20
cubic feet per minute (CFM) of outdoor air per person
40
cubic feet per minute (CFM) of outdoor air per person
Following the release of The COGfx Study, which showed dramatic impacts of ventilation on cognitive function, the research team sought to evaluate the economic and environmental costs against the health and productivity benefits of enhanced ventilation in office buildings. Studying three ventilation strategies and four different heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems across seven U.S. cities, the team found that the indoor environment previously associated with a doubling of cognitive function test scores can be achieved at an energy cost between $14 and $40 per person per year and result in as much as a $6,500 equivalent in improved productivity per person per year. When energy-efficient technologies are utilized, the study found the energy costs to be between $1 and $18 per person per year, with a minimized environmental impact equivalent to approximately 0.03 cars on the road per building per year.
cubic feet per minute (CFM) of outdoor air per person
cubic feet per minute (CFM) of outdoor air per person
in employee decision-making performance
Three decades of research show the health benefits of increased ventilation, and now our recent research shows that these benefits extend to cognitive function, yet enhanced ventilation credits in green building certification systems are not uniformly pursued. We sought to understand potential barriers to widespread adoption.
This research suggests that the health and productivity benefits far outweigh energy costs and environmental impacts can be mitigated through a variety of readily available strategies. It is time we move away from ventilation designed for merely acceptable indoor air quality and move towards design for optimal indoor air quality. We have been presented with the false choice of energy efficiency or healthy indoor environments for too long. We can – and must – have both."
Used Carrier’s Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) to calculate in kWh, then converted to kBtu/year
Average state utility prices for each city to estimate
Derived using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Power Profiler Tool
It’s important to note that our study provides a conservative estimate of the benefits of enhanced ventilation because we focused solely on cognitive function. The public health literature indicates that we would expect many co-benefits of increasing ventilation rates, such as reduced absenteeism due to illness, which has clear impacts on productivity."
*For variable air volume and fan coil unit systems with the addition of an energy recovery ventilator. The study examined four different heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system strategies (Variable Air Volume (VAV) with reheat and Fan Coil Unit (FCU), both with and without an energy recovery ventilator).
**Department of Energy Medium Office Prototype
MacNaughton P, Pegues J, Satish U, Santanam S, Spengler JD, Allen JG. 2015. Economic, Environmental and Health Implications of Enhanced Ventilation in Office Buildings. Int J Environ Res Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph120x0000x
Primary support for the study came from Carrier.
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