WESTWOOD, Mass. —   enVerid Systems shared a new tool to calculate energy, costs, and carbon impact of various HVAC strategies for mitigating airborne transmission of COVID-19. The free, open-source enVerid COVID-19 Energy Estimator allows building owners, mechanical engineers, and facility managers to quickly gain a picture of the risk, costs, and carbon impacts of different ventilation and filtration approaches.

The enVerid COVID-19 Energy Estimator was co-developed by enVerid Systems and Dr. Marwa Zaatari, P.E., an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer and member of the commercial team and building reopening team for the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force. Dr. Zaatari is principal of Dzine Partners LLC and an advisor to enVerid Systems. Dr. Zaatari previewed the new tool during a recent webinar.

“The COVID Energy Estimator is a timely tool to help engineers and building managers assess different ventilation and filtration strategies in terms of risk mitigation, cost, and carbon impact,” said Barry Abramson, P.E. and principal of Servidyne. “I commend enVerid and Dr. Zaatari for tackling this project. I encourage my industry colleagues to use the COVID Energy Estimator and urge them to take an active role in offering feedback to further advance this valuable, new analytical tool.”

“Two developments drove the need for the COVID Energy Estimator,” said Christian Weeks, CEO of enVerid Systems. “First, it is now generally accepted that both ventilation and filtration approaches on their own or in combination can reduce the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Second, as we head into the colder months it has become harder to ignore the ‘energy penalty’ from simply increasing outside air ventilation. What remained poorly understood until now was the specific impact different ventilation and filtration strategies might have on energy consumption and operating costs. We are delighted to collaborate with Dr. Zaatari to share a tool that can be used to compare the cost and carbon impacts of different risk reduction strategies with the goal of opening buildings safely while balancing costs and sustainability objectives.”

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