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Details Regarding Siena's HVAC System

Siena’s HVAC system features several important characteristics for mitigating the spread of viruses and other airborne particles. 

All of the HVAC systems are of high quality and were installed new when Siena purchased and expanded the building.  The air in each classroom circulates independently from other classrooms so there is no cross-contamination.  The HVAC systems have an ACH (air changes per hour) rate of 10x/hour.  Each change is a mix of cleaned, recirculated air and fresh air.

After reviewing facility air quality guidance and consulting with our architect and HVAC systems engineer, we made additional improvements to the air quality:

a. Installed a GPS ionization cleaning system throughout the building in each individual HVAC return (42 total). GPS is an ionization process that cleans the air during the internal circulation by breaking up the chemical compound of the virus.

b. Upgraded the return air filters in each classroom, hallway, common area, and outside units to MERV-11.

c. Adjusted equipment settings to increase the amount of internal circulation and the fresh air mix. This helps increase air filtration and fresh air.

d. Installed a portable HEPA air purifier in each classroom to filter air at lower levels.  These units clean the air an additional 4 times per hour.

e. Programmed fans on units to run 24/7, further increasing air flow and cleaning of particulates.pe your paragraph here.