JULY - OCTOBER 2022
CASE
STUDY
The Gooderham & Worts Distillery District
Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality Trial
Toronto, Ontario
I. INTRODUCTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Case Study Synopsis 3
About The Distillery District 4
Overview of Trials 5
II. ENERGY EFFICIENCY TRIAL
Trial Highlights 6
Summary of Trial 7
Trial Results & Findings 8
III. INDOOR AIR QUALITY TRIAL
Trial Highlights 9
Summary of Trial 10
Part One: Understanding the Basics of Air Filtration 11-12
Part Two: Interpretation of Findings 13
IV. CLOSING
Contact Information 14
CASE STUDY
SYNOPSIS
In December 2021, the Distillery District management team contacted Blade Air
looking for a solution to improve the indoor air quality in their buildings from the
current MERV-13 filters they were running. Searching for a solution, the Distillery
District's main concern was around the prohibitive costs of installing and
maintaining a HEPA or UV solution, which are incredibly energy intensive. Instead,
they were looking for a solution that would be able to find a balance between their
desire to continuously reduce their carbon footprint while also creating a healthier
workspace for their tenants.
The solution was the implementation of Blade Air's electrostatic polarized filters
(ESF). These filters utilize active polarization fields to outperform HEPA in their
capture efficiency of particulate matter in the viral range. Each filter has close to a
90% lower static pressure than HEPA and over 70% lower than the MERV-13's that
had been installed. In addition to outperforming the capture efficiencies of HEPA,
like UV, these filters are also able to inactivate viruses. The significantly lower static
pressure of the units and minimal amounts of electricity required to power the
solution offer significant energy savings.
With the technology selected, Blade Air and the Distillery District agreed to a trial
where the solution would be implemented across two buildings- the Stone
Building and the private school on-site, Voice Integrative School.
The following two tests were facilitated:
1. Energy Savings
2. Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
The test was agreed to be completed on the second floor of the Stone Building, in
offices that were at full capacity. The trials took place throughout a 70-day window,
starting ten days prior to installation and finishing 60 days after.
The results of these trials came back with astoundingly positive results. Blade
generated energy savings of up to 75% in fan motor consumption and their filters
performed 2.25 times better than the MERV-13 filters in capturing and removing
bacteria from the airstream.
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CASE STUDY
ABOUT THE GOODERHAM
& WORTS DISTILLERY DISTRICT
The Gooderham & Worts Distillery District is an internationally
acclaimed village of brick-lined streets and dozens of vibrantly
restored Victorian Industrial buildings. It's one of Ontario's
hottest tourist attractions and home to live theatres, galleries,
fashion, design and jewelry boutiques, unique cafes and award-
winning restaurants. It's completely closed to traffic and just a
few minutes' walk from downtown Toronto.
A collection of 47 19th-century buildings that once comprised
the Distillery is now a major dining, shopping, and cultural hub
in Toronto aptly called the Distillery District. Strolling through
the neighbourhood's brick-paved pedestrian streets, visitors
might feel as if they've been transported to Victorian-era
Canada—the craftspeople who restored the old structures kept
true to the original construction materials as much as possible.
The Distillery Historic District opened in 2003, and today it is
widely regarded as Canada's premier arts, culture and
entertainment destination.
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CASE STUDY
OVERVIEW OF TRIALS
A high-level overview of the trials at the
Distillery District and what they entail.
Energy Efficiency Trial Indoor Air Quality Trial
Conducted over 20 days, in two phases.
The indoor air quality trial consisted
The first phase occurred from July 27,
of three phases, where an
2022, to August 4, 2022, and the second
independent third-party laboratory
from August 4, 2022, to August 16, 2022. visited the site to take
measurements of the airborne
Phase One (July 27 - August 4, 2022): particulate matter.
Installing a meter on the existing air
handling unit (AHU) and monitoring
Phase One (July 11, 2022):
the systems' energy consumption with
Measuring the indoor air quality with
the MERV-13 filters installed. the systems that were currently
installed (MERV-13).
Phase Two (August 4 - August 16, 2022):
Installing the electrostatic filters and a
Phase Two (August 22, 2022):
variable fan drive (VFD) in the systems.
