Your Unit Ventilators Are Failing Your Students.
There's a Better Way to Replace Them.
Displacement induction technology delivers 65% better air quality, classroom-quiet operation, and near-zero maintenance — all available through our BuyFair cooperative contract.
Why Unit Ventilators Are Failing Your Schools
Unit ventilators have been the default classroom HVAC solution for decades. But the technology hasn't kept up with modern air quality standards, energy codes, or acoustic requirements.
The Real Cost of Outdated Unit Vents
- Poor air quality reduces student performance. High CO2 levels are directly linked to decreased cognitive function, drowsiness, and higher absenteeism.
- Constant maintenance drains facility budgets. Filters, motors, belts, dampers, actuators — unit vents have dozens of moving parts that require ongoing service.
- Noise disrupts learning. Students and teachers compete with fan noise, damper clatter, and air rush from ceiling-level supply.
- Recirculated air spreads contaminants. Traditional systems mix room air and redistribute airborne pathogens, allergens, and VOCs throughout the space.
- Energy waste is built into the design. Moving large volumes of air with fans and motors consumes significantly more energy than water-based heat transfer.
14 Million School Days Lost Annually
Asthma-related complications linked to poor indoor air quality cost students 14 million school days per year. 41% of U.S. schools have HVAC systems that fail to meet ASHRAE ventilation standards.
Your students deserve better. Your facility staff deserves systems that don't require constant attention. And your budget deserves technology that pays for itself in energy and maintenance savings.
The solution isn't another generation of the same technology — it's a fundamentally different approach.
Displacement Induction: A Proven Alternative
Displacement induction separates ventilation from conditioning, uses water instead of air for heating and cooling, and delivers fresh air where students breathe — not where contaminants collect.
100% Fresh Air Delivery
A Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) delivers 100% dehumidified outside air to each classroom. No recirculation. No room-to-room cross-contamination. Every breath is fresh.
Induction — No Moving Parts
Fresh air enters the wall-mounted terminal unit and induces (draws) room air across a hydronic coil through pressure differential alone. No fans. No motors. No belts. No filters in the classroom.
Displacement Ventilation
Conditioned air is delivered at low velocity near the floor. Warm air and contaminants naturally rise via convection and exhaust at ceiling level — pushing pollutants away from the breathing zone, not through it.
Water-Based Efficiency
Heating and cooling loads are handled by hot and chilled water through hydronic coils — dramatically more efficient than moving large volumes of conditioned air with energy-intensive fans.
System Architecture
The displacement induction system consists of five integrated components working together:
Dedicated Outdoor Air System provides 100% dehumidified outside air. Rooftop or indoor mounted with energy recovery.
Air-cooled or water-cooled chiller supplies chilled water to terminal units. Compatible with geothermal and heat recovery systems.
High-efficiency condensing boiler delivers hot water for zone heating. Supports electrification and heat pump integration.
Wall-mounted classroom units with integral hydronic coils. Zero moving parts. Customizable with storage and countertop options.
Ceiling-mounted units for corridors, offices, and auxiliary spaces. Same water/air infrastructure, extending the system building-wide.
Unit Ventilators vs. Displacement Induction
Side-by-side performance data validated by Purdue University's Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and field measurements across hundreds of school installations.
Sources: Carson Solutions field data, Purdue University Ray W. Herrick Laboratories (ASHRAE 62.1-2019 testing), ARI classroom acoustics study, Anoka-Hennepin School District measurements
Built for Learning Environments
Better Learning Outcomes
Lower CO2 directly correlates with increased cognitive performance. Students in displacement-ventilated classrooms experience fewer headaches, less drowsiness, and better concentration. The quiet operation (<35 dBA) means teachers don't compete with fan noise.
Healthier Buildings
Contaminants are lifted away from the student breathing zone — not recirculated. No room-to-room cross-contamination. Meets ASHRAE 241 infection control requirements. Post-pandemic, parents and boards demand better ventilation — this delivers it.
Dramatically Lower Maintenance
Zero moving parts in the classroom means no filter changes, no motor replacements, no belt adjustments, no damper calibration. Annual maintenance consists of a visual inspection and light vacuuming. Your facility team can focus on other priorities.
20–35% Energy Savings
Water-based heat transfer is inherently more efficient than moving conditioned air. Smaller DOAS air handlers, higher chiller water temperatures, and zero fan energy in classrooms combine to deliver significant utility budget reductions year after year.
Retrofit-Ready
Terminal units mount in the same wall location as existing unit vents. The system can be phased in classroom by classroom or wing by wing. Compatible with existing hydronic infrastructure — just supply chilled and hot water piping.
Future-Proof Design
Supports building electrification and decarbonization. Integrates with geothermal, air-source heat pumps, and heat recovery chillers. Qualifies for IRA incentives, ITC credits, and 179D tax deductions. Net-zero capable — proven at NYC PS 62.
Hundreds of Schools. Decades of Performance.
Displacement induction isn't experimental — it's been installed in hundreds of school buildings across the country with documented, measurable results.
Anoka-Hennepin School District, MN
Minnesota's largest school district began testing displacement induction in 2005. After measuring 65% lower CO2, ANSI-compliant acoustics, and immediate contaminant response — they retrofitted 11 schools and continue expanding.
NYC PS 62 — Katherine Grim School
First net-zero public school in New York City. Displacement induction with DOAS and energy recovery delivered 30% more outside air than ASHRAE 62.1 requires — while achieving net-zero energy status.
Purdue University — Herrick Labs
Independent third-party testing per ASHRAE 62.1-2019. Confirmed stratified displacement operation in both heating and cooling modes. Ventilation effectiveness of 1.29 — 29% better than perfect mixing.
Extensive K-12 installation history including Evergreen Park Elementary, Roosevelt Middle School, Mosinee Middle & High School, DC Everest Junior High, Tremper High School, multiple Blaine MN elementary schools, and many more across the Midwest and nationwide.
Unit Vent Replacement Through BuyFair Cooperative
Roberts Design Build Solutions delivers displacement induction projects under a pre-awarded cooperative contract. No RFP. Design-build delivery. Summer-ready scheduling.
Assessment
We evaluate your existing unit ventilators, building infrastructure, and hydronic capacity. You receive a detailed report with options, energy projections, and budget estimates.
Design & Engineering
Our engineers design the displacement induction system with BIM coordination. Load calculations, equipment selection, and piping layouts — all under our design-build contract.
Cooperative Procurement
A fixed-price proposal is priced per our BuyFair contract and submitted for board consideration. Our contract satisfies Illinois bid requirements — no separate RFP needed.
Installation & Commissioning
Roberts craftsmen self-perform the mechanical installation. We commission through both seasonal changeovers to ensure year-round performance. Your students get better air from day one.
Life Safety Funding for Unit Vent Replacement
HVAC replacement is one of the most common Life Safety categories in Illinois. Your unit ventilator project may qualify for non-referendum Life Safety bonds and dedicated tax levies — funding that exists outside your normal operating budget.
Roberts DBS manages the complete process: from identifying eligible Life Safety deficiencies through project completion and ROE closeout. Our BuyFair cooperative contract accelerates procurement, and our design-build delivery fits summer construction windows.
Learn About Our LSAP Process →