Heat and Moisture Exchangers for Energy-Efficient Buildings

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Buildings are an integral part of Canadian society and economy as Canadians spend over 90% of their time in buildings. In Canada and other developed countries, buildings consume about 40% of the primary energy and over 50% of this energy is consumed by heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Thus buildings that provide Canadians with a comfortable and healthy place to work and live are essential for a healthy, prosperous and sustainable nation. Recent advances in energy-efficiency have reduced the amount of energy required to heat or cool buildings. Major advances have been achieved in: (1) building envelope performance (e.g., better windows and insulation) so that less heat needs to be added to or removed from buildings, and (2) HVAC system efficiency (where a higher efficiency means that more heat can be added to or removed from the building with the same energy input such as electricity or natural gas). Despite these advances, which have improved building performance and even led to some buildings that produce as much energy as they consume over a certain period (called net-zero energy buildings), relatively little work has been done on the moisture conditions of buildings. As a result, the amount of moisture that needs to be added/removed to/from buildings and the moisture removal/addition efficiencies have changed little. The research program proposed in this NSERC Discovery Grant is in the area of energy-efficient buildings with a special focus on moisture control systems that will reduce the moisture loads and improve the moisture removal/addition efficiency of HVAC systems. Two novel energy exchangers that transfer both heat and moisture will be studied and developed. This research will advance the scientific literature and practical knowledge. The overall aim is to develop systems that reduce the energy demand and consumption of HVAC systems, improve the comfort, health and productivity of occupants and improve the indoor air quality and sustainability of buildings.