Indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy use, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 engineering controls in Boston Public Schools

PI: Patricia Fabian, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health
Co-PI: Lucy Hutyra, Professor, Department of Earth & Environment, College of Arts & Sciences

Schools have many competing interests to keep their buildings operational and healthy for students and staff, including maintaining thermal comfort, good indoor air quality (IAQ), and minimizing energy consumption. Poor IAQ is associated with school absenteeism and health outcomes such as asthma exacerbations, while poor thermal comfort has been linked to student learning and test performance. A mix of engineering control interventions to prevent SARSCoV-2 transmission have been installed in schools, but little is understood about their impact on IAQ, thermal comfort or health. In parallel, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased awareness in the broader school community of the importance of healthy indoor environments. Many schools have increased environmental monitoring in their buildings but are challenged with how to communicate data transparently while balancing IAQ, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and energy management goals.  New approaches are needed to measure and analyze data, understand the complexities in these data streams, and translate and communicate to the various school community stakeholders.

In partnership with Boston Public Schools, Professors Patricia Fabian and Lucy Hutyra will compile data from a network of ~5,000 sensors installed in classrooms and on roofs of school buildings. The database will be the basis to study risk and mitigation factors impacting indoor air quality, thermal comfort, health, and energy consumption, including SARS-CoV-2 engineering controls, and sustainability, climate mitigation and adaptation interventions.

See more of our 2022 Early Stage Urban Research award recipients here!