Creating Healthy, Decarbonized Classrooms

Many classroom environments are unhealthy and uncomfortable, creating poor learning environments with high absenteeism. Older, unventilated classrooms can be economically decarbonized with improved air quality and comfort. This session will present the conversion of a junior high school classroom, featuring a "rolling" room-by-room installation process using a community's local HVAC installation labor with one day of classroom downtime. We will examine before-and-after indoor air quality and comfort data from the converted classroom, as well as health, energy and cost information for similar classroom conversions.

Session Speaker(s): 

Session Chair(s): 

Event Time: 

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Room / Location:
Harbor 1

CEU Information: 

Approved for 1 credit hour toward AIA (LU|HSW), BOC, BPI, GBCI (BD+C, O+M, WELL), and NARI certification. Credit is offered for each full conference day toward MA CSL, PHI, Phius, and RESNET certification.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe how students and teaching staff generate pollutants (carbon dioxide, VOCs and particulates) in classroom environments.
  • Assess how much fresh air must be supplied and how much indoor air must be recirculated through filters in order to maintain a healthy, productive learning environment.
  • Analyze energy and energy cost during occupied and unoccupied periods in classrooms with healthy ventilation and efficient, low temperature heat pump technologies.
  • Estimate installation and equipment costs for decarbonizing and improving IAQ in older classrooms.

Session ID: 

BOS23-601

Session Documents: