ASHRAE Journal - May 2020 - 56

fan selected for Peel Memorial Centre achieves 73% peak
efﬁciency at the normal operating point. Duct velocities were also lowered in order to reduce static pressure losses. In addition to these energy-efﬁcient design
selections, the high level of redundancy provided for
air-handling systems servicing critical areas (e.g., major
procedure rooms) directly contributed to the reduction
in HVAC system energy consumption. Interconnected
redundant air-handling units, each sized for 100% airﬂow, serve these critical areas. These units each operate
at 50% capacity under normal operating conditions,
reducing the velocity and pressure drop through each
unit and providing additional fan energy reduction of
40% compared to the operation of a single air-handling
unit. By reducing ventilation system pressure losses
through these strategies, air-handling systems are
able to achieve an average energy use of 0.4 W/cfm
(0.085 W/L·s); the result is a 60% reduction of fan energy
compared to a building built to ASHRAE Standard 90.12010 standards.
Peel Memorial Centre contains a dedicated outdoor air
system (DOAS)-an innovative ventilation system for a
health-care facility of this size (see "Innovation").
Peel Memorial is a member of Greening Health Care
(GHC), an organization of 39 Ontario health-care systems that share energy and water use data. Building
energy use data have been continuously collected since
the facility opened; between March 2018 and February
2019, the hospital operated at an average energy use
intensity (EUI) of 78.5 kBtu/ft2·yr (0.89 GJ/m²·yr). A
comparison of Peel Memorial Centre's energy use intensity with energy use intensity data for 2012, 2013, and
2017 from similar acute care facilities in Ontario is provided in Figure 1.
Compared to a standard Ontario Building Code
(OBC) compliant facility, the mechanical design of Peel
Memorial Centre saved 3.2 million kWh of energy, with
a peak reduction of 856 kW. The amount of natural gas
saved through the implementation of the ﬁnal design
totalled 2,983,700 ft3 (84 498 m³).

IAQ & Thermal Comfort

Quality indoor air and infection control is critical
to the design of health-care facilities, which have signiﬁcantly higher ventilation rate requirements. Peel
Memorial Centre's clinical spaces are designed to CSA
Standard Z317.2-2010 standards, which are similar to

ASHRAE JOURNAL

ashrae.org

M AY 2020

3.0
2.5
2.0
EUI (GJ/m2 Years)

2020

ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

1.5
1.0
0.5
0

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan

Peel Memorial
GHC 2017 Average

Feb

Humber River Hospital (2017 ASHRAE Technology Award Winner)
GHC 2013 Average

GHC 2012 Average

FIGURE 1 Energy use intensity data comparison.

ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2008, Ventilation
of Health Care Facilities, and the Facility Guidelines
Institute Guidelines for Design and Construction and are
more rigorous than ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010. The
clinical zones include metered ventilation air for the
ﬂoor (which is comprised of roughly 33% outside air),
with active pressurization controls for each space.
Temperature sensors were provided downstream of
each terminal reheat coil to avoid exceeding 90°F
(32°C). These sensors constantly measure the temperature of the air supplied to a room; if the air begins to
exceed 90°F (32°C), the volume of recirculated air is
increased so as to maintain the space temperature and
not compromise ventilation effectiveness. Nonclinical
spaces were designed to ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010,
with room-speciﬁc outdoor air volumes ducted directly
to each space.
The DOAS ventilation system required signiﬁcantly
more ductwork than would be included in the mixedair ductwork system of a traditional health-care
facility.
Diffusers were strategically selected and placed to
provide effective room coverage while also promoting
mixing and mitigating drafts. Filtration for the facility
exceeds ASHRAE Standard 170-2008 levels; MERV 8/
MERV 14 ﬁlters are provided for all clinical spaces, while
public areas are supported by MERV 8/MERV 13 ﬁlters.
Most clinical spaces can be controlled between 68°F and
75°F (20°C and 24°C), with specialized spaces such as
major procedure rooms controlled between 64°F and
75°F (18°C and 24°C). Patient spaces are provided with

https://www.ashrae.org/

ASHRAE Journal - May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - May 2020