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Time To Ditch VAV And Move To DOAS

Time to ditch VAV and move to DOAS

Quality, Consequences and the Construction Industrial Complex (# 31) All IMHO: 
NIOSH notes the main cause of Sick Bldg Syndrome is inadequate ventilation. To impact this we need to move to Dedicated Outside Air Systems (DOAS). VAV systems in reality deliver poor thermal comfort and inadequate levels of outside air even when they are designed and commissioned correctly, which is a very unusual occurrence. Dedicated outside air systems provide accurate, stable outside air with a more predictable energy profile. Also thermal comfort can be acuratly targeted with separate heating and cooling systems once they are decoupled from the outside air. In this scenario, accuracy equals energy efficiency. 
DOAS and decoupled heating and cooling systems provide stable, targeted and accurate internal conditions with no thermal overlap. Benefits also include correct ventilation levels, occupant comfort, energy efficiency and happy occupants. Everything a building owner wants. 

VAV has its applications, for example laboratory and hospitals. However, does every office building in America and Canada have to be VAV? The answer is absolutely no! It is time to move away from VAV. 

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