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System design follows study showing that improved indoor air quality doubled occupants’ cognitive function test scores.
Carrier has collaborated with the Gallipolis City School District to design and install a new multi-building HVAC solution in the district’s five schools to boost indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency. In addition to significantly reducing operating expenses in the district’s facilities, the new system is designed to leverage the knowledge gained in the CogFX scientific study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health, which found that improved IAQ doubled occupants’ cognitive function test scores. Primary support for the COGfx study came from Carrier. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions.
Following a competitive selection process, the school board voted to proceed with the project under an emergency repair and replacement clause, and Carrier helped the district with the process of securing Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding and obtaining necessary equipment through the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing program.
“We chose Carrier because of their quality products and ability to meet our timeline and service requirements, but they really went well beyond that,” “They didn’t just talk about equipment specifications and service agreements. Learning that IAQ could have a significant impact on our students’ cognitive functioning during the school day was a real eye opener,” said Gallipolis Superintendent of Schools Craig Wright.
Wright also pointed to a supplemental applied STEM curriculum in six parts, each consisting of 10 to 20 courses, developed for the high school’s students by the company’s training institute, Carrier University.
“The program gives students the opportunity to operate the energy management system in a wing of their school and make decisions,” “Essentially we’ve created a living STEM laboratory where they get to control their own indoor climate. It’s not a simulation—it’s part of the system that determines the quality of the atmosphere in their own learning environment,” said Joshua Branham, Carrier Sales Manager.
The school district’s updated equipment includes three AquaForce® 30XV high-efficiency air-cooled chillers and boilers at the middle and high schools, new Toshiba Carrier variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems controlled by an Automated Logic WebCTRL® building automation system, and Airedale units in the middle schools.
“By keeping the timeline on track throughout the project—most of the equipment in every building will be fully controlled and operational by August 12—Carrier has made a big difference in the day-to-day life of the school, in both large and small ways,” “Getting the system in place at the Gallia Academy High School as fast as they did saved the prom,” said Wright.
“Carrier is working with school districts to implement layered HVAC replacement and retrofit solutions, such as our Abound digital platform connected to equipment and sensors providing real-time insights about IAQ, thermal comfort and energy usage,” “We tailor our solutions to each school building’s existing air systems for immediate and long-term improvement for the well-being of students and staff. ESSER funds offer educators and administrators the chance to make critical investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment that will impact generations of students,” said Meredith Emmerich, Vice President, North America Commercial HVAC, Carrier.
To learn more about Carrier’s K-12 solutions, visit https://www.carrier.com/commercial/en/us/k-12
