The Gas Research Institute (GRI)-funded study, conducted at a nursing home in Wilmington, DE, analyzed ventilation air strategies, their impact on worker and resident comfort, and energy implications. The facility's two resident wings were retrofitted with new rooftop ventilation air systems, one with a high-efficiency DX unit and the other with a combination unit that integrated both DX and actively regenerated desiccant rotor technology. Resident room air conditioning units were reconfigured to recirculation mode only. Weather data, internal temperatures, and humidity levels, energy use, and equipment performance parameters were recorded and analyzed.
The findings were conclusive and dramatic. The wing with the desiccant unit maintained consistently lower dewpoints and rh levels regardless of ambient conditions. This translates into superior comfort control and reduced potential for mold and mildew growth. The "standard design" wing, which served as the base-case for comparison, frequently experienced uncomfortable dewpoints ranging between 65 degrees and 69 degrees F with humidity levels regularly exceeding 60% rh and sometimes 70% rh.