As temperatures creep up as we leave Spring behind, it can often seem like it’s too late to think about ventilation in terms of office or building space. Chris Millett, Technical Sales Manager at Remco, an electric motor replacement specialist, explains what can be done at this stage to have a more comfortable and efficient summer indoors.
We’ve all seen the reports over the past few years that global warming is having a real effect on temperatures worldwide and predictions are rife that there is going to be a significant increase in terms of average temperatures in years to come if something is not done. This of course has wide implications for the world, but in the immediate sense, it also has an effect on our day to day.
Facilities managers across the world are often tasked with keeping airflow and heating in optimum condition, but it’s often difficult to predict what might happen month to month. Recent reports also indicate that thanks to the global pandemic, workers returning to the office as many are doing, are concerned about air quality as well as being cool or warm enough day to day. There’s proof out there that better ventilation thanks to the likes of HVAC or by using appropriate fan fittings such as axial fans can reduce sickness and therefore absences in workers, meaning that your workforce is ready to work, your business is efficient and you are more productive overall.
To ensure you hit all these points, comfort, safety and efficiency, it’s important to perhaps keep these points in mind as we approach the warmer summer months:
Use your HVAC sustainably
It’s not enough these days to give simple lip service to the green agenda, there are real implications for those not placing importance on this very real situation. There’s something to be said for using an HVAC system effectively not only for environmental reasons, but for cost reasons too.
Using an HVAC system to cool a property or space is expected, but think intelligently about when it is being used. If a facility needs to be kept cool at all times, consider using it normally during office or work hours, but using some kind of free cooling at night to best keep the optimum temperature constant. Free cooling allows air to enter from the outside, but rejects warmer air, allowing cool air to filter in without putting strain on your HVAC power and ultimately, your pocket. Think of it as coasting in a motor vehicle, it’s better for the environment not to have your foot down at all times and easier on your wallet, the same principle applies.
Test, check, improve
In the same way you’d prepare for a bout of inclement weather or winter, summer heating and cooling needs the same amount of readiness. To not be caught out by a heatwave, why not test your systems months before? Filters, fans, switches and ventilation need maintenance as much as anything else and when facilities are stacked with workers, it means that you can soon get caught out.
One common fault that stops ventilation systems from working at all but can easily be remedied is a build up of dust, preventing axial fans and other elements of your system from functioning at all. A simple clean may well help in this situation, but if it still isn’t working then it’s time to speak to a replacement or refurbishment specialist.
Oftentimes a part can be replaced. This keeps costs down, can be done on a quick turnaround and means the time that your system is down can be reduced massively. An entire system replacement can be costly and time consuming and so can mean an entire section of the warmest months can pass by, leaving staff and customers in your properties uncomfortable and miserable.
Get up to speed in downtime
There’s a lot to be said for being prepared when it comes to HVAC and ventilation systems. That’s never more true than using your time intelligently. During the summer months, a focus on your heating systems can be a real boon when it starts to get wintery once more.
While they aren’t being used, making sure that you test, inspect and repair heating systems is a great use of time. If systems are clean, efficient and ready to simply be switched on once it gets cold outside, it’s all the better for all concerned.
If it isn’t sorted, odds are that for convenience, workers or staff will reach for desktop or storage heaters, which are a drain on power, resources and air quality, acting as they do to dry the air and make offices and shared spaces more stifling. They are also a fire risk, so it’s better to embark on a maintenance regime while the weather is warm and heating is far from everyone’s mind.