News - United CoolAir

March 20, 2018 by Matt Hanson

Retrofit Replacements

It is estimated that there are over 5 million buildings available for HVAC retrofit upgrades and retrofitting. While 70% of commercial buildings built prior to 1980 have not had any HVAC improvements. With changes in building codes, government guidelines, technology, IAQ and environmental standards many building owners face an excess of challenges. For example, one of the issues that building owners have little control over is the cost of energy. Current rates range from 6.5 cents to over 12 cents dependent on area. All forecasts show tremendous growth over the next few decades. HVAC related building power costs now account for 40% of consumption. This means efficiency advances and cost savings will be vital for owners.

Projected Energy Growth

During new construction when HVAC systems were originally installed; size, weight, ease of installation and refrigerant were of no concern. Large chillers were lowered into basements before construction was finished, and rooftop units were installed using machinery already onsite. Now twenty to thirty years later things are more complex. No longer is there open access or a crane onsite to simplify upgrading an HVAC system.

With an importance on green building, what is the best answer? Buy a replacement rooftop unit and spend thousands of dollars on installation. However, the installation could cost half of the cost of the replacement unit. For instance, how do you remove and retrofit large tonnage chillers from a basement in a dense urban area?

At the same time, there are products to solve these retrofitting problems. Selecting an off the shelf or stock unit will not be a perfect fit like the initial installations. United CoolAir adapts units to make retrofit projects simple and easy to install. Choosing a splittable system that can move through a standard 32-inch doorway into a standard elevator resolves to get the units inside an existing building. This will also diminish the total cost of installation by using less manpower; overcome other technical issues that would be necessary for the installation of standard commercial units. What can make these EZ-Fit units even more attractive is they can fit above the ceiling or in a mechanical room?

The Indoor Advantage

By bringing your units indoors you can gain valuable roof space for green projects such as solar panels or a living roof. Additionally, units are serviceable indoors at any time; support longer unit life; reduce damages from storms, vandalism or even theft of valuable copper destroying your units.

Owners can expect a shorter ROI, lower energy costs and an overall lower lifecycle cost. Concerns from building owners vary from too costly, tenant interruption, and no funding among others. In today’s climate, governments along with others are providing programs to lessen the financial worry. As a result, PACE bonds, leasing, and energy programs like Potomac Edison provide fantastic incentives to become more energy-efficient. Potomac ED’s program provides up to 50% rebate of the purchase price, excluding taxes for each VFD installed capped at a total of $250,000. These programs give building owners every reason to retrofit their outdated HVAC systems.

Repair or retrofitting is going to become more widespread than new construction in the upcoming years. Retrofitting your old high energy-consuming system with unique features split unit can make a retrofit project as simple as screwing in a light bulb.

March 5, 2018 by Matt Hanson

Hotel HVAC Solutions

Many hotels and other high-rise buildings can develop indoor humidity issues causing high moisture levels. As a result, these problems can lead to damage to the building or discomfort to their guests without having the proper DOAS system into place. It is critical for business designers to implement cost-effective strategies to ensure their buildings are operating efficiently.

A proper DOAS system combined with interior conditioning strategies such as chilled beams or VRF systems can help control high humidity levels within a building. Preventing high indoor moisture is extremely important not only for the building but for the health of their occupants. The initial upfront could be a costly endeavor, however, the long term benefits of investing in a DOAS will far outweigh the short term cost.

Moisture Level in Hotels is Key

Moisture removal is the key component to optimal IAQ (indoor air quality) and occupant comfort. This can maximize the life of the facilities equipment and furnishings. The recommended range of human comfort (defined by ASHRAE) and desirable humidity level for interiors is around 65% relative humidity. Anything above 65% will yield the likelihood of microbial growth. One way to minimize the reheat energy associated with dehumidification would be through an energy recovery wheel (ERV). If you had an extremely hot and muggy day at 88°F and 60% RH, an ERV could reduce the outside air temperature down to 77°F and 60% RH.

Dehumidification often tends to be ignored because of the high cost and high energy expenditure of operating today’s buildings. Consequently, the lack of dehumidification in hotels can not only cause occupant discomfort but building damage as well. The best way to address this concern is to properly design a dehumidification system. Using a system with an energy recovery wheel is a great solution. Contact United CoolAir today and ask about how our Alpha Aire unit can meet all the needs of your building.

February 21, 2018 by Matt Hanson

Temporary Cooling Your Portable Solution

Once an HVAC unit has had a proper installation, it typically remains stationary and operating for decades to come. On the other hand, some situations call for cooling, heating, and dehumidification to be used for a short time. In these instances, it is important to have a temporary cooling or portable solution.
. The most common conventional applications are construction sites, industrial and manufacturing pharmaceuticals, education institutions, and commercial office space. Additional uses are server rooms, events and function facilities, restoration and remediation, and emergency response. New construction or reconstruction is where most of these uses can be applied. With that being said, one wants to ensure that these temporary HVAC units are cost-effective and environmentally friendly options.

Choosing a Temporary Portable Unit

In choosing the proper Temporary units you would want one that is capable of cooling only, heating only or cooling/heating and dehumidification. Furthermore, a unit that can also be used indoors and outdoors where condenser air is duct-able to the outside or into a plenum. Additionally, you would want it to be designed incorporating a flexible duct to move the conditioned air where it is needed. They should also provide a free-blow capability and have the flexibility, to be used with the flexible duct using optional duct adapters. Occasionally the capability to mount the unit on a pod would be beneficial. Of course, the handling of smaller units could be easier by providing them with casters. Furthermore, easily transporting a compact trailer unit to a job site can be of great value.