Measuring the indoor air quality
Once the electrostatic filters were
approximately 30-days post
installed, the air handler was
installation of the electrostatic filters.
rebalanced to the previous air flow
speed measured, and the energy
Phase Three (September 26, 2022):
consumption was monitored. Measuring indoor air quality
approximately two months post
The purpose of these trials was to
install of the electrostatic filters to
demonstrate the capacity of the
demonstrate the ongoing integrity of
electrostatic filter to reduce energy
the filters.
consumption without compromising
air flow. The purpose of these trials was to
demonstrate the efficacy of the
electrostatic filter in improving
indoor air quality in contrast to the
post-SaRs-CoV-2 pandemic standard
of MERV-13 filtration.
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CASE STUDY
HIGHLIGHTS
Energy Efficiency Trial
Blade Air electrostatic filters measured a 29.8% increase in
airflow compared to the prior MERV-13s before rebalancing back
to the original airflow speed measured.
After rebalancing the airflow, Blade Air electrostatic filters
created a 75% reduction in energy consumption.
Project Period: July 27, 2022 - August 16, 2022
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CASE STUDY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY TRIALS
A 75% reduction in energy consumption post-
trial.
The Air Handling Unit (AHU) / Compartment unit servicing the
second floor of the Stone Building uses two separate 2 HP
blower motors that were retrofitted with the electrostatic filters
from Blade Air and coupled with a 1 – 4HP Variable Fan Drive
(VFD). The VFD was required so that the AHU could be dialled
back to account for the filters' lower static pressure and allow
for energy savings. The trial lasted from July 27th, 2022, to
August 16th, 2022.
Phase One, from July 27th to August 4th, measured the energy
consumption of the AHU with the former solution that the
Distillery District was using, which were MERV-13 filters. Brand
new MERV-13's were installed to ensure unbiased results on
July 27th. Additionally, a traverse measurement was taken to
determine airflow with the clean filters at total capacity, and
the energy meter was installed.
Phase Two took place from August 4th to August 16th. On
August 4th, the electrostatic filters and VFD were both
installed. First, a traverse measurement was taken to
determine the new airflow. Then, using the VFD, energy
consumption was lowered to rebalance the airflow to a similar
rate as the MERV-13s had allowed.
The results have been summarized below.
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CASE STUDY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY TRIALS
36 Distillery - Filter Upgrade Paired with VFD Installation
Preliminary Airflow measured with newly installed pleated filters 4,147 CFM
Airflow Measure with updated Blade Air Electrostatic Filters 5,384 CFM
Log July 27 - August 4, 2022
Amperage (A) measurement without VFD installation 4.66 A
Kilowatt (Kw) consumption 4.2 Kw
Log July 27 - August 4, 2022
(VFD speed configured to 48 Hz – airflow rate matches original measurements taken with pleated filters)
Airflow measured with VFD and Blade Air Electrostatic Filters 4,267 CFM
Amperage (A) measurement with VFD @ 48 Hz 1.27 A
Kilowatt (Kw) consumption 1.07 Kw
The combination of upgrading the filters and installing a Variable Frequency
Drive allows for maintained system airflow, improved filtration efficiency and a
75% reduction in supply fan motor consumption.
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CASE STUDY
HIGHLIGHTS
Indoor Air Quality Trial
Blade Air electrostatic filters perform 2.25x better than the standard
MERV-13 filter in dispersing live bacteria in the indoor environment.
Blade Air electrostatic filters will more than likely destroy
contaminants of submicron sizes, such as viruses, during their
passage.
Blade Air electrostatic filters perform equally to a MERV-13 filter in
managing the dispersion of living mould spores in the indoor
environment.
Project Period: July 11, 2022 - September 26, 2022
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CASE STUDY
INDOOR AIR QUALITY TRIALS
Significant improvements in indoor air quality
tested by an independent third-party laboratory.
This trial aimed to assess Blade Air's electrostatic filter by
counting and identifying before/after airborne bacteria and
mould spores in the building. To complete this work, Blade Air
engaged AirTests Mattests Inc., an independent third-party
laboratory based out of Montreal, Canada.
