Electrical Contracting News (ECN) October 2017 | Page 56

SPECIAL FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURE

HVAC

PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE

With budgets tightening for the UK healthcare sector , Neil Baldwin of CP Electronics examines what electrical contractors can do to overcome energy waste from air conditioning systems in hospitals .

According to the Carbon Trust , the UK ’ s healthcare sector spends more than £ 400 million a year on energy . Unfortunately a significant portion of this is wasted , meaning that money is being lost , which could otherwise be spent on patient care . At the same time , the Department of Health has set stringent energy targets to reduce the NHS ’ contribution to carbon emissions by 2025 , with many Trusts citing energy reduction as the first step towards achieving these goals .

With budgets becoming tighter and pressures mounting to become more energy efficient , the UK ’ s healthcare sector is increasingly looking towards energy controls as a means of ensuring building compliance and reducing operational expenditure . For electrical contractors , this brings several opportunities to work with health organisations to install energy control technology . However , when working with such complex buildings as hospitals and surgeries , traditional solutions can be difficult to implement .
An integrated approach
One of the challenges associated with controlling air conditioning units in hopitals is the fact that many buildings have multiple different units installed . Controlling these disparate systems is not an easy task when you consider the requirements of individual thermal comfort zones within a hospital . While server rooms will require almost constant cooling , back-of-house rooms , and in particular individual wards , will only require air conditioning at certain times .
It is also important to consider changing staff , patient and visitor behaviour , as the way occupants use a building plays a role in how the air conditioning unit should perform . For example ,
‘ Controlling air conditioning units with occupancy sensors generally requires a professional electrical engineer to install them .’
there are many meeting rooms and other areas in hospitals that are not occupied all the time , resulting in unecessary energy use and cost . Instead , a more effective use of energy would be to have the air conditioning switched on only when somebody is present in these rooms , and automatically switching off again as they leave or after an appropriate timeout period . Such a method would require the installation of occupancy sensors .
Installation issues
Controlling air conditioning units with occupancy sensors is possible , but generally requires a professional electrical engineer to install them . For hospitals with more than one type of system installed , this becomes even more complex .
When budgets are stretched and time is limited , the purchase and installation of several occupancy sensors for multiple air conditioning units can become an expensive and time consuming exercise . Furthermore , when electrical installations take place in public spaces such as hospitals , operators often need to isolate large areas of the building as work is carried out , creating disruption .
This is why CP Electronics has developed a new battery powered surface mounted air conditioning controller , minimising installation time . The GESM-AC learns
the infrared code of an infrared enabled air conditioning unit and overrides the on / off commands to regulate the use based on room occupancy . This overcomes the challenge of integrating mulitiple disparate air conditioning unit systems as no wiring is required . It also ensures that air conditioning is only being powered when a room is occupied rather than running all day and wasting energy .
CP ’ s new HVAC control can be installed with minimal tools and time , enabling contractors to complete more jobs , more quickly . It also means that potential disruption in public places is kept to a minimum , and contractors benefit from a relatively stress-free installation .
This could be the start of more regulated air conditioning usage for UK hospitals , without the need for extended periods of installation work and rewiring on site . Facilities managers will regularly carry out maintenance on air conditioning systems to keep them running efficiently . Simple energy saving solutions make it easier for facilities managers to ensure a building is running efficiently and with minimum energy waste .
If the UK healthcare sector is to reduce its running costs and achieve some of the carbon reductions that the Department of Health is demanding , then a greater use of energy controls should be considered . By installing HVAC controls , not only can health organisations better meet sustainability targets , but contractors can manage several different systems with the same , single solution .
56 | October 2017