Construction Business Review

Bard Manufacturing Company
HVAC Solutions for Healthy Comfortable Classrooms

Nothing makes it more difficult for students to concentrate than sitting in an uncomfortable classroom environment. Temperature control, ventilation, and air filtration are critical to maximize student attentiveness in a crowded classroom. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems play a vital role in controlling temperature and humidity, introducing fresh outside air, and air filtration.

Bard Manufacturing is a popular choice with many schools, not only meeting the critical HVAC requirements, but also providing easy access for service and maintenance.

An international leader in commercial heating and cooling, Bard Manufacturing specializes in designing and manufacturing high-quality, customized HVAC systems. Since schools began adding air conditioning systems to classrooms, Bard products have been a reliable and proven solution for facilities and maintenance personnel, teachers, and students. They meet all recommendations set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for improving indoor air quality.

“When increased ventilation rates for classrooms became an important part of providing healthy and comfortable environments in the early 90s, we led the way with factory integrated energy recovery technology and motorized damper modules,” says Vaughan Smith, national sales manager at Bard.

Drawing upon decades of manufacturing excellence, Bard has introduced higher efficiency and quieter equipment, the most recent innovation, a wall-mount heat pump with variable speed inverter technology. It offers a system with multiple capacity stages for matching space conditions in both heating and cooling.

Bard interior and exterior wall-mounted systems serve individual classrooms, providing precision comfort zones.

Each classroom functions as its own ecosystem, allowing tailored adjustments for optimal ventilation and comfort. This design eliminates the sharing of air between classrooms, enhancing student health, particularly during times of sickness or pandemics.

“With a distinct system operating independently in each classroom, maintenance for any system is simplified and only affects a single classroom,” says James Steel, business development manager at Bard.

Each interior or exterior unit provides precision cooling, heating, humidity control, and filtration with minimal impact on the building structure, making it the right choice for new facilities and renovations. The exterior units are serviced from the outside wall, interior systems are easily accessible in the classroom, eliminating the need for climbing on roofs in severe weather conditions, or working on systems above the ceiling.

The technology behind Bard systems is user-friendly, enabling school districts to expand their classrooms and buildings while reducing the need for HVAC technicians, ensuring smooth and efficient equipment maintenance.

When increased ventilation rates for classrooms became an important part of providing healthy and comfortable environments in the early 90s, we led the way with factory integrated energy recovery technology and motorized damper modules


Bard systems are supported by local commercial HVAC distributors, who are assisted by a fully staffed technical service department with a comprehensive lab featuring operational models of all past and present equipment for routine maintenance and service. Collaborating closely with local distribution partners and end-users, Bard adapts its products to the evolving requirements of classrooms, e-buildings, modular buildings, and light commercial applications. For example, Bard systems are tailored for quick installation with less labor during shorter summer breaks and seamlessly adjust to constantly changing occupied schedules.

A testament to the robust capabilities of Bard is its engagement with Wilkes County Schools, seeking to build comfortable schools for students and keeping budgets within the amount approved by county commissioners. Wilkes County Schools turned to the heating and cooling expertise and experience of Bard and effectively reduced HVAC construction budgets over the original design and power consumption costs compared to conventional centralized systems. This helped the client save $3.5 million on their overall construction costs.

Major school districts like LAUSD, Miami Dade, and Baltimore City Schools have relied on Bard’s HVAC solutions to provide a comfortable classroom setting for students.

At Bard, it’s about delivering performance. The American-owned company stands out as a fourth-generation family-owned business, with the fifth generation actively involved in business, symbolizing an enduring commitment to innovation. This rich legacy provides a valuable foundation for innovative and reliable HVAC systems.