It is May and already temperatures are soaring into the 90’s in many parts of the country. If your facility does not have an adequate ventilation system, the solar load can easily add another 20 degrees to the inside temperature. That makes for an unhealthy work environment. In this blog, I’ll discuss how to prepare for the summer heat with a well-designed ventilation system.
Why Invest in Ventilation
It may be obvious that a poor ventilation system creates an unhealthy work environment. But what may not be so obvious is that an unhealthy work environment can cost a company money. Let’s start with productivity loss. Studies have proved that for every 1-degree F above 77, a worker is 1% less productive. That means if the temperature inside a facility increases by 20 degrees F over the ambient summer temperature, workers will be 20% less productive. If there are 10 workers inside the facility, they are only able to produce the output of 8 workers. In that scenario, a company is paying for the equivalent of 2 workers that aren’t producing any results.
In addition to productivity losses, high temperatures increase absenteeism, worker turnover, and heat related work comp claims. Add those costs to the productivity losses, and the total costs can far exceed what it would take to invest in a well-designed ventilation system.
Where to Start
The first step in designing a ventilation system is to remove excess heat. The sources of excess heat in a facility are primarily from solar load and heat generating equipment. A well-designed ventilation system will provide sufficient airflow to remove the excess heat so that the temperature inside the facility is the same as the ambient temperature outside the facility.
The next step is to find the optimal position for the supply and exhaust equipment. If we are solely focused on solar load, then exhaust equipment, such as fans or louvers, should be located high and supply equipment should be located low. The exhaust and supply equipment should also be positioned to create airflow across a facility. If there is heat generating equipment, then exhaust fans need to be positioned to capture the heat before it spreads to other parts of the facility.
Spot Cooling Equipment
The third step in creating a well-designed ventilation system is to add spot cooling equipment. High velocity, low speed (HVLS) fans are a great way to enhance a ventilation system. HVLS fans can provide airflow over a large area that will evaporate sweat on workers in the airflow and create a cooling perception of 8 to 10 degrees.
Pedestal or column mounted fans are great for spot cooling specific areas such as where a worker is standing in front of a machine. Spread and throw calculations will need to be used to find the best size and location for spot cooling fans.
Direct and indirect evaporative coolers are also great for spot cooling. They use the science of water evaporation to create a 10 to 15 degree lower temperature.
Ordering and Installing Fans
Unfortunately, the lead time for some types of ventilation equipment can be 6 to 8 weeks. That is why Eldridge stocks a full line of wall and roof mounted exhaust fans. In addition, we can provide turnkey installation services that can have your fans installed in a short period of time.
Solar Fans
If a company prefers to have a zero-carbon impact with their ventilation system, we offer the SolAir solar industrial fan. It is available in a 48-inch panel fan that provides 7,000 CFM at .25 inches of static pressure. The fan utilizes a lightweight GRP propeller to maximize the power from its 1/3 horsepower DC motor.
The complete SolAir fan package comes with solar panel, a voltage regulator, and a motor speed controller. It also comes with two 12-volt batteries that when fully charged, will provide 9 hours of operation when the sun is not shining. We have packaged and pre-wired all these components into a metal cabinet so there is no guesswork on how to configure and set them.
Conclusion
The impact of the summer heat on a company can be significant. But an investment in a well-designed ventilation system can be a win-win situation for workers and the company. The workers will have the benefit of a cool and healthy environment that allows them to maximize productivity. The company sees the bottom-line benefits of lower absenteeism, turnover, and heat related illnesses. It also gets the benefits of higher worker productivity. We call that win-win situation, for both workers and the company, a successful environment.
To create a successful environment in your facility, contact an Eldridge ventilation expert and we will show how to prepare for summer heat with a well-design ventilation system.