City of Neuwied Commits to Enhancing Educational Setting
The city of Newwied is continuously modernizing and digitizing its elementary schools, with a focus on providing a modern infrastructure. As part of this strategy, the city has installed modern CO2-regulated ventilation systems in Sonnenland School and Marienschule.
Improving Air Quality
These systems use real-time CO2 sensors to monitor indoor air quality, adjusting ventilation rates as needed to maintain optimal levels of fresh air and reduce CO2 concentration. By ensuring consistent air exchange, they help reduce airborne contaminants, allergens, and potential viral particles, creating a healthier indoor environment conducive to better concentration and learning outcomes.
In schools like Sonnenland and Marienschule, this approach has significantly mitigated issues related to stuffy classrooms and poor ventilation commonly experienced during fully sealed building conditions or in colder months.
Energy Efficiency
CO2-regulated ventilation controls air exchange only when necessary, avoiding constant or excessive ventilation that wastes heating or cooling energy. Both Sonnenland School and Marienschule have demonstrated energy savings by using these demand-controlled ventilation systems, which optimize energy use without compromising air quality.
The reduction in unnecessary airflow translates into reduced heating and cooling loads, lowering operational costs and the schools' overall carbon footprints.
Measurable Improvements
At Newwied's Sonnenland School and Marienschule, measurable improvements were observed in maintaining air quality within recommended CO2 levels (~1000 ppm or lower), along with notable reductions in energy consumption compared to traditional fixed-schedule ventilation or manual airing practices.
Feedback from educators and students highlighted better comfort levels and air freshness, contributing to improved classroom environments.
A Strategic Approach
The city is acting strategically and planning sensibly in the renovation of its schools. The renovation of the schools is being carried out according to a strategic master plan, allowing for sensible and effective planning. The installation of the ventilation systems was funded by a combination of federal and city funds, with the ventilation systems at Sonnenland and Marienschule costing approximately 625,000 euros in total.
The cost of the remaining renovation of the schools, not including the ventilation systems, is approximately 220,000 euros. The ventilation systems operate extremely quietly, minimizing disruption to teaching, and protect classes against an increased load of pathogens in the air.
A Sustainable Solution
Mayor Ralf Seemann explains that the new ventilation systems are part of a larger strategy to modernize and digitize the municipal elementary schools. They are a key part of the city's efforts to provide a modern infrastructure for its schools, balancing indoor air quality management with energy conservation.
The modern CO2-regulated ventilation systems have proven to be highly effective in simultaneously improving air quality and energy efficiency in classrooms, making them a valuable solution for sustainable school building operations.
- Pupils in Sonnenland School and Marienschule are now able to learn in a healthier environment, as the new CO2-regulated ventilation systems are designed to maintain optimal levels of fresh air and reduce CO2 concentration, fostering better concentration and learning outcomes.
- The city of Newwied's approach to modernizing its schools goes beyond just digitization; it includes introducing sustainable solutions that focus on education-and-self-development as well as sports, such as the installation of CO2-regulated ventilation systems in schools like Sonnenland and Marienschule, providing a conducive learning environment and promoting energy efficiency.