The scope of work included the following:
1. Setting up logistics and sampling protocols
2. Three on-site sampling sessions
3. Writing of the evaluation report
The results from the independent third-party laboratory have
been summarized below.
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CASE STUDY
INDOOR AIR QUALITY TRIALS
Part One: Understanding the Basics of Air Filtration
All air filters perform better over time until they become saturated and must be
replaced. Therefore, during the tests performed, we must assume that on Day 1,
the MERV-13 filters were at their optimal efficiency level since they had been in
place for some time when we assessed the air quality.
The size of airborne contaminants comes in a wide range of dimensions:
Moulds
1-100 microns The smallest virus is 2000x smaller than the largest mould
Bacteria spore in the size scale; the smaller the size of a contaminant,
0.1-10 microns the greater the likelihood that it will be hazardous to human
Virus health, mould spores vs. bacteria vs. viruses.
0.05-0.1 microns
Ideally, due to its high static pressure drop, a MERV-13 should have a thickness of 4''
to 12'' to present an optimal filtering surface. For example, a filter with a thickness of
1'' [which is presently used at the Distillery District] will offer the smallest filtering
surface available. A pleated filter of 4'' or 12'' will give filtering surfaces 4 to 12 times
greater than the filter of 1'' thickness of the same grade (MERV-13).
In the world of standard filtration, the thicker the filter, the better its performance.
During the life of a filter (3 months), the contaminants accumulating increase in
the loss of static pressure in the ventilation ducts, a given quantity of contaminants
will be better distributed over a larger filter surface than a smaller one.
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CASE STUDY
INDOOR AIR QUALITY TRIALS
Part One: Understanding the Basics of Air Filtration cont'd
A MERV-13 filter has a 90% dust spot efficiency rating in capturing airborne mould
spores. The HVAC system in place would require installing a MERV 15-grade filter to
curb the circulation of bacteria in the air. Such a filter should be 6" to 12" thick and
would cause a [more] significant static pressure drop [than MERV-13]. The HVAC
system in place would require installing a MERV-19 [HEPA] grade filter to curb the
circulation of viruses in the air. Such a filter would need to be 12" thick and cause
such a significant static pressure drop that it would immediately damage the air
thrust motor.
Electrostatic filters work differently than regular pleated filters. They perform
differently because their fibreglass media uses a very low coefficient of restriction.
As a result, the static pressure drop is significantly less than any paper pleated filter
of equivalent performance.
The growth of contaminants on the surface of the filter media of a standard paper
filter is a possibility, as opposed to the growth of contaminants on a fibreglass
media continuously bathed in a high electrostatic voltage field is almost
impossible.
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CASE STUDY
INDOOR AIR QUALITY TRIALS
Part Two: Interpretation of Findings
Live Airborne Mould Spores
According to the results obtained during this study, on average, a
standard MERV-13 filter performs equally to an electrostatic filter in their
mutual abilities to manage the dispersion of living mould spores in the
indoor environment in which the assessment took place.
Live Airborne Bacteria
From this study, we find that the MERV-13 filter in place has a 36%
efficiency rate of capturing bacteria against an 85% efficiency rate with
the electrostatic filter. According to the results obtained during this
study, we find that, on average, the electrostatic filter performs 2.25x
better than the standard MERV-13 filter in dispersing live bacteria in the
indoor environment where the assessment took place.
Live Airborne Viruses
An electrostatic field air filter works differently than a standard paper-ply
filter since particle size matters less than in a regular pleated filter. Even
contaminants of submicron sizes, such as viruses, can be destroyed in
the high-voltage electrostatic field offered by this type of filter.
A MERV-13 grade filter is not designed nor capable of capturing or
inhibiting viruses. Airborne viruses will pass directly through a MERV-13
grade filter media since their submicron sizes are way smaller than the
interlacing of the paper fibres constituting the filter itself.
In contrast, viruses circulating through the electric field of the electronic
filter will more than likely be destroyed during their passage*.
*Although this study did not assess the presence of viruses as such, it is known in microbiology that these non-living microorganisms are by
nature relatively much more fragile than bacteria and mould spores when exposed to biocidal attacks of various kinds.
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