Cooling Commercial Buildings: A System Approach

Commercial buildings must possess good air quality if the workplace environment is going to be conducive to good health. Workplaces that are hot and stuffy pose a health risk to employees and could result in costly medical bills and other expenses if lawsuits are filed. Therefore, keeping commercial buildings cool and comfortable as possible must become a top priority. Depending on the size of the building, business owners and managers must consider a several ways of keeping the commercial building cool.

Air Conditional Units

A variety of air conditional units are available for cooling commercial buildings. For example, window air conditions are a good choice for small offices. Such air conditional units are easy to install and require minimum skills to maintain. Split air conditional units are designed for the average, medium sized office. To install and maintain this unit requires an individual to possess at least a basic set of technical skills. Installation requires drilling, tube connection, changing refrigerant gas and vacuuming. For larger buildings, a central air conditioning system must be installed. This is a complex system, containing such smart features as automatic temperature and automation controls, operation logic controls and microprocessors. Therefore, maintenance requires expert service.

Improving Cooling Systems

A number of technologies have been introduced in order to improve cooling systems in commercial buildings. Compressors less cooling technologies are designed to cool space effectively and reduce the losses of the distribution systems. Such technologies can dissipate heat from the building’s interior to other parts of the environments without the cycle of refrigeration. Evaporative cooling, ice storage and chiller sequencing characterize such technologies. By using a chilled water system in place of air, cooling can effectively be distributed to different parts of a commercial building. These natural innovative techniques improve health and productivity for workers.

Beyond Air Conditioning

Eliminating indoor air pollution has also become a concern of air conditional designers. This goes beyond simple air conditioning. Such techniques as filtration of air particles, fresh air renewal, smell elimination and chemical contaminants removal are all under evaluation. Because most indoor environments contains five times the pollution discovered outdoors, designers are steadily researching ways to make the environment of commercial buildings as green as possible.

Unsafe Workplace Warning

To avoid a law suit for an unsafe work environment, managers or business owners must make sure the appropriate air conditional units are properly installed. The workplace environment in commercial buildings must be comfortable enough for employees to perform effectively without experiencing health problems. For example, an overheated work place can cause employees to experience a number of heat-related symptoms, including heat fatigue, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which will require immediate medical treatment. Heat strokes could result in loss of consciousness, confusion and irrational behavior. However, by installing the proper commercial cooling system, such problems can be avoided.