A Guide To Cost Effectively Heating an Office

Cost-effective heating is becoming a more prominent conversation due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the increasing energy rates across all sectors. Cheap heating is undoubtedly a focus for business owners who must maintain large offices at comfortable temperatures for their employees. So, if you’re one of them, this guide is for you. 

In this article, we will discuss the different methods you could use to achieve cost-effective heating in your office to help decrease your monthly outgoings and the different types of heaters we install. 

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When’s The Best Time For Air Conditioning Unit Installation?

Now that summer has passed, and we’ve fallen into autumn, the demand for AC units is decreasing. Although, the best time of year for air conditioning unit installation is autumn. There are many reasons for this, and this article will tell you what those reasons are. 

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How To Heat A Warehouse: Everything You Need To Know

As winter approaches, considering methods to heat a warehouse is becoming increasingly important. Warehouses are comparable to greenhouses in that they exacerbate blazing heat in the summer and keep in the cold in the winter. For this reason, installing heating solutions in your warehouse is integral to ensure that your employees are comfortable as the temperature begins to drop. 

This article will tell you everything you need to know about warehouse heaters to prevent a cold warehouse and unhappy colleagues. 

What should you consider?

When attempting to heat a warehouse, the first thing to consider is the size of your space. Certain heating solutions, like radiators, will not efficiently heat your entire warehouse. By installing the incorrect type of heater, you may encounter poor heat distribution which will render it almost completely ineffective. Additionally to the practicality of the heater, running it consistently and not experiencing the desired results could have you wasting money. 

If you’d only like to heat certain parts of your warehouse, your options won’t be as limited. To heat a warehouse in small sections can allow you to control the temperature of each zone and save more money than trying to heat the whole warehouse inefficiently. 

Secondly, the machinery installed in your warehouse will affect the type of heating you need. Machinery can be liable to overheat and act as warehouse heaters on their own. For this reason, it is important to consider the positioning of your heating systems when trying to heat a warehouse, so as not to place them too close to your machinery and have them overheat faster, and become a hazard. 

Thirdly, the number of storage racks in your warehouse will affect the distribution of heat throughout your warehouse. The seemingly endless metal bars that support your shelving can make it difficult for the heat to radiate as much as it ordinarily would.

What are the best ways to heat a warehouse?

One of the best ways to heat a warehouse is by installing a heat pump system.

• Heat Pump Systems

Heat pump systems have plenty of advantageous benefits that can help you to efficiently heat your entire warehouse at once. They can use gas, electricity, or renewable energy to run, which can help to improve the cost efficiency of your system. This type of heater is incredibly versatile, allowing for underfloor heating, radiators, or warm air convectors depending on your needs.

Heat pump systems tend to fall into two categories, radiant heating, and warm air heating. These heating systems are beneficial in their ways and are ideal for heating a warehouse of any size. 

Radiant heating is more tolerant of heat loss through air changes than warm air heating, as rather than simply projecting airflow, radiant heating uses infrared radiation to fully heat a warehouse. If doors are opened for deliveries and shipments, the warm air will not gush out, it will remain inside the warehouse. 

Radiant heating or radiant heating is used to heat small specific target spaces in large areas such as large warehouses rather than the whole warehouse, for example in a large warehouse 90% may just be for storage and 10% is the work area such as a packing area this is the only part that require heating a radiant gas or electric heater is perfect for this type of application as radiant heaters are designed to heat objects rather than space or air. The objects in this case would be the surface or people under it or in front of a radiant heater. Warm air fan heaters are designed to heat the air or space in an area and the whole area.

Warm air heating is used more often than radiant heating. It is incredibly effective and uses fans to disperse the warm air flow throughout the warehouse. The air is pulled into them through a heat exchanger which warms the air to the temperature you require. This method is a cost-effective solution to a cold warehouse. Their only disadvantage is that you may find cold spots developing in your warehouse if the warm air isn’t dispersed uniformly.  

• Gas Heaters

Gas heaters boast fantastic design versatility and are ideal to heat a warehouse. They are easy to maintain and operate and use far less energy to run than oil heaters, their alternative. They provide sufficient heating and are very reliable. So the chances of experiencing a sudden loss of heating are low, especially if you invest in a high-quality gas heater. As with any heater, they will need to be regularly serviced to ensure they continue to work efficiently and effectively.  

De-Stratification fans

De-stratification fans, as well as the heating solutions themselves, help heat a warehouse by forcing the warm air that has risen back to the floor. Warehouses are large spaces and frequently have very high ceilings, so it is important when considering warehouse heaters, to also think about the other appliances that could help to heat a warehouse. 

De-stratification fans aren’t difficult to install and very efficiently recirculate warm air through a cold warehouse. Although not strictly warehouse heaters, they are similar to some extent. 

If you are having new heaters installed, you should always consider having destratification fans installed. They ensure that valuable heat is constantly forced downward to ground level from the heaters and they provide energy efficiency and overall better heat distribution, this is even more important  in large spaces and high roof buildings.

