The current industry standard method to control relative humidity (RH) and biological growth involves sub-cooling air to condense moisture out of the air, then reheating the same air that was just subcooled to reduce the RH of the air before it enters the space. However, the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems at many Federal facilities are not equipped with (or do not use) the required reheat function, so high indoor RH and the growth of mold are often inevitable occurrences. The High Efficiency Dehumidification System (HEDS) is a patent-protected, proprietary energy recovery method designed to save more than 50 of the dehumidification related cooling and heating plant energy in RH controlled environments. This report evaluates the cost and performance of the HEDS technology. Performance claims, installation costs, and maintenance impacts were investigated through the installation of two test units at Tinker Air Force Base, OK and Fort Bragg, NC. Results indicate that HEDS significantly exceeded the energy savings targets. This investigation concludes that, since HEDS uses reclaimed energy for the reheat energy source, it offers a cost-effective solution to provide American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 90.1 compliance across a wide range of HVAC system sizes and types.
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