The Wenatchee School District is currently constructing and installing a dehumidification ventilation system in the Wenatchee High School pool area to replace the old equipment and provide better air quality, guaranteeing annual energy savings of more than $22,109.

According to Bryan Visscher, Director of Facilities and Risk Management for WSD, the pool was built in 1972 and hasn’t been updated much since then.

Since the pool is indoor, Visscher explained how there is a lot of humidity that needs to be taken care of and ventilated. The old equipment in the pool area was trapping humid air, and not maintaining the proper air quality for people in the pool area, especially those using the pool.

Estimated costs for the entire project are around $447,700. WSD received a grant from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for more than $179,000, making the entire project much more obtainable, according to Visscher, as well as nearly $50,000 from Chelan County PUD. Remaining funds will be covered by the school district.

“The idea now is to use much less electricity to do a better job than before, saving us tons of money,” Visscher said. “The amount of electricity we are saving is phenomenal.”

The new dehumidification ventilation system, manufactured by DesertAir, removes humidity from the air by cooling the air down, then the excess heat is recovered and put back into the pool room air or pool water, if needed, and any waste heat is then discharged into the outside air. The system also improves indoor air quality by removing pollutants produced by pool chlorine, such as ammonia and chloramines, and other occupan such as carbon dioxide.

“It’s as simple as new technology coming out,” Visscher said. “Therefore, we can do it better now.”