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Ventilation rates in California classrooms: Why many recent HVAC retrofits are not delivering sufficient ventilation

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Previous studies have shown the common negative impact of  under-ventilation of the classroom on the health and learning of the student. In order to better understand the contributing factors, this research studies 104 classrooms from 11 different schools that upgraded to new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units. This study found that under-ventilation in the classroom was associated with improperly selected equipment, incorrect fan control setting, lack of commissioning, and maintenance issues. Having better oversight on HVAC system installation and commissioning is needed in order to ensure adequate classroom ventilation.  EPA ORD (Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment) publishes a call for a systems approach to children’s health.

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