University Health Network (Exhaust Fan Application)

Aircuity case study

University Health Network Exhaust Fan Application Compliments Aircuity Lab Building Installation, Increasing Savings

U niversity Health Network (UHN) is Canada's bors in the tight downtown area. The study largest research hospital which operates four major determined that beginning fan HP could be re- hospitals and one teaching institute: Toronto West- duced from 480 down to 100HP. When Aircuity ern Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Princess detects any contamination in the exhaust ple- Margret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation num, fan speeds are ramped back up to full speed Institute and The Michener Institute. until the air is clean again. This ensures energy savings but also a healthy space for research- Aircuity was initially installed in the Princess ers and occupants of surrounding buildings. Margaret Cancer Research Tower in the MaRS Discovery District. The platform's DCV control of the labs' supply air saved approximately $800,000. UHN was happy with the savings but at the same time they knew more could be done. An important compliment to Aircuity’s platform in lab buildings is the exhaust fan application. PMCRT was designed with twelve 40HP fans in groups of three (4 triplexes) serving each quadrant of the lab floor plate of the building. Before the exhaust fan project was implemented the exhaust system was designed to produce a continuous discharge plume with an exit velocity of 3,000 ft/min. Not only was there a lot of clean outside air being blown up through the fans but many times the air coming from the fume hoods was also clean. UHN worked with Aircuity chan- nel partner AirGenuity to implement the exhaust At the same time that the exhaust fan applica- fan application for maximum savings in the tion was being installed at PMCRT, University building. Health Network installed Aircuity to optimize New variable frequency drives were installed supply and exhaust air in the Krembil Research enabling fan speeds to be ramped down or up Tower as well. according to building needs. Also, a wind tun- RESULTS nel study was done to ensure a safe beginning In order to confirm savings UHN conduct- fan horsepower that prevents the emissions ed pre-retrofit measurements using the new sys- from reaching any of UHN's HVAC rooftop tem and running the VFDs at 100% speed and intakes and those of their surrounding neigh- then compared that to the power used once PMCRT Lab EFs - Total Power Consumption (kW)

Aircuity’s exhaust fan application was implemented. University Health Network has made it a national UHN then extrapolated those savings to get annu- and international source for discovery, education al savings of 1,550,000 kWh (equivalent to 160 and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based houses in Ontario) and electric peak demand savings research program in Canada, with major research of 111.7 kW (equivalent to running 1,400 flat screen in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, TVs simultaneously). This equals a cost savings of surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic med- $200,000 annually. When coupled with savings icine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health from the previous Aircuity lab project in PMCRT, Network is a research hospital affiliated with the the reduction in utility costs through Aircuity equals University of Toronto. www.uhn.ca. approximately $1,000,000 annually. ABOUT AIRCUITY “Research has to be innovative and that applies to more Aircuity creates smart airside solutions through than bench discovery but to the way we build and manage its intelligent building platform, significantly our research environments. We wanted to create the reducing energy costs and improving the indoor best research spaces possible but in an environmentally environmental quality for occupants. As the demand and fiscally responsible manner. We looked for innova- control solution, Aircuity optimizes ventilation tive solutions and partnering with AirGenuity/Aircuity rates through its patented technology. As a result, was absolutely the right choice." commercial, institutional and lab building owners Ian McDermott, Senior Director can lower operating costs, protect occupants and Research Facilities verifiably reduce energy use by as much as 60 percent. University Health Network Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Newton, MA, Aircuity’s solutions have benefited over 400 ABOUT UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK organizations such as Google, Amazon, Eli Lilly, University Health Network consists of Toronto West- Masdar City, the University of Pennsylvania, and ern Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Princess the University of California-Irvine. For additional Margaret Cancer Research Tower, Toronto Re- information on the company and its solutions, habilitation Institute and The Michener Institute. please visit: www.aircuity.com. The scope of research and complexity of cases at