Vertical unit ventilator headaches

Electrification retrofit efforts are underway in New York City public schools. In order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, these projects involve the removal of natural-gas-fired HVAC equipment and the installation of electric heat pumps serving classrooms and other school spaces. Although ducted air distribution is often a preferred HVAC system design for new construction, particularly for acoustics, such configurations are generally not feasible for existing buildings. Accordingly, in-room HVAC devices are common for electrification projects, which introduces noise challenges. This presentation focuses on the discoveries and challenges associated with the design of a few projects using vertical unit ventilators in school classrooms.