Healthy buildings - Is your office building ready?
The newly released CIBSE Covid-19 Ventilation guidance document suggests that relative humidity should be kept above 40% wherever possible. In these changing times, it is paramount that preventative measures are in place to safeguard employees and personnel in all environments. Wellness considerations should be taken into account when allowing larger groups to reoccupy buildings, as fresh air quality in an office environment aids staff productivity, reduces overall stress and creates an ideal workplace ambiance. These factors are very important in the ability for companies/employees to return to work.
The humidifier and its associated equipment is all too often regarded as an ‘extra component’ that is not always deemed essential. Yet, experience tells us that this is far from true. Humidity has been proven to be an extremely important factor in creating the ideal office working environment.
Large office buildings generally have AHU ventilation systems that have the ability to accept humidification systems. Small offices usually have stand-alone humidifiers. There are many humidity solutions that will combat a dry atmosphere, and there are plenty of humidification products on the market. However, choosing the right humidifier for the right application requires specialist expert knowledge gained from years of experience in product selection, technical ability and overall general application experience.
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Careful Selection
With the introduction of many new humidification products on the market, it is essential that each humidifier is researched thoroughly so that the most appropriate system can be selected for each individual site.
Adiabatic and isothermal humidification systems both require meticulous pre-selection, design and planning to avoid future costly operational problems.
All installation design factors should be considered at this stage. This involves the calculation of the humidification electrical power loads and supplies, facilities for control wiring, water quality and supply availability, steam injection/distribution access, nozzle positioning, location of drainage points, calculation of compressed air loads and supplies, accessibility and very importantly health and safety issues.
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Humidifier Replacements
One of the humidification installations favoured by our clients is the direct replacement of an old, mal-functioning humidifier with a modern, advanced version with the same moisture output. Upgrades are also available if required. This can create considerable savings in labour costs, however, with changing humidifier designs and technologies, this may not always be the most feasible solution.
Retro-fit installations require additional considerations. Although essential services can be available and in some cases local to the proposed humidifier siting, the reasons for the absence of a humidifier in the original specification should also be established.
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Benefits
An incorrectly installed humidification system can cause unnecessary, avoidable problems. When a humidifier is installed incorrectly, it will operate inefficiently causing excessive power consumption and increased maintenance costs. The humidifier output may be unnecessarily restricted and in some cases the humidifier may pose a future potential health hazard.
Installing a humidifier in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines will result in the following benefits:
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·Long and Short Term Cost Effectiveness
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·Efficient Long-Term Operation
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·Energy Savings
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·Reduced Installation Labour Time