New Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) by Dr. Richard Bruns for Clean Air Allies Estimates Average 30x Return on CalSHAPE School HVAC Upgrades

New Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) by Dr. Richard Bruns for Clean Air Allies Estimates Average 30x Return on CalSHAPE School HVAC Upgrades

Clean Air Allies has released “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of CalSHAPE School HVAC Upgrades,” by Dr. Richard Bruns, an economist specializing in cost-benefit analysis of public health policy.

Using a Monte Carlo simulation, the analysis estimates that the monetized social benefits of school HVAC repairs, replacements, and upgrades funded by the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency (CalSHAPE) grant program are, on average, 30 times the costs, with a 90% confidence interval of 7 to 73 times. Benefits include educational improvements, reduced secondary transmission of infections, reduced asthma, and reduced infections in children.

Dr. Bruns is also the author of “Cost-Benefit Analysis of ASHRAE Standard 241,” published in ASHRAE Journal, 65(10) (2023), among other cost-benefit analyses of IAQ measures. Clean Air Allies is grateful to Dr. Bruns, who completed this work on a pro bono basis.

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