Hibbing High School - Program will test school air quality (Hibbing, MN)

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Program will test school air quality

By KELLY GRINSTEINNER

The Daily Tribune

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 02nd, 2002 10:06:08 AM

HIBBING - The Hibbing High School will take part in a school air monitoring

project at almost no cost to the already cash-strapped district.

The 80-year-old building will be part of a joint project of Hibbing Public

Utilities and Minnesota Power known as SAMPLE2, School Air Monitoring

Project for Learning and Energy Efficiency. The project is designed to

identify correlation between indoor air quality and energy consumption.

The project uses advances in technology to continuously monitor indoor air

quality (IAQ) and the Internet to identify energy conservation opportunities

and related cost savings previously untapped in schools.

" The bottom line is that with the monitoring results we want to find ways to

use less energy overall and improve IAQ, " said Bob Schulte, SAMPLE 2 project

manager.

The intent of the SAMPLE2 project is to develop information that will be

used to determine the energy conservation potential of using continuous IAQ

monitoring.

A non-intrusive monitor will be placed in at least eight areas of the

building. The monitors will record indoor air quality data which will kept

in an Internet-based databank.

The school will receive monthly reports from a qualified, third party IAQ

expert. During the initial months of monitoring, energy consumption and IAQ

data will be used to identify potential energy conservation opportunities as

well as potential IAQ issues.

At the end of the one-year project, the district will receive a report

listing the energy conservation, energy management and IAQ improvement

opportunities at the high school. An analysis team will then use all of the

collected data from the sample schools to estimate the potential benefits to

the school.

" We are hoping that the results of this study over the next year result in

follow-up projects where utilities work with schools in other conservation

programs, " said Schulte.

" We want more than just a study, " he added. " We want the school to be able

to do cost-effective things with the information. We want to have a direct

impact. "

The approaches have not previously been available for day-to-day operations.

Five to 10 schools throughout the state are expected to participate in the

project.

Hibbing schools Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Joe Arthurs said the

real-time sampling in individual classrooms make the project attractive.

" It covers a longer period of time, " he said. " Currently our sampling models

indicate only snapshots of classrooms. We never know if a snapshot is

completely representative of individual rooms. Now we will have a better

indication of conditions because sampling will be 24 hours a day. "

Official IAQ tests have not yet been commissioned at the high school, said

Arthurs.

The district will be asked to contribute in-kind administration and

operating staff support throughout the project. No out-of-pocket expenses

are expected.

Minnesota Power will be responsible for all SAMPLE2 project expenses,

including monitoring service, analysis services, project management and

reporting, and staff time.

" It is great to have one of our municipal customers as a participant in the

program, " said Dale Sundin, Minnesota Power's account manager for Hibbing.

" It's important for Minnesota Power to work with municipalities and exciting

to be working with Hibbing Public Utilities. "

Jim Kochevar, executive director of Hibbing Public Utilities, said the

project is a good fit for the school district.

" Indoor air quality and schools is a big issue everywhere and certainly

Hibbing will have to deal with it, " said Kochevar. " With the availability of

the program, all of the pieces seemed to fit. . It's a good opportunity to

get a lot of data about a building the district is committed to keeping. "

All of Hibbing's schools are facing some sort of IAQ issue. Arthurs has

repeatedly told the school board of changing regulations and the need for

action.

Hibbing's participation should prove valuable, said Sundin. Arthurs agrees.

" Certainly it will help us prioritize areas of improvements, " he said. " It

will also help us identity areas needing attention quicker than not having

this kind of sampling first. "

Minnesota Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) legislation requires

utilities to invest a percentage of annual revenues into energy conservation

programs each year. The SAMPLE2 Program was developed in part as such, said

Schulte.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce, the state agency responsible for

monitoring the CIP program, approved SAMPLE2 for implementation in June.