ALL THINGS GREEN
Once installed, chilled beams can also add value to a buildin g as they are virtually maintenance free and their life expectancy can easily exceed 20 years. With no filters to replace, no drip trays to biocide and no condensate lines to maintain, the only care required, depending on the installation, is the occasional cleaning and wipe-down of the chilled beam surfaces for general clean aesthetics. The reduction in maintenance costs over the life of the building is a key component in delivering a long-term environmentally sustainable solution, and although it is a distinct advantage of chilled beams over other HVAC systems, this can easily be overlooked. Another environmental and sustainable benefit of chilled beams is that they are constructed using recyclable materials such as steel, aluminium and copper, and as chilled beams do not contain refrigerants or oil, the decommissioning process is by virtue far easier as there is no associated legislation, such as the F-Gas regulations, to worry about. Mr Ainley also believes that chilled beams provide a link between green credentials and well-being. He explains that the standards for room occupancy thermal comfort from
the days of the introduction of BS EN ISO 7730 (Ergonomics of the indoor environment) have really progressed and are now part of an overall standard for well-being that encompasses indoor air quality (IAQ), acoustics and lighting.
As chilled beams and ceilings contain no moving parts, they can offer near-silent operation and they also lower the potential for draughts, which improves indoor comfort levels.
Chilled beams offer not only aesthetic advantages but also technical advantages, particularly in buildings where the architects have opted for more open designs with exposed building structure and services, as with radiant passive chilled beams these can take advantage of the natural thermal mass of the building.
The chilled beams can be incorporated into the interior design and become a decorative feature, while the size, shape and paint finish of solutions can be varied to meet specific requirements. The spacious, open interior space they create when exposed can lend itself to the clients opting for multiservice chilled beam (MSCB) solutions which incorporate
high efficiency LED lighting. The lighting can improve well-being by utilising an amount of indirect lighting to illuminate the soffit, reducing the ‘cave effect’. The MSCB-led lighting can also be utilised to provide ‘circadian lighting’, whereby the lighting control system can control the colour and intensity of the light to match our circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are a 24-hour cycle that synchronises our bodily functions, and so is going to be an important approach to future lighting design and well-being.
Overall well-being of building occupants is becoming a key driver, as independent studies and research have established that occupants (in this case, employees) work better in environments where their well-being is being satisfied. Mr Ainley goes on to explain that not only does the employee work rate improve, but there are statistically fewer people having time off work through illness or stress-related matters. This is why employers an d building owners are taking the well-being standards more and more seriously, as it also brings benefits for their businesses as productivity is improved hand-in-hand with improved well- being.
Elitech
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