A value-added reason for utilizing a temporary HVAC system is a project’s first cost. Another financial benefit of a temporary unit is the exclusion of HVAC equipment from the first cost of the building’s program construction. Some examples would be if there was a lack of equipment room space, no in-house operations, and maintenance labor cost. Still, other value-added reasons would include no in-house inventory cost. The final reason would be to avoid the end of life replacement costs.

January 3, 2018 by Matt Hanson

Healthcare-Associated Infections: How can we help?

Indoor air pollutants can affect the health of children, the elderly and those with health problems and lead to infections. As people spend an extreme amount of time indoors, the air we breathe in closed-in spaces can further worsen health problems. For example, each and every day we are open to indoor impurities such as chemicals, gases, dust, and mold. Many health problems can occur from poor indoor air including sore eyes, nose burning, sore throat, headaches, and fatigue. These pollutants can be found in homes as well as schools offices and even healthcare facilities.

Healthcare-Associated Infections

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) are infections that patients can get while having treatment in any healthcare facility. Most of these HAI’s could be preventable with proper indoor air quality. Meanwhile, pollutants can cause or worsen existing allergies and breathing illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, and other conditions. Furthermore, the hospital’s physical environment can have a momentous impact on patients’ health. If the air is dry (as it is in most hospitals) this can create a home for microorganisms. In addition, this can worsen the indoor conditions that lead to infections and allergens to humans. An indoor relative humidity between 40-60% will help to protect patient health and decrease excess health care costs.

Indoor air hydration will support patients in a variety of ways including skin and respiratory tract defenses. This also includes immune cell functioning wound healing and total body fluid balance. In other words, all of those are natural defenses against HAI’s. Healthcare facilities need to ensure they are making patients their number one importance by focusing on indoor air quality. With proper indoor air quality, you will see a decrease in re-admissions, shorter inpatient stays, and lessening of non-reimbursable hospital expenses. One of the best ways to control IAQ and improve health is to have a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) in place. United CoolAir produces many units designed to bring in the fresh air and improve the health of buildings and patients.

December 13, 2017 by Matt Hanson

You’ll Call it Remarkable, We Call it EZ-FIT

The Variable Air Volume (VAV) VariCool® EZ-Fit unit’s specific design is for the cost-effective replacement of existing floor-by-floor or constant volume purposes. These self-contained ﬂoor-mounted systems are modular in design and consist of three or four sections. Single module sizes range in capacity from 12 – 45 tons. Individual combined modules are able to achieve 90 tons of total cooling capacity with either air or water-cooled conﬁgurations.

The EZ-Fit design is especially important in multi-ﬂoor structures with limited space and accessibility. It’s an All-Indoor Solution specifically for installation in renovation and retroﬁt applications.
When compared to traditional air conditioners, United CoolAir has the Lowest Installed Cost! Each of the VariCool® EZ-FIT sections is capable of ﬁtting through a standard 3-0 doorway. The units easily negotiate corners, narrow hallways and can be placed into service elevators. The result is no building modification, fast access to the mechanical room, and no unnecessary handling, rigging, or permits.

Installations completed over the Weekend

The installation of modules happens over a weekend or during plant shutdown, minimizing disruption in services or workflow. United CoolAir custom manufactures all its equipment to the customer’s unique requirements. Utility and duct connection match the original locations eliminating costly modifications.

UCA works closely with the installer to deliver systems that coincide with the retroﬁ t schedule. Preplanning eliminates space issues at the job site, and system components go from truck to installation site saving valuable time and manpower. UCA’s Marvel Plus microprocessor controller is compatible with all major Building Management Systems (BMS).
To ensure fast, flawless installation, floor-by-floor factory-assembled modules, evacuation, charging, and testing occur before shipment. The disassembled units are split into three or 4 sections before shipment. Sections assemble easily and include re-sealable refrigerant ﬁttings that maintain the factory charge.

The All Indoor installation feature has other benefits as well! To preserve the architectural integrity of the structure, all components are inside the building. No field testing is necessary since the entire system is factory tested before shipment. The VariCool EZ-FIT offers protection from the weather and vandalism extending its usable life. Furthermore, customers can achieve lower costs because routine outdoor servicing and maintenance are eliminated.

December 7, 2017 by Matt Hanson

Portable Temporary Mobile Cooling Units

Most of the time HVAC units installations occur in a particular location where they live out their usefulness. However, there are other times when commercial heating, cooling, and dehumidification can be the right solution. Situations sometimes arise where the requirement of HVAC units is short term. This is where a portable/temporary/mobile cooling or heating unit can be the perfect solution.

Sometimes mobile temporary HVAC units replace a permanent unit when shutting them down for a period of time. Other times it might be a special event such as a large tent gathering. This sometimes encompasses natural disasters or even healthcare facilities. The instances where portable commercial cooling can be used are infinite. Manufacturing spot cooling, plant shutdowns, emergencies, and telecommunication rooms to name a few.

United CoolAir Mobile Units

Portable units are usually, but not necessarily on wheels and placed in any commercial building or space and even outdoors and powered by a generator. United CoolAir produces units that range from 3–30 tons. Larger units are sometimes trailer mounted to provide quicker transportation to a particular job site. This makes them a valuable resource when there is a call for these types of situations.

While most portable HVAC units are air-cooled, water or chilled water are occasionally used. Although cooling and heating units involve a huge market share, they also use dehumidification. In this case, dedicated heating units look very similar to their counterparts. Rugged United CoolAir units are so due to their metal construction. Furthermore, rental companies stock up on these exceptional units as part of their fleet. However, if renting a unit for more than a few times, anybody can purchase these portable units factory direct. This can lead to enhanced cost savings.

Advancements are ongoing in the portable A/C industry such as United CoolAir’s mobile units that provide UV-C light to disinfect airborne pathogens. In order to meet today’s portable HVAC needs, new products will continually arise on the market.