Emergency Cooling Centres

Transcription

1 53 Emergency Cooling Centres To: Financial Budget and Enrolment Committee Date: 09 May 2018 Report No.: Strategic Directions Make every school an effective school Recommendation It is recommended that the report be received. Context On 8 June 2017, the Board approved a report in which staff undertook to carry out pilot projects in several schools (refer to Appendix A) to assess the cost of creating cooling centres. In response to staff and community concerns related to the intensity of heat waves last summer, staff investigated the implications of providing air conditioning in schools. Provision of full air conditioning in all schools would be financially prohibitive, respecting both initial capital investment and utility costs. The provision of cooling centres in schools was evaluated by our staff, among several alternatives explored. The following important issues were considered: 1. Schools should only operate the cooling centre air-conditioning (AC) units during heat warnings, extended heat warnings or if the humidex is forecasted to be 30 C or greater. Decisions on system wide school closures will be made by the Director of Education or designate. This will be reflected in PR519 - Severe Weather Protocol, which is scheduled to be updated in the 2018/19 school year.

2 54 2. Creating cooling centres will impose substantial additional electrical load on the building electrical service, requiring expensive hydro service upgrades in the majority of schools. 3. Mitigation of school overheating must be implemented in an equitable and fair manner, regardless of technical constraints and location. Options for Cooling Centres 1. Cooling multiple classrooms by window-type air conditioners. This option was assessed and rejected for the following reasons: Window AC units are noisy, inefficient and do not conform to institutional buildings equipment standards. Given the variation in electrical capacity of schools, it will be difficult to determine the quantity of classrooms to cool in each school while maintaining equity. Window AC units will compromise the esthetic of any building facade, especially in buildings deemed to be heritage. The cost to maintain multiple window type air conditioners will be substantially higher than that to maintain a commercial grade air conditioning system serving a single larger space. Proper installation of window units is problematic. Windows (often even new windows) have to be cut, the equipment inserted, supported and the assembly sealed. Since this equipment vibrates, air leaks can develop causing discomfort for occupants and overloading of the heating system in winter. Accompanying condensation can also cause serious environmental problems over time. It is difficult to interconnect window AC units into the Building Automation System. Unless controlled centrally, it is assumed that these AC units would be operated on normal temperature days, substantially increasing the utility costs and the TDSB's carbon footprint. 2. Cooling one large space accommodating many classes at a time, with central AC units. Staff recommends this option for implementation.

3 Pertinent considerations: 55 Emergency cooling centre space should accommodate as many students as possible, when required. The largest space available in schools and best suited for the function is the Gym/Multi-Purpose Room. Learning will be enhanced by the provision of an educational facility with lower temperatures and humidity levels. Space will be cooled to the degree feasible in most schools, including older schools with single-phase power supply. Many gyms currently have ventilation units that can easily be upgraded to accommodate air conditioning and/or will have obsolete equipment replaced with new. Gyms which previously lacked ventilation will experience an upgrade through the provision of an HVAC Unit Action Plan and Associated Timeline Approved pilot projects have been completed. All schools have now been surveyed and 128 schools have been identified that already have air conditioning (refer to Appendix B). Cooling centres will be created in non-air conditioned schools through an approved four year plan. By June 1, 2018, non-air conditioned schools will either have an operational cooling centre or a temporary cooling centre in the library. In fiscal year , 106 cooling centres will be created (See Appendix C). Elementary schools have been prioritized, as younger students are known to be more sensitive to heat. Schools have been selected throughout the TDSB, taking into consideration the number of local schools, already with air conditioning. The balance of cooling centres will be created over the next three years and will be selected on the same criteria. Staff to update PR519 - Severe Weather protocol during the 2018/19 school year. Resource Implications Not applicable. Communications Considerations Not applicable.

4 56 Board Policy and Procedure Reference(s) Not applicable. Appendices Appendix A: Emergency Cooling Centre Pilot Projects Appendix B: Schools with air conditioning Appendix C: Emergency Cooling Centre Project List ( ) From Steve Shaw, Executive Officer, Facility Services, Sustainability and Planning at or at Faris Mansur, System Facility Officer, Design, Construction and Maintenance at or at

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