The best way to help employees beat the summer heat is to have a good ventilation system. A poorly ventilated building can cause the inside temperature to exceed the ambient outside temperature by as much as 20 deg. F. Not only does the excessive heat pose a health risk, it has a real impact on productivity. Studies have shown that the productivity of the average worker decreases by 1% for every one degree above 77 F. To beat the summer heat and keep your employees healthy and productive, here are some tips for creating a good ventilation system.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Making the temperature inside a building the same as the ambient outside temperature is all about air flow. For most applications that do not have additional heat load, 6 air changes per hour will provide enough air flow to remove the summer heat caused by the solar effect. To determine how much air flow that needs to be, calculate the air volume of the building (length x width x height). Now divide the air volume by 10 and that will be the air flow in cubic feet per minute (CFM) needed to produce 6 air changes per hour. If a building has existing fans that are working, subtract the CFM produced by the working fans to estimate how much more air flow needs to be added.
EXHAUST HIGH AND SUPPLY LOW
Because heat rises, it is best to place new exhaust fans on the roof or high up on walls. In addition to utilizing the natural stack effect caused by rising heat, this configuration of exhausting air high and supplying air low can take advantage of existing man or truck doors as openings where the supply air can enter. Bringing in supply air low also creates air movement at the floor level and that can have some evaporative cooling effect.
SPOT COOLING FANS
Spot cooling fans are a great way to provide additional comfort cooling when a building has achieved an air flow rate of 6 changes per hour. Adding axial or HVLS fans may provide an 8 to 10 degree F comfort cooling effect caused by the evaporation of sweat. Spot cooling fans will have their greatest impact if they are located where there is the highest concentration of people.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW
Believe it or not, now is the time to get your building ready to beat the summer heat. Factory lead times are usually around eight weeks for ventilation equipment orders and fan installations take around four weeks. Installation lead time must factor in scheduling around the day-to-day operations going on inside a building as well as availability of installation crews. If you get ahead of the last minute rush and order ventilation equipment today, your building could be ready by late April, just in time to help beat the summer heat! Contact an Eldridge ventilation expert today.