Commercial Temporary Cooling Archives

May 4, 2022 by Matt Hanson

BTUs in Air Conditioning

When it comes to air conditioning, calculating BTUs is an essential part of determining the size of the unit. A BTU or British Thermal Unit is the measure of heat energy that comes from a thermal unit and an Imperial Gallon is 10 pounds in weight. Therefore, a BTU is 1/10 of an Imperial Gallon or one pound of water at sea level and a BTU will raise water temperature one degree Fahrenheit. However, in air-conditioning, we are not changing water temperature, but the temperature of the air. While the metric system has taken over most industries, BTUs in air conditioning remains the standard due to their significance in heating and cooling.

What does a BTU do?

Simply put, a BTU measurement shows how much energy an AC unit uses to remove heat from a space within an hour. This allows HVAC techs to determine what size HVAC units should be installed. When an HVAC tech determines BTU usage, they must account for many factors. Every BTU has a corresponding tonnage, which has nothing to do with weight but is in reference to a unit’s cooling capacity.

A ton of cooling known as refrigeration is the amount of heat it takes to melt a pound of ice in a 24-hour period. Furthermore, 12,000 BTUs is equal to one ton of cooling and there are guidelines for how many BTUs are needed for the square footage of a space. Also, heat in air conditioning is referring to energy and not temperature. Air conditioning systems simply move energy from one place to another.

Square Fee	BTUs
100-150	5,000
150-250	6,000
250-300	7,000
300-350	8,000
350-400	9,000
400-450	10,000
450-500	12,000
500-700	14,000
700-1,000	18,000
1,000-1,200	21,000
1,200-1,400	23,000
1,400-1,500	24,000
1,500-2,000	30,000
2,000-2,500	34,000

Here is a resource to quickly calculate the BTUs needed.

Calculator

Conclusion

Many factors go into choosing an HVAC system and BTUs are just one factor in this calculation. It also helps in determining kilowatts which has a direct impact on energy costs. Equally important are room size, aspects of insulation, humidity levels, ceiling height, window size, and room occupancy. Being informed of all these factors make sure the perfect sized HVAC unit is installed to serve the cooling needs.

February 4, 2022 by Matt Hanson

Packaged HVAC Indoor vs Outdoor

There are two basic types of HVAC systems, that being packaged and split systems. In short, a split system model contains a condenser and compressor residing in an outdoor cabinet while connected to an indoor evaporator. They connection by copper tubing and include various line lengths depending on numerous factors. Packaged systems on the other hand also known as all-in-one or self-contained are not as easily defined. Therefore, packaged HVAC indoor vs outdoor requires further explanation.

In a packaged HVAC system, all of the components; condenser, compressor, and evaporator reside in the same cabinet. However, there is a misconception about where a packaged unit is located. Some believe a packaged unit is located outside much like the condenser of a split system. So, when comparing a packaged system to a split system many HVAC providers will list the pros and cons each system.

HVAC installers will correctly point to the ease of installation and servicing of packaged units. However, they will also state that packaged unit installation is outside making them susceptible to weather, animal damage and rust. While this may be true of most packaged units on the market, there exist packaged units installed entirely indoors. For this reason, there are multiple reasons to consider HVAC indoor vs outdoor in a packaged unit.

United CoolAir Packaged HVAC Units

While split HVAC systems dominate the commercial HVAC industry, packaged units are often the right solution for many installations. For decades United CoolAir (UCA) packaged units have solved challenging HVAC installations. This is due to the fact of UCA units easy installation. Besides, these units also avoid any of the drawbacks of other packaged units on the market.

United CoolAir packaged units are modular with each module able to fit through a standard doorway as well as hallways. The use of quick connects means installations happen faster than many other brands. UCA units are also pre-charged and tested before shipment from the factory. As a result, we say United CoolAir units are All-indoor Solutions.

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.