The OCDSB has been consistent with our approach in prioritizing indoor air quality and the health and safety of the occupants of our facilities.
Our experienced HVAC design professionals are in constant communication with our consulting engineers and public health organizations to ensure we are following their guidance and adhering to the latest ventilation and IAQ standards.
School Specific Information
The Ministry of Education has created a Standardized School Ventilation Measures Report (Excel file), which provides a snapshot of school ventilation and filtration measures taken at each school during the pandemic (last updated in September 2023).
There is a broad variation of HVAC system complexity and design in our facilities, often with different types and ages of systems in one facility. Each school’s HVAC systems are reviewed on a regular basis to determine what measures, specific to the individual school, can be implemented to improve system operation and indoor air quality.
With the goal of optimizing air quality and reducing the transmission risk of infectious aerosols, we focus on two areas: increasing ventilation rates and increasing air filtration levels. The characteristics of each particular HVAC system determines which measures are implemented. As an example, if it is not feasible to increase ventilation rates at a particular school due to the nature of the HVAC system and/or physical constraints, special high efficiency air filtration systems are installed (typically Ultra Violet or HEPA filtration units).
The Board has invested heavily over the past 10 years in our central Building Automation System (BAS). The BAS enables us to monitor and control HVAC equipment and monitor the indoor environment. This allows us to quickly identify any malfunctioning HVAC equipment or problematic conditions. Utilizing the BAS, we continue to closely monitor the indoor environment and adjust HVAC systems operations to optimize the indoor air quality. At each school, CO2 levels are monitored and alarms are automatically generated if levels reach the upper limits. While CO2 readings are not a measure of infectious aerosols transmission risk, it can serve as a proxy measure of overall ventilation and alerts our staff of any potential issues.
Examples of actions taken in recent years:
- Recommissioning of all HVAC equipment, which included operational testing and inspection. Repairs and corrective action was taken to ensure systems are operating as per their design intent.
- Increases in the ventilation rates (within limitations of the HVAC equipment)
- Increase in air filtration levels in HVAC equipment
- Installation of CO2 monitoring equipment in all schools.
- Supplemental air filtration units installed in areas with limited ventilation
With these measures in place we meet and in most cases, exceed the requirements of the current Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality standards published by ASHRAE and other organizations.
The increased focus on IAQ during the pandemic has resulted in new industry standards and new guidance from the public health organizations. ASHRAE has recently published a new standard 241-2023 ‘Control of Infectious Aerosols’. The standard is based on a concept of having a ventilation standard to follow during normal conditions (ASHRAE 62.1), and having a secondary standard for higher risk situations. While not expected to be adopted as code for 2-3 years, being proactive, the OCDSB is in the process of implementing measures to comply with this newly published standard.
School Specific Information
The Ministry of Education has created a Standardized School Ventilation Measures Report (Excel file), which provides a snapshot of school ventilation and filtration measures taken at each school during the pandemic.