Université de Sherbrooke
OP-4: Building Operations and Maintenance

The Université de Sherbrooke buildings are managed with a multi-criteria sustainable management system, including an indoor air quality protocol, sustainable housekeeping guidelines, and a water and energy management program. The programs, policies, and protocols presented here apply to all Université de Sherbrooke buildings.

INTERIOR AIR QUALITY PROTOCOL

Policy

The Personnel de la Division santé et sécurité en milieu de travail et d’études (SSMTE) [EN: Staff of the Environmental, Health and Safety Division] provides the legal framework for health and safety at the University, including air quality control. It also defines the roles and responsibilities of all members of the University community. The SSMTE directive clarifies the day-to-day aspects of this policy and provides tools for supervisors.

Air Quality Control

The Environmental, Health and Safety Division of the Université de Sherbrooke is involved in many areas related to health and safety, including the monitoring of indoor air quality and the response to complaints, particularly those related to this subject, which could be submitted by building occupants. These interventions are based on a specific institutional protocol, which has been in place for several years, as follows:

1) Daily air quality monitoring is performed by the Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator (HEBI) building mechanical control system. A team of seven building service technicians monitors the system. This system integrates all parameters related to temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation rate of the different rooms in the building. If there is a problem with one of the programmed parameters, the HEBI system modifies the temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation rate of the different rooms in the building in order to maintain them at the programmed values. The HEBI system modifies the response of the appropriate equipment (heating, ventilation, or humidifier) to correct the situation. If necessary, for certain sectors, alarms are also programmed to draw the attention of employees in case of important deviation from the programmed parameters.

2) Despite the regular monitoring described in point 1, occupants may complain about the indoor air quality. In such case, the air quality procedure of the Service de la mobilité, de la sécurité et de la prévention [EN: Mobility, Safety and Prevention Services] (see https://www.usherbrooke.ca/smsp/sante/qualite-de-air) is followed, according to a specific analysis grid. When necessary, if the complaints concern several rooms or an entire building, a questionnaire is used to gather more information. It should be noted that for the past six years, in order to facilitate the task, the Services has been using an online survey tool with identical questions. The questionnaire was developed based on recognized references in Quebec and Canada (Institut national de santé publique du Québec [EN: Quebec's National Institute of Public Health], Comité intersectoriel sur la qualité de l'air en milieu scolaire de l'Estrie [EN: Estrie Intersectoral Committee on Air Quality in the Schools], Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux du Québec [EN: Québec’s Minister of Health and Social Services], Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail [EN: labour standards, pay equity and workplace health and safety board], and Health Canada).

Based on the data collected by the survey, the necessary corrections are made. These actions are documented in the form of a work request in Maximo (Maximo is a preventive maintenance management software that manages all policy activities). Most often, additional or more frequent maintenance is required. Sometimes, mechanical work on the building (equipment adjustments) or architectural corrections (window repairs, water infiltration) must be undertaken.

Directive on Health and Safety in Work and Study Environmements:
https://www.usherbrooke.ca/decouvrir/fileadmin/sites/decouvrir//documents/direction/directives/2600-042_EN.pdf

Politique de santé et sécurité en milieu de travail et d’études:
https://www.usherbrooke.ca/decouvrir/fileadmin/sites/decouvrir/documents/direction/politiques/2500-004.pdf

Ventilation Unit and Duct Inspection Program

ASHRAE standards (https://www.ashrae.org/) determine good practices for the maintenance of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in North America and are followed by the University. These standards recommend regular inspection and cleaning of any system whose components do not meet acceptable conditions. This work is performed either by the building's mechanical staff for routine maintenance and minor cleaning, or by a firm specialized in the sanitation of ventilation equipment and accessories member of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA; https://nadca.com/nadca-certifications) for major cleaning (I.e., complete cleaning). We have over 280 ventilation systems on the campus. The core of each system is inspected four times a year to ensure the cleanliness and integrity of the filters, dampers, and motors. Once every five years, the entire system (all ducts, grilles, and other components) is inspected. A cleaning is then performed if recommended by the inspection. This program has been in place since 2017. It is important to note that 95% of the buildings have "mechanical" ventilation, while the remaining 5% are naturally ventilated and are therefore not concerned by the inspection program for ventilation units and ducts.

GREEN CLEANING GUIDELINE

The Green Cleaning Guideline document establishes guidelines for the cleaning of the university buildings. This document dictates good cleaning practices, as well as several sustainable housekeeping actions. The specification includes, but is not limited to:

• The use of products that meet strict environmental standards
• The obligation to work with methods and equipments that reduce:
- The use of floor restoration products
- The use of plastic containers
- The use of water for daily floor cleaning
- The use of paper for daily cleaning (switch from paper to android tablets)
• A list of prohibited cleaning products and uses
• Sustainable management of residual materials and the 3 RV policy
• Energy saving practices and energy metering in buildings
• Water efficiency and water metering in buildings
• Reducing the ecological footprint

ENERGY AND WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

An integrated building management system (Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator, HEBI) including an energy management module (HEM) is implemented on all three campuses and allows to:

• Know in real time the various energy consumptions of the buildings: electricity, steam, and natural gas
• Measure the efficiency of heat pumps, domestic water, and compressed air consumption (in some buildings)
• Optimize the university's facilities to reduce energy consumption
• Efficiently manage lighting schedules and room temperatures according to periods of occupancy (management of equipment operating schedules, temperature reduction during periods of unoccupancy, etc.)

The system's data collection allows the University to access its daily consumption of drinking water in real time. In addition, the system allows for early detection of leaks, which significantly reduces water losses in the event of a breakdown.