Is Mechanical Ventilation Better than Window Ventilation in K-12 Schools?

Schools are one of the most important buildings in any community, yet they often have the least sophisticated ventilation and thermal comfort controls of any building type. 

Shopping centres have HVAC systems, offices have HVAC systems, universities have HVAC systems, but less than 2 percent of government schools in NSW have HVAC systems with the remainder being window ventilated. In fact, window ventilation to schools appears to be the predominant method throughout the OECD. 

This presentation will examine why schools are window ventilated and whether there is an advantage to be gained by using mechanical ventilation. It will also examine the Cooler Schools program in NSW and make some observations on this program.