The anticipation surrounding the construction of a major new school facility is often tempered with concerns about long-term operating costs, particularly recently due to rapidly increasing utility costs. In Northville, MI, this concern was recently minimized, in part due to an innovative heat recovery system designed by architect/engineer Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc. (Celina, OH). Energy costs at the community's new 362,000-sq-ft high school - an expansive building with airy classrooms and large windows - are projected to be in excess of 25% lower than those for comparable facilities utilizing conventional heating and cooling systems.
The source of these savings is a customized Semco (Columbia, MO) total energy heat recovery wheel built into 10 of the school's 13 air-handling units (AHUs) manufactured by Johnson MarCraft (St. Louis). These and other features enabled the Fanning/Howey design team to downsize the school's boilers and chillers substantially, reducing energy costs while providing a comfortable year-round learning environment for 1,800 students.