cooling

Energy efficiency was the primary goal in the development of both the mechanical and electrical systems for the Norristown Area School District's Whitehall Elementary SchooI. This new facility is the first school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to utilize ice thermal storage as the primary cooling medium. By applying innovative technology, the result is not only a building in which energy savings exceed those anticipated but which contributes to the children s education by providing a comfortable atmosphere for learning

Thirty five occupants of twenty five naturally ventilated rooms can operate supplementary cooling and heating equipment and windows independently to control their local thermal conditions and ventilation in accordance with their personal comfort requirements. Preliminary studies suggest that the use of the supplementary cooling equipment is closely related to outdoor thermal conditions with limited recourse to it in mild weather and resultant substantial energy saving in comparison with consumption that might be expected in a conventionally air conditioned environment.