Heater controls

Although there is a choice of heaters available on the market that use different types of energy and generate varying costs, warehouse heaters aren’t cheap. For this reason, it is advisable to purchase heater controls to individually control each heater and ensure that it is turned off when not in use, or running at a much lower temperature. These heater controls can be set to automatically turn on before work and turn off when the day is over, so that money isn’t being wasted when nobody is in the facility.

Consult a trusted professional to install your system

There is nothing worse than spending large amounts of money on a service to discover that it has been completed incorrectly. This is why you should ensure to hire a trusted professional to install your warehouse heaters. 

Here at Chillaire, we employ only the most skilled and qualified technicians to work on our team. We have been trading since 1992 and value ourselves on providing the best possible services and highest-quality solutions to our customers. We specialize in heaters and air conditioning solutions in a range of sectors including industrial environments, commercial settings, and retail and leisure facilities. 

So, if you have a cold warehouse, contact us today to find out more about our services and enquire about our warehouse heaters!

What Size Air Conditioner Do I Need?

Air Conditioner BTU, design, placement, and personal needs are all things you need to think about when considering what size air conditioner you need for your business. Buying an air conditioner is an expensive investment, so it’s important to get it right so as not to spend more money than you need to. 

This article will explain how to figure out what size air conditioner you need and hopefully help to get you on your way to installing an air conditioner in your business.

Initial Considerations

Firstly, you should ensure you’ve given yourself enough time to install your system. Installing any size air conditioner will take longer in a commercial building than in a domestic setting, discounting the availability of installation engineers. Fortunately, Autumn is the best time to install air conditioning because as the weather begins to cool, most would consider it pointless to buy an air cooling system. By purchasing an air conditioner when demand is low, you’ll have more time to think about your options and choose the best for you

Placement

Secondly, the potential placement of your air conditioner is very important to contemplate. This can affect whether you install external air conditioning and the size you need. Depending on your space constrictions, you could choose to purchase a portable air conditioner, wall mounted, suspended, etc. This will also affect the air conditioner BTU of your system.

Air Conditioner BTU

BTU is an acronym for British Thermal Unit and correlates to the size of the room you’re trying to cool down. If your room is small, your air conditioner BTU will be lower, and if you have a larger room, your air conditioner BTU will be higher. BTU is also reliant on the shape of your room and will not work optimally if you don’t purchase an air conditioner with the correct BTU.

Size

If you want to cool down medium or large rooms, it is advisable to install Central Wall Mounted Air Conditioning. This is only possible if you have a lot of space for installation, such as a loft or basement where the central unit can be placed in. Central units are large and will need sufficient space to be able to circulate tempered air throughout your building. Additionally, these use external air conditioning pumps called Compressors to ventilate and provide chilled air. 

If you have small rooms, Split Wall Mounted air conditioning is ideal for those who don’t have a lot of space but still need air cooling. This system usually consists of one external unit and up to 5 small internal units. The size of this system is much smaller than Central Wall Mounted Air Conditioning. 

Finally, if you’re trying to cool a large open-plan room, you may benefit most from a ceiling cassette unit. These systems are very powerful, blow streams of air in all directions, and can cool a large room very quickly. The only problem with these systems is that they need to be able to recess into the ceiling. So, unless you have a deep ceiling, you may find it difficult to install this type of air conditioning. 

What can we do for you?

We at Chillaire have accumulated over 2000 clients in the 30 years we have been in business and cover everything from initial consultancy to installation and maintenance. So, in addition to taking care of installing your system, we can also advise you further on your options and provide you with an informed and experienced opinion. Why not contact us today to speak to one of our highly-trained engineers? 

How does industrial air conditioning work?

Industrial air conditioning is a great asset for any warehouse. But the task of installing it can seem a bit daunting, especially if you don’t understand it at all. Fortunately, we at Chillaire can take care of that part for you. We have an impressive portfolio built on 30 years of experience, so you can be sure that we will meet your air conditioning needs. 

But, if you’re still curious to know how industrial air conditioning works, read this article, and we will inform you and provide you with reasons why you should install industrial AC in your building.

• Where is industrial air conditioning used? 

Industrial air conditioning units are used in large-scale manufacturing and production facilities, as well as storage and distribution warehouses. This is for various reasons, but the general purpose is to keep everything inside the building cool. This includes your employees, the machines used, and the items produced. 

• How do industrial air conditioning units work?

Industrial air conditioning units work the same way as ordinary air conditioning. But the systems installed in warehouses and factories are much larger in scale.

Essentially, there’s a compressor inside of the unit that compresses a refrigerant. Normally, compounds like propane or butane are used as refrigerants for large systems. R134A or R410A HFC refrigerant gas is often used for this.  

This compressor compresses these compounds and increases their pressure and temperature. Externally, hot air is blown over the refrigerant vapor using a fan to liquefy it. 

The expansion valve inside the machine changes the refrigerant into a low-pressure liquid and simultaneously cools it. 

High-speed fans then extract the cool air out, suck in warm air, and the process continues. 

This entire process is done through one control panel. 

This control panel works by communicating with a series of temperature detectors that will be installed in various positions across the building to determine the average temperature of each room and activate the industrial air conditioning and cool each room to the desired temperature, 

• Why should you install an industrial air conditioning unit?

