HVAC: from cold snap to heat wave

Do you ever sit in class among students wrapped in blankets and shivering in winter coats, only to look outside and see people walking around in shorts? This odd phenomenon is caused by the school’s H-VAC system.

The Heating-Ventilation and Air Conditioning (H-VAC) system is the temperature control system used to heat and cool the school.

The H-VAC system was installed during the 2001 school renovation, according to Director of Secondary Education Dr. Brian Ulmer.

The system takes approximately 24 hours to change from hot to cold temperature because the pipes need time to change to the desired temperature and to allow fluid to run through them, said Dr. Ulmer.

According to Dr. Ulmer, the H-VAC system cannot simply be turned off because there are sensors in every room to check carbon dioxide levels, and fresh air has to be introduced to the room.

“Replacing the H-VAC system is being discussed because there is only one set of pipes and it has a pneumatic control system which was added during the 2015 energy-saving project,” said Dr. Ulmer. He added that the status of the discussion is still unofficial.

“I watch the weather and determine whether it should be hot or cold. I especially watch the overnight forecast to see what the building needs,” said Dr. Ulmer. He added that the cost of the natural gas to run the system is $44,309 per year.

Dr. Ulmer said the H-VAC system can only do hot or cold because there is only one set of pipes running through the high school. He added the system can be remotely operated or can be controlled through the control room. He is the person who controls the H-VAC system, he said.

According to Business and Computer Science Ms. Jaime Emery-Seibert, she has experienced inconsistency with her room being freezing before the heat got turned on this year.

She also added that for some reason around 10:30, the room gets colder but it may be due to no students in the room.