Park Potomac Place is an elegant, ten-story condominium tower with 80 high-end residences and a total space of 250,000 square feet. It includes two levels of below-grade parking, a clubhouse with a clubroom, two fireplaces, a fitness center, guest suites, a circular pool, and a landscaped plaza area. It was developed by Foulger-Pratts.

The Project:

• 14 traditional single speed fans operated at full speed 24/7 and provided ventilation for the 87 kitchen hoods connected to 14 shafts. 
• Residents complained about a constant noise from the kitchen hoods and ducts caused by turbulence and vibration
• The ductwork amplified the noise generated by the fans themselves.
• Large amounts of conditioned air was exhausted to the outdoors as the exhaust fans were constantly running at full speed.

ENERVEX Solution:

• A technical team decide to upgrade fan system with an ENERVEX MBES, Demand Controlled Ventilation system.
• Fans are now operating at high speed less than 60 minutes per day as kitchen hoods operate a very short period of time.
• Exhaust rate has reduced dramatically 23 hours per day.
• Fan upgrade eliminated noise problem.
• Fan upgrade saved $77,000 annually just from reducing the exhaust rate and the loss of conditioned air.
• Energy savings from using a variable speed fan over a single speed fan amount to $10,000 annually or $1,000 per kitchen hood
• The total project cost to upgrade to an ENERVEX MBES, Demand Controlled Ventilation system amounted to $60,000.
• Payback: 8 months. 5-year ROI of 632%.
• Demand Controlled Ventilation systems added comfort by dramatically reducing noise levels and provided a truly “green” and sustainable ventilation solution