Commercial Temporary Cooling Archives

May 10, 2021 by Matt Hanson

Energy Recovery Wheels for Max Energy Savings

What is an Energy Recovery Wheel?

One of the best ways to make a DOAS unit function more efficiently is to add an Energy Recovery Wheel (ERW). In many cases local codes make it necessary for HVAC units to meet minimum standards for efficiency. An ERW also called an Enthalpy wheel works as part of a DOAS unit to remove moisture and deliver room neutral air to the heating and air conditioning unit. By using an ERW the U.S. Department of Energy determined that energy savings of 15% are achievable.

Why you need an ERW

Commercial buildings are full of indoor pollutants and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants including CO2 accumulate everyday with office variants such as people, furniture, carpeting and office machinery. It is imperative that this polluted indoor air is replaced regularly with clean fresh air. If the poor indoor air is allowed to remain it ultimately leads to negative health effects to the building’s occupants. Although standard HVAC units cool and heat the air and provide minimal ventilation, they do not provide the amount of fresh air recommended by ASHRAE 62.1-2016.

How an ERW works

Energy Recovery Wheels work year-round cooling down the warm Summer air and heating up the Winter air. In either case the ducted sensible and latent heat comes from the outside where it goes through the ERW. Conversely the leaving or exhaust air also goes through the ERW where the absorbed moisture is expelled from the building. As the wheel turns it removes moisture from the air and changes the air to a room neutral temperature. The wheel will spin slower during the Spring and Fall season where temperatures are not as extreme. This in turn helps the cooling or heating unit perform better and leads to increased energy savings.

Conclusion

With the ERW rotating, recovered heat is moved from two streams of air transferring energy from fresh air and exhaust air. Proper ventilation removes contaminants from inside air and reduces energy costs. A United CoolAir DOAS unit including an Energy Recovery Wheel is a wise choice when replacing an existing unit.

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.