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SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & PUBLIC BUILDINGS
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Martin Passingham, Department Manager Product and Training at Daikin, explains how those responsible for public sector buildings can balance the need for energy efficiency with providing a healthy indoor environment, by taking a holistic approach to HVAC.
Balancing energy efficiency he decarbonisation of buildings is now a key priority as the UK strives to achieve net zero by 2050. However, the higher levels of airtightness required to achieve energy efficiency means that indoor air quality (IAQ) can be affected if it is not approached correctly. The consequences of poor indoor air quality are increasingly well established. It has been linked to both short- and longterm physical health issues, as well as growing evidence that it may impact mental health and influence conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder. In schools, poor IAQ can be detrimental to children’s ability to concentrate and learn while in hospitals it may affect patient recovery. Indoor air quality is impacted by a wide range of factors, and air pollutants can originate from sources both inside and outside the building. This can make ventilation a challenging issue as there is a need for indoor air to be refreshed but this must be done in a way that does not introduce additional pollutants. Furthermore, a key energy efficiency issue with regard to ventilation is the heat loss that can occur when exchanging
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indoor air with outdoor air. Mechanical ventilation systems that include effective and efficient heat recovery can help minimise this loss and improve the efficiency of the HVAC. Where the building has areas with different needs, units with this capability can take the heat extracted from one area and use it to heat another space as well as deliver cooling if required by using the colder incoming air.
Additionally, efficiency can be increased with climate control systems that feature technologies such as variable refrigerant temperature (VRT) control. This adjusts the amount of refrigerant flowing through the system and alters the evaporating and condensing temperatures to match demand, meaning significantly less energy is required.
Source — Daikin’s ‘Delivering good indoor air quality’ whitepaper
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