Environmental impact of ventilation systems

Purpose of the LCA analysis

This LCA analysis is completed by the consulting engineering firm MOE on behalf of Airmaster and provides an environmental perspective to the choise of ventilaiton system

Purpose of the LCA analysis

The construction industry is behind a considerable amount of the worlds gathered climate impact, which is why there has been a sharpened focus on reducing the CO2-emission, especially from building materials and operating energy.

To contribute to this matter, Airmaster has developed a LCA analysis based on a decentralized ventilation solution and a centralized ventilation solution in a specific renovation-case of a school.

The LCA analysis is completed by the Danish consulting engineering firm Artelia on behalf of Airmaster.

If you wish to receive the full report by mail, please contact our export sales team:
Claus Pasgaard: cp@airmaster.dk
Anders Eskildsen: aes@airmaster.d

Conclusion

The case study shows that for a 25-year period, the total CO2 emission from a decentralized ventilation system including operational energy is 52% lower than for a centralized VAV system.

For the decentralized ventilation system, only air handlings units, inlets/outlets and operational electricity contribute to the CO2 emission, whereas ducts, dampers, diffusers and district heating contribute additionally to the emission from the centralized VAV system.

If the operational energy is left out in the environmental assessment of the two ventilation systems, the savings for the decentralized system is 42%.

Are the ventilation systems considered in relation to an entire building, the study shows that the centralized VAV system accounts for 18% of the total CO2 emission from the building, whereas the decentralized system only accounts for 10%.

In addition to these findings, the study shows, that the total material consumption is reduced by 50% if the decentralized system is chosen instead of the traditional VAV system1.

1Results are based on a background report made by Artelia A/S

Prerequisites

The case study is based on a 2630 m² building section of a Danish primary school, where decentralized Airmaster units have been installed in 31 classrooms during refurbishment.

This scenario is compared to a fictitious scenario, where the chosen ventilation system is changed to a central VAV system, which includes ducts, dampers and diffusers. The central air handling unit and the ventilation ducts are for this scenario assumed to be installed on the roof and are hereby insulated against heat loss.

The CO2 emission for both ventilation systems are evaluated on the bases of two life cycle assessments, which are based on specific material quantities, generic material datasets from the German Ökobau database and environmental data from a reference building. This means that the findings for the present study is a general study of two ventilation systems with the investigated material quantities, and not a product specific study.

The study follows the guidelines for the new voluntary sustainability class in Denmark, except for the calculation period, which is set to the estimated lifetime of the air handling units of 25 years.

Related information

Case

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Silkeborg Municipality takes the indoor climate problem seriously. Over the past eight years, the municipality has worked strategically to create a healthier indoor climate for the municipality's children and young people.

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Decentralized ventilation is an important proposal for a sustainable indoor climate

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New study shows: Ventilation reduces airborne transmission

With Corona cases expected to rise towards fall and winter, the World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging the use of proper ventilation in schools and offices. This urgent need for ventilation in public spaces is further supported by a recently published Italian research project highlighting how effective mechanical ventilation reduces the risk of airborne transmission.