NH legislative building needs millions to fix air quality
When lawmakers are in session, New Hampshire's Legislative Office Building is teeming with people. At any given time, committee meetings can be taking place across three floors, joining together elected representatives, government officials, and members of the public in tight spaces.
COVID-19 made people keenly aware of air quality in crowded buildings, and in 2020, the state's Department of Administrative Services contracted with an engineering firm to evaluate the downtown Concord building's mechanical systems. It was discovered that minimum air quality standards weren't being met.
Specifically, “multiple deficiencies” were identified in the air handling system, according to state documents and the study by contractor Harriman. The system didn't have the heating/reheat coils necessary to allow fresh air introduction into the building when temperatures fell below freezing; and the outdoor air introduction minimums weren't being met during the cooling season, either, due to a limited chiller capacity.
The Department of Administrative Services, which manages more than 700 state-owned buildings, developed a temporary solution, but not one that's sustainable long term.
“Instead, complete replacement of the LOB air handling system is necessary,” DAS Commissioner Charlie Arlinghaus recently wrote to members of the Fiscal Committee.
On Friday, the Fiscal Committee will vote on DAS' request to use $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to complete the HVAC project. Arlinghaus said replacing the “obsolete and inadequate system” will increase overall efficiency, ensure that air quality standards are satisfied, and provide resiliency in the event of another health-safety crisis such as COVID-19.
The November 2020 report by Harriman found the LOB's existing air handling system had to be shut down during the winter months due to deficiencies, meaning 100 percent of the rooms during that time did not receive enough fresh air to meet standards by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, as well as COVID-19 guidance.
Harriman recommended an increase in the outdoor air change rate in each room to six changes per hour. According to its report, approximately 50 rooms – ranging from the basement to the fourth floor – were categorized as “red,” meaning they saw less than two air changes per hour.
In an interview with the Bulletin, Arlinghaus said the LOB project will cost around $8 million total, all of which is ARPA funding. An initial $2 million was approved by the Executive Council last June.
HVAC projects are a permissible use of the federal funds, so DAS has been pursuing them in several state buildings, Arlinghaus said. Last year, they utilized more than $20 million for that purpose. The LOB is unique and a little pricier – because the public is in it more often and it's a historic building, built in 1889.
“Air exchange is more important the more people there are in the building,” Arlinghaus said. He noted there “aren't any problems with sickness or anything like that” related to the LOB's air quality.
All state construction endeavors, such as the LOB HVAC project, are required to have a renewable energy or energy efficiency component, per a 2016 executive order by then-Gov. Maggie Hassan. The order set updated goals of reducing fossil fuel use at state-owned facilities by 30 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2025, and 50 percent by 2030 – compared to a 2005 baseline.
Aside from the executive order, Arlinghaus said because his department houses the state's Energy Management Office, they are the paying entity of utility bills, so “energy efficiency is at the top of our list.”
Between fiscal years 2005 and 2022, state buildings avoided more than $50 million in energy costs because of specific energy consumption reduction targets. In fiscal year 2022, the state government spent more than $18.4 million on its own energy costs.