Hi, We are working on a school project in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. We have multiple VAV systems in this school building. we want to achieve IEQC10 credit. USGBC is asking for the humidity control report in the worst case that shows how much humidity we can have in the worst case both in occupied and unoccupied condition. We are using trace 700 SOFTWARE and we are not able to reduce relative humidity to less than 60% in all the rooms. There are some options in the software but none is working for me. Is there any way I can achieve this credit with VAV systems? Or Is there any way I can make changes in the software so I can go down below 60% RH?
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Tyler Thumma
7GroupLEEDuser Expert
67 thumbs up
July 15, 2021 - 12:06 pm
It is unclear why the reviewer would be asking for a humidity control report. This credit is not dependent upon a model demonstrating that the RH will be below 60%, it requires that actual steps be implemented once the building is occupied to ensure that the VAV systems will maintain the RH below 60% during both occupied and unoccupied periods. The idea is that when most schools close down over the summers, they seal up the buildings and turn off the HVAC systems, and the higher humidity levels create a nice breeding ground for mold. So this credit can be earned by documenting how the HVAC systems will enable a lower RH inside year-round. This can be demonstrated with a psychrometric plan showing the temperature and RH levels during the occupied and unoccupied periods and confirm that the system will be maintained during both periods to prevent the RH from exceeding 60%.
However, a VAV system should be capable of maintaining 60% RH, and this should be able to be demonstrated with TRACE. I would consider reaching out to their support team with any guidance if you need to provide what the reviewer is asking for.
Manish Khandelwal
SHP Leading DesignJuly 19, 2021 - 6:46 am
Thank you for your response. We have shown RH less than 60% in system psychometric. But they specifically want humidity report roomwise.
We tried with Trace 700 customer support but it was not helpful. They dont have option for this. They do have option for controlling RH at particular level but that is in the split system not in the VAV system.
We are sending reports and narrative in which we have explain how are system is working(We already sent that in first review).