ENERGY SAVING EQUIPMENT
fresh air to buildings efficiently, and owners of commercial buildings must invest in solutions that can keep occupants safe and healthy, at the same time as keeping energy use to a minimum.
The importance of creating healthy spaces We spend around 92% of our lives indoors, so most of the air we breathe is from within our offices and homes. If this air is of poor quality, filled with harmful chemicals or pollutants, it can pose serious health risks. With the level of pollutants in office buildings reaching up to five times higher indoors than outdoors, we must take IAQ seriously. This situation is worsening due to growing
urbanisation, as the UK’s cities continue to expand as hubs for employment and living. This results in more densely built areas and higher levels of emissions from the transport needed to propel these growing populations around. The need to grow and maintain these cities has also led to us being surrounded by harmful chemicals. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are everywhere; from the fabric of our offices – due to the materials used to build the actual space – to the furniture in our homes and the clothes we wear. This is in addition to the cleaning products used to clean and sanitise workstations, offices, restaurants or shops at the end of the day. These kinds of pollutants are known to be a major cause of damaging health issues such as asthma and eczema, and stale air is also believed to lead to a loss of productivity and low morale. Excess humidity is also a problem, as it can cause dampness and mould within a building. Looking at this alongside the host of new
building regulations that require greater air tightness in buildings, it is clear that there is a compelling case for improving indoor air quality and ventilation in the spaces we occupy.
The built environment and net-zero Currently, around 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions are attributable to the built environment. This means the sector needs to push more aggressive rates of decarbonisation if the UK is to hit its net-zero target by 2050. There are a number of areas that building
owners are focusing on to reduce carbon emissions. Switching from gas boilers to renewable heating with heat pumps is being promoted as part of the ongoing government initiative to embrace more energy efficient
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methods of heating. The efficiency credentials of the air conditioning and ventilation systems within commercial buildings must also be a priority. Air conditioning and ventilation is a must-
have in a building, especially as more modern spaces are often built with sealed windows, in line with modern building regulations, so there is no natural way to bring fresh air into these indoor spaces. Figures for minimum energy efficiency for heat exchangers in heat recovery ventilation systems are outlined for non-domestic buildings. Currently, Part L calls for heat recovery systems with plate heat exchangers, installed in non-domestic buildings, to be at least 73% efficient. The ErP Directive is also designed to improve the environmental performance of any products that use energy, and the second stage – implemented in 2015 – calls for a higher level of minimum energy efficiency requirements fans.
Energy saving ventilation The growing demand for ventilation can’t be considered separately from the need for energy-efficient building operation. The two must go hand in hand, and fortunately there are ventilation solutions available that can help to keep occupants healthy, while also keeping energy use down.
Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) is one viable option, as it can deliver outdoor air into a building while simultaneously extracting state air – whilst recovering heat from the outgoing air to raise the temperature of the incoming air. In offices in particular, MVHR can work alongside the building’s existing air conditioning system to help maintain a healthy and comfortable internal environment. Using the heat from extracted air in this way
means that less energy needs to be applied to the incoming air to bring it to the required temperature. The most effective systems can recover between 80% and 90% of the heat energy, which would otherwise be wasted. As the UK continues on its journey to reach
net-zero by 2050, the built environment has a responsibility to keep decarbonising. There are many factors to consider, including heating systems and embodied carbon - but the energy efficiency credentials of air conditioning and ventilation equipment must not be forgotten. Ensuring building occupants are safe, healthy and comfortable is critical for buildings, but there are solutions available that can make sure this is done efficiently, and with as much energy recovered or saved as possible.
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