Potomac

Washington , DC

Park Potomac Place is an elegant, ten-story condominium tower with 80 high-end residences and a total space of 250,000 square feet. It includes two levels of below-grade parking, a clubhouse with a clubroom, two fireplaces, a fitness center, guest suites, a circular pool, and a landscaped plaza area. It was developed by Foulger-Pratts.

The Project:

  • 14 traditional single speed fans operated at full speed 24/7 and provided ventilation for the 87 kitchen hoods connected to 14 shafts. 
  • Residents complained about a constant noise from the kitchen hoods and ducts caused by turbulence and vibration
  • The ductwork amplified the noise generated by the fans themselves.
  • Large amounts of conditioned air was exhausted to the outdoors as the exhaust fans were constantly running at full speed.

ENERVEX Solution:

  • A technical team decide to upgrade fan system with an ENERVEX MBES, Demand Controlled Ventilation system.
  • Fans are now operating at high speed less than 60 minutes per day as kitchen hoods operate a very short period of time.
  • Exhaust rate has reduced dramatically 23 hours per day.
  • Fan upgrade eliminated noise problem.
  • Fan upgrade saved $77,000 annually just from reducing the exhaust rate and the loss of conditioned air.
  • Energy savings from using a variable speed fan over a single speed fan amount to $10,000 annually or $1,000 per kitchen hood
  • The total project cost to upgrade to an ENERVEX MBES, Demand Controlled Ventilation system amounted to $60,000.
  • Payback: 8 months. 5-year ROI of 632%.
  • Demand Controlled Ventilation systems added comfort by dramatically reducing noise levels and provided a truly “green” and sustainable ventilation solution

PROJECT DETAILS

installationYear

2008

architect

SK&I Architectural Design Group, LLC