Page 18 - Climate Control News September 2022

Air Movement, Fans & Ventilation
Research project
a breath of fresh air
SIMPLE CHANGES TO VENTILATION SYSTEMS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19 AND REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN OFFICE BUILDINGS, NEW RESEARCH HAS FOUND.
reduce carbon footprint and infectious disease transmission,” he said.
“Since the majority of city energy cost goes to ventilation of our buildings, the outcomes from BREATH will improve our ability to reach net zero carbon faster.”
University of Melbourne vice-president (Strategy and Culture) Dr Julie Wells said the project shows how the University tackles prob- lems of local and global significance with its partners.
“This collaborative pilot demonstrates the positive impact that the University of Mel- bourne’s research can have on human health and energy consumption,” Dr Wells said.
“The findings provide a great basis for building owners to proceed with an informed approach to ventilation options. We look forward to more great results arising from partnership projects developed with the City of Melbourne and indus- try partners.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said bringing people back to the city safely remains a key priority.
“The research findings are publicly available online and free for any organisation to access. We encourage building owners, tenants and partners to take them on board, and to help us create more healthy and sustainable workspaces in the CBD,” she said.
City of Melbourne Sustainable Building port- folio lead Councillor Elizabeth Doidge said the research can benefit businesses helping to reduce their environmental footprint and operating costs.”
“We’re committed to working closely with our partners and will continue to support the crea- tion of buildings that are more sustainable for our environment and for the future of our city, its businesses and its people,” she said.
The BREATH project was delivered with industry partners Cbus Property, AG Coombs, SEED Engineering and Westaflex, with peer review by AURECON.
THE FINDINGS ARE part of a pilot re- search project led by the City of Mel- bourne in partnership with the Uni- versity of Melbourne and Cbus Property.
The BREATH project tested and evaluated three different ventilation systems in a vacant CBD building over three months.
The systems tested were displacement ventila- tion air conditioning, in-ceiling air filters and natural airflow through open windows.
The project found that all three ventilation systems reduced the potential transmission of airborne viruses when compared to mixed ven- tilation, improving safety for office workers.
The most effective and energy efficient system tested was displacement ventilation air condi- tioning which supplies air from floor level.
This system reduced COVID-19 transmission by 83 per cent while also reducing energy con- sumption by 20 per cent.
However, displacement ventilation is the most expensive to install but there are no ongoing maintenance costs.
TOP: City of Melbourne. ABOVE: Professor Jason Monty.
In-ceiling air filters reduced virus transmis- sion by 49 per cent but resulted in an increase in energy consumption.
Opening windows reduced virus transmis- sion by 53 per cent, but increased energy use by up to 20 per cent with seasonal temperature variations.
“THE FINDINGS PROVIDE BUILDING OWNERS WITH AN INFORMED APPROACH TO VENTILATION OPTIONS.”
Opening windows is not available to all office buildings and is not a viable solution due to Mel- bourne’s climate.
University of Melbourne head of mechanical engineering Professor Jason Monty said the col- laboration between local government, industry and academics is a world-first.
“BREATH has given us the knowledge to pre- dict the best type of retrofit to simultaneously
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