Air Conditioning for Modern Offices

by

LilacJames

For office workers and employers across the UK, air conditioning is becoming a must have rather than a luxury. But where do you begin as an employer looking to install a system? How do you know what your requirements are?

Unfortunately you cant pick an air conditioning system off the shelf and plug it in. You will require a specialist installer to calculate which system will be right for you. There are many different factors that will affect the type of system you will need. These include the size of your office, the number of people that work there, the number of electrical appliances . . . . Some specialists will even ask you how many tea and coffee machines are used on the premises! Its incredibly complicated. A room full of computers and people will require a much greater cooling capacity than a room used to display inorganic products. A room that has large south facing windows will require a greater capacity than a north facing room with small windows. Each factor must be considered so that they can decide on the optimum heating and cooling capacity. If your capacity is too small then units will be working at their maximum limit most of the time which will lead to greater wear, higher maintenance and possible early failure. If your capacity is too much then its just an unnecessary expense.

So, let me give you a little overview so that you can sound like you somewhat know what you are talking about when approaching a supplier for your office air conditioning!

A modern office will probably require air conditioning for both heating and cooling, where a computer room might only require cooling. Both systems work on a thermostat and a unit with heating and cooling can maintain a constant temperature that you can pre-set. A unit that is cooling only can also maintain a pre-set temperature, but only if this can be achieved by cooling. If a room becomes too cold, this unit cannot provide heat.

There are many different types of air conditioning system. The smaller one is called a split system, which has an outdoor and indoor unit that are connected by copper pipes. These pipes carry pressurised refrigerant gasses and electrical wiring. This system is generally suited to a small office with only one or a few rooms. If your requirement is larger you will need a multi system. These enable several indoor units to be connected to an outdoor unit. A ducted unit is required when the indoor unit is sited away from the room it serves. The hot or cold air is then carried to the room via rigid or flexible ducting. You can have single or multiple outlets with a ducted unit.

There are several different types of indoor units and the one you need will largely depend on the room and furniture layout and ceiling design. The main types of indoor unit are ceiling cassettes, wall mounted units, under ceiling units and floor standing units.

The Outdoor units must be sited outside so that there is a free external natural air-flow. People usually choose to site them on a flat roof, bolt them to an external wall or put them at ground level in a compound or cage. You must consider the aesthetics of the building, the safety of the public, the potential for vandalism, the weight of the units and the distance from the indoor units when choosing where to site them.

The indoor units produce water when they are in cooling mode and this needs to be drained. A gravity drain is used where possible which requires a PVC pipe to run from the unit to the nearest drain. In some situations the nearest drain is above the unit or it could be unsightly to have a pipe running down the interior wall, in which case a pump is fitted to pump the water through the drain pipe.

It is possible to buy a portable unit. They are not as effective as the in built systems, but can provide some relief on a hot day. They do usually expel water and the water tray needs to be emptied on a regular basis or the outlet has to be positioned over a sink. There are new models coming on to the market that evaporate the water, but then this vapour is expelled into the room. Some are unable to draw external air and can only re-process the air already in the room. Others have a flexible duct inlet that can be used to introduce natural air from outside, but you may need to have a window open slightly. If you dont often need cooling then this is a solution you could consider. You can even hire when the need arises.

Once your system is installed, it will need a maintenance visit, roughly twice a year. This does depend on how much it is used though and a dusty environment will need more maintenance. The amount of gas in the unit and the pressure it is working under need to be checked to make sure there are no leakages or any other faults that are leading to a lack of pressure which reduces the efficiency of the system. The filters on the indoor units need to be cleaned regularly or they can begin to emit bacteria and dust into the air. It will be a part of your system warranty that the maintenance is carried out by a competent industry professional and you will be offered that as part of your package on installation.

Karen writes for

D-Air

among other clients on topics ranging from travel and education to parenting and leisure activities. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her young family and listening to world music.

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