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AFEC, the Association of HVAC Equipment Manufacturers, has published the “Ventilation Recommendations for Educational Centers” guide, in which Borealis collaborated as part of the working group for its development.
This guide includes various recommendations, aimed at administrative boards, teaching staff, PTAs, public administrations, and educational center managers, to help select the best available techniques for adequate classroom and facility ventilation, ensuring a healthy, safe, and efficient learning environment.
The document addresses topics such as: Benefits of ventilation; indoor temperature, humidity, and ventilation conditions; natural and mechanical ventilation; purification using various technologies; humidity control; maintenance, etc.
View document: https://www.afec.es/documentos/recomendaciones-centros-educativos-junio-2021.pdf
Ventilation Recommendations for Educational Centers
Proper ventilation in educational centers helps improve academic performance, create healthier and more comfortable spaces, and reduce the risk of disease transmission.
This document was created by technical specialists, including Borealis technicians who are part of AFEC. It is essential to emphasize that any technical solutions chosen by each center should be vetted and implemented with professional technical guidance. Ideally, the school should have an appropriate mechanical ventilation system. Any measure that aims to increase ventilation, purification, or reduce occupancy represents an improvement over the worst-case scenario, which is a space without adequate ventilation or air renewal.
It is noteworthy that since the application of the Technical Building Code (RITE) enacted in 2007, regulations require that new non-residential buildings have mechanical ventilation systems. A large percentage of educational buildings, however, were built before 2007 and may lack such systems, relying on natural ventilation, which may be unfeasible due to factors such as weather conditions, noise, or pollution.
This guide therefore includes recommendations that apply to both buildings under the current RITE regulation and those built before 2007.
Benefits of Ventilation
Proper ventilation has been shown to:
- Enhance academic performance.
- Create healthier, more comfortable spaces.
- Reduce the risk of disease transmission, in case of a contagious person in an enclosed space.
Indoor Temperature, Humidity, and Ventilation Conditions
It is essential to maintain classroom temperature and humidity within certain ranges:
- Temperature should be between 21ºC and 23ºC in winter and 24ºC and 26ºC in summer.
- Relative humidity should be between 40% and 60%.
Within these ranges, health is optimized, and the spread of viruses, bacteria, etc., is minimized, reducing respiratory infections, as environments outside these ranges may no longer be considered healthy.
Borealis Solutions for Educational Centers
The document outlines different options for correct ventilation in educational centers and endorses solutions such as those developed by Borealis:
Air purification with ultraviolet light, available in both portable units and installed within ducts. This recommendation supports our Borealis UV range of germicidal equipment using ultraviolet light (UV-C) without producing ozone.
Mechanical ventilation: adding mechanical ventilation units to older buildings lacking this feature. The “Miniven” solution is an economical and flexible option in these cases. Miniven
