the same time keeping the outdoor intake dampers closed and moisture levels down. Some other suggestions from the EPA include:

Scheduling carpet cleaning and painting for less humid times of year if possible

Installing a manual thermostat override so during off-hours staff can turn on the HVAC system for a limited preset amount time

Cycling the air conditioning system for several hours a day to reduce indoor moisture even when the build is empty

If you have an HVAC system a professional facilities management team can help you to avoid potential catastrophes in your educational building. But just as importantly, with the AC working properly more and more students will start finding school, to be pretty cool.