4 minute read
MAXAIR: Bringing fresh air to the minds of the future
Woodward Hill Elementary in School District No. 36.
Our children are important to both us and the future, as is their education and health. MAXAIR realizes this and has worked with educational facilities for over 10 years to ensure that our children have a learning environment that is comfortable, clean and quiet.
comfoRTable
A key part of comfort is temperature. If a room is too cold, or too warm, then obviously there will be discomfort. Uncomfortable students have a lower attention span which directly affects their test scores.
A study done at the Westview High School, in Portland, Oregon1, indicated that room temperature has a direct impact on student attention-spans. Students who were too warm or too cold scored an average of 16 per cent less on tests than those who were in a climatecontrolled room.
MAXAIR HVAC equipment is customdesigned to fit in both new and retrofitted schools. The MAXAIR unit ventilators have the smallest footprint in the industry, making it easy to adapt units for all classroom sizes. This means that schools with space issues have the opportunity to enhance the learning environment in portable classrooms. The equipment takes up minimal space while providing maximum environmental control. We also offer humidity control that helps improve classroom comfort.
clean
Substandard ventilation can cause serious health problems for children. Many schools ventilation rates are well below the recommended levels. Adequate ventilation in the classroom will lower absentee rates and reduce the transmission of disease. As a result student performance will also improve.2
A 2006 study showed that students in classrooms with a higher fresh-air rate scored an average of 14.5 per cent higher than those in classrooms with lower ventilation rates.3 Our systems offer a maximum 3,000 CFM with our fresh-air economizer and comply with current ASHRAE standards.
MAXAIR offers higher efficiency MERV filters (8-13) which can trap almost everything from mould spores to droplet nuclei (from sneezes). MERV filters act as efficiently as HEPA filters and reduce the amount of contaminants in the air, leading to a healthier student population. The filters require minimal maintenance. Good indoor air quality reduces the symptoms of asthma and allergies, especially in children.
QuIeT
There have been many studies done which show that a quieter classroom leads to higher scholastic achievement. All the studies have shown that excessive background noise interferes with communication and learning.
In many classrooms, the HVAC produces up to 65dBA, which is the same volume as a teacher's voice one metre away. Children who sit further than one metre away will hear the HVAC noise better than the lesson.4 Teachers who attempt to be heard above the ambient HVAC noise frequently experience vocal stress and fatigue.5
MAXAIR unit ventilators are specifically designed for applications where low sound-levels are required. Unit classroom acoustics standard ANSI S12.60-2002 specifies that noise levels in core learning spaces should not exceed 35 dBA throughout the room. We have achieved the quietest unit ventilator with a rating of less than NC 30 at two feet away.
cosT-savIngs
MAXAIR unit ventilators are perfect replacements for inefficient units with bad filtration. The old units have high operational cost while offering poor climate control – and even worse air circulation. Our standard units include insulated piping and cabinets with the newest generation of high-efficiency, ECM motors. An ECM Motor saves up to 70 per cent of the operating cost over a PSC motor.6 System efficiency is further optimized by the control sequence of operations, all of which add up to operational efficiency, reduced operating costs, and savings for the educational facility.
eneRgy-effIcIenT
The students are not the only ones to benefit. MAXAIR HVAC units offer energy-savings, quiet operation, and improved ventilation. All of this provides a broad range of benefits that work to everyone's advantage: • Fewer sick calls from students and staff • Improved student performance
MAXAIR installations in over 70 per cent of B.C. school districts.
• Reduction in heating and cooling costs Whether it's a new facility or a retrofitted one, we can custom-design units that will fit in any size classroom. Our units are aesthetically pleasing and take up minimal space while meeting or exceeding your HVAC requirements.
PRoven TRack RecoRd
We have a proven record with unit placements in 70 per cent of B.C. school districts. Woodward Hill Elementary (WWH), in SD No. 36, was the first project to use our MAXAIR down-flow displacement ventilators. This new school installation included 15 ventilators tied to a geothermal system.
MAXAIR is a privately owned Canadian company operated in Coquitlam, B.C. Our products are built to meet the highest standards and are tested prior to shipment. MAXAIR unit ventilators are
Woodward Hill Elementary in School District No. 36. specifically designed for educational facilities. We want to ensure that our children have a clean, comfortable learning environment and bring fresh air to the minds of the future. b
References:
1. Josean Perez, Julio Montano and Jose Perez.(n.d.) Healthy schools as a learning tool, Healthy Schools, retrieved Sept 6, 2013 from http://healthyschools.cefpi.org. 2. EPA. November 2012. Student Health and Academic Performance Quick Reference Guide, retrieved Sept. 6, 2013, from http://www.epa.gov. 3. Shaughnessy, R.J., et al. 2006. Indoor Air 16(6): 465-468. 4. Peggy B. Nelson. February 2003. Sound in the Classroom: Why Children Need Quiet, ASHRAE Journal, page 24. 5. Smith E., et al. 1998. Frequency of voice problems among teachers and other occupations, Journal of Voice 12:480–488. 6. ECM vs. PSC Motors, Copyright 2007, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. page11.
