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w w w . b s e e . c o . u k
BSEE
HVAC
A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO BSEE
JUNE 2009
The authoritative voice of the industry
Cool under pressure
Mike Elver, national accounts sector manager at Andrews Sykes Hire Ltd discusses the need for schools to keep their cool at exam time.
A
s teenagers across hottest months, so an affect concentration and, unit(s) will only be on site for as
the country begin the investment in an installed air ultimately, performance. long as they are needed.
countdown to the conditioning system seems Clearly in a school Furthermore, they offer a
exams that could ridiculous, compared to the environment, and especially completely flexible solution with
determine the course need to buy basics like books during exams, the discomfort units supplied on wheels so that
of the rest of their lives, and computers. and distraction of an they can be moved between
memories of those evenings The fact remains, however, unpleasantly hot classroom or rooms to other hot spots such
spent revising and days waiting that schools do suffer from a hall is unacceptable. Students, as laboratories, computer suites
nervously outside the exam greenhouse effect of their own already nervous about sitting and staff rooms, ensuring
room in the sunshine come and May, June and even their exams, will feel even more cooling is available where it’s
flooding back. The summer I September can prove just as agitated if the environment in needed most.
spent sitting in a humid exam sweltering as July and August. which they sit them is hot and Of course, while the sunny
hall poring over A level exam Older school buildings often humid. And once the exam has periods that many of us enjoyed
papers is, mercifully, a distant have dreadful thermal started high temperatures, a over Easter have made us all
memory these days. The hall is performance, exposing lack of fresh air circulating and optimistic of a warm spring and
probably still there, however, students and teachers to indoor the consequences of these summer this year, no-one can
and chances are it will be just as temperatures much higher than conditions, such as stale odours really predict in advance
hot, stuffy and inhospitable for those outdoors. Meanwhile, the and coughing, could all whether schools will really need
this year’s crop of school trend for large glazed façades in contribute to lower performance to worry about air conditioning
leavers as it was in my day. new builds means that these from able candidates. Many for this summer’s exam season.
While the Government is school environments can be schools simply accept this as Whatever the weather, however,
making a huge investment in just as problematic. the time-honoured fate of contingency planning is always
updating school buildings, the It’s an issue that has been summer exam students. What a good idea and one of the other
reality is that few schools are raised by the largest teaching they often don’t realise is that key advantages of temporary air
fortunate enough to have any union, the NUT, with teachers air conditioning hire could conditioning unit hire is that the
lobbying for a maximum provide a fast, flexible and cost- school’s cooling strategy can be
permissible temperature on effective solution that could rolled out as soon as the
health and safety grounds. help maintain grades, deliver a temperatures begin to soar.
They certainly have a point. safer school environment and By consulting a HVAC hire
Health and safety legislation safeguard teachers’ sanity. specialist in advance, a school for their needs. Split systems condenser unit as long as they
already stipulates that Costing as little as a few can ensure that they have a plan usually provide the most remain within the 30m radius.
classrooms should not operate pounds per day, specialist air in place identifying the most suitable solution in an education For larger sports halls, often
in temperatures below 18°C and conditioning unit hire allows a appropriate type of air environment, enabling the the venue for exams with large
sports halls should have a school to put in place safe and conditioning unit and the most school to keep doors and numbers of candidates, it may
temperature of at least 15°C, effective air conditioning, effective place to position the windows shut, which minimises be more appropriate to use
however, there is no designated without any capital outlay. equipment. At Andrews Sykes, disruption from external noise; industrial fans rather than air
temperature at which it is What’s more, many models we carry out free site surveys to an important consideration con units. Once again, the
considered too hot to continue have an ‘A’ energy rating, determine the cooling load during exam times. These advantage of going to a HVAC
teaching. making them cheap to run too. required and agree the number portable air conditioning units hire specialist is that they can
Think back to last summer’s That makes it a very attractive and type of units we will put in have a remote condenser unit recommend the kit that’s most
installed air conditioning, and, relentless rain and you may option, even in comparison to a place, and where we will site
which ensures that the warm air suitable for the room in
even as part of a re-building think what’s all the fuss about? portable unit from a DIY store. them if the need arises. The plan
is diverted away from the exam question.
programme, air con is rarely Cast your mind back a little Hired units also provide much takes account of things like
environment. At Andrews There is nothing any of us
seen as a priority. Realistically, further to the weeks and weeks greater benefits in cooling health & safety and access
Sykes, the PAC 22 6.5Kw air can do to stop the words ‘you
one might argue, why should it of hot weather in 2006, terms than off the shelf portable restrictions so that we don’t
conditioning unit is by far the may begin’ from striking fear
be? Despite widespread however, and the problem really units and, because every unit is have to waste any time when
most commonly specified unit into the heart of any exam
concerns about global warming, comes into focus. Certainly, electrically tested and cleaned the school decides it needs
because the condenser unit can student. However, with a bit of
our climate means that an air anyone who took exams that before delivery, they provide the some air conditioning.
be positioned up to 30m away forward planning, a school can
conditioning system in a school year will recall how hot it was safety and reliability benefits Consulting a HVAC hire
from the cooling unit. What’s at least help them keep their
environment would be and, as any teacher will tell you, essential in a school specialist also means that
more, because it’s so light and cool as they try to remember
redundant for most of the year. the hot environment not only environment. On a practical schools can be confident that
portable, the air conditioning everything they’ve learned in
Indeed, schools are on their makes everyone feel irritable level, the school does not need they will be using the most
units can be moved without preparation for the next two
summer break during the and uncomfortable, but can also to allocate storage space as the appropriate cooling equipment
having to relocate the hours.
Securing the environment
for future generations
Broag-Remeha have designed the Gas 110 Eco to fit into the footprint of one of the most
www.remeha.co.uk
popular traditional boiler designs. The customer’s carbon saving pound can go even T. 0118 978 3434
further because the installer will be fitting the latest boiler technology directly into the F. 0118 978 6977
space in which the old, inefficient boiler used to stand. E. boilers@broag-remeha.com
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