Industrial AC can be exceptionally helpful in ensuring that your company workflow is smooth and consistent and that you’re providing your employees with a safe and comfortable working environment. 

The machines in your facility are liable to overheating and becoming unsafe if not treated properly. By installing industrial AC, you lessen the chance of accidents and the risk of broken equipment, as some equipment needs to operate under specific environmental conditions. 

Air conditioning will maintain the temperature of your building and also keep your employees comfortable and productive. 

If the overall environment of the building is too hot, your employees will find it difficult to reach their full potential. Industrial air conditioning can ensure that those who work for you are doing so at optimal levels. 

• Why should you consider installing commercial air conditioning?

Commercial air conditioning works exactly the same way as industrial air conditioning, only on a far smaller scale. Most often, commercial air conditioning is used in workplace settings like offices and shops to keep the air cool but can also be used as a heater when your space gets cold. 

By regulating the temperature of your commercial space, anyone who visits your space, like employees or customers, will be exceedingly more comfortable and productive. Commercial air conditioning is essential in maintaining the happiness of those around you and keeping business flowing. 

Hopefully, you now know how an industrial air conditioning unit works and are aware of why both industrial and commercial air conditioning would be a good item to invest in for your business. If you’re interested in speaking with one of our experts, visit our contact us page today. 

VRF Heat Pump Systems for Business Premises

VRF heat pump systems are an increasingly popular option for business premises of all shapes and sizes.

Because no two business premises are the same, specifying a heating system needs to be carefully considered to deliver the best possible comfort and energy efficiency.

Size, heat loss, hours of operation and other building management systems will all be important.

Depending on your type of business you might use different zones, rooms and communal spaces at different times of the day, each with specific heating or cooling requirements.

The benefits of VRF heat pump systems

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) equipment is compact, making it ideal for smaller spaces, and a large area to house your heating and cooling equipment won’t be needed. VRF systems effectively keep your business premises comfortable while using significantly less energy, helping you to keep operating costs down.

A VRF system can identify the requirements for each zone of your building to deliver precise amounts of refrigerant to each air handling unit, eliminating troublesome cold or hot spots. They provide more consistent comfort within your office building or commercial space, ensuring you have happier, healthier, and more productive employees.

VRF heat pumps

VRF systems can serve multiple zones in your building, responding to differing heating and cooling requirements.

In contrast to conventional air or water HVAC systems, VRF systems manage the amount of refrigerant sent to each zone according to your settings and outside conditions. They will efficiently deliver refrigerant in exact amounts where it is needed.

Multiple indoor units can operate at the same time in heating or cooling modes while connected to a single outdoor unit. Ductless heat pumps (DHP) units can be integrated into a larger VRF system.

Types of VRF system

There are two system formats; two-pipe and three-pipe systems. In two-pipe systems all the zones will be either cooling or heating. When the indoor units are in cooling mode, they act as evaporators; when they are in the heating mode, they act as condensers.

Alternatively, VRF systems with heat recovery (VRF-HR) use a three-pipe design so that some zones can be cooled while others are heated. This allows surplus heat within the system to be used, rather than being wasted. While the initial costs of three-pipe systems are higher, thermal control across building zones and overall efficiency are improved.

How VRF systems work

Daikin developed variable refrigerant technology, known as variable refrigerant volume (VRV), in the 1980s. The approach automatically adapts refrigerant temperature to provide the most comfortable conditions, increasing seasonal efficiency by up to 28%, compared to other solutions. Other systems based on this approach are commonly known as VRF.

The refrigerant flows through pipes between an outdoor unit and indoor units that condition and recirculate indoor air. Variable speed fans modulate the indoor and outdoor units. Heat recovery between zones reuses energy efficiently for heating, cooling, and hot water.

Smaller sized systems are available for residential and small commercial buildings, while large configurations of up to several hundred tons can be installed for high-rise buildings. They can include sophisticated controls for demand response, operations, and maintenance alerts.

Energy savings

Compared with conventional air-to-air heat pumps, advanced variable-speed heat pump systems can typically provide energy savings of 20% and can adjust to seasonal conditions to improve efficiency further. They offer better efficiencies, heat recovery, and can reduce or eliminate duct losses.

Because VRF systems are designed to supply the precise amount of refrigerant to each air handler they minimise energy waste. The system runs less frequently and at a lower capacity, while still maintaining comfortable temperatures. Because VRF systems can also capture heat as part of the cooling process, this can be reused in other parts of your building to save energy.

Chillaire – a national heating, ventilation and air conditioning partner

Centrally located in Nuneaton, and with offices around the UK, Chillaire is a trusted partner for design, installation and maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

You can contract us through our website www.chillaire.co.uk or email us at sales@chillaire.co.uk.

You can call any one of our local offices:

Nuneaton & Warwickshire Office: Unit 1 Veasey Close, Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, Nuneaton, CV11 6RT. Telephone: 024 7632 0300

Coventry & West Midlands Office: 16 Lythalls Lane, Holbrooks, Coventry, West Midlands, CV6 6FG. Telephone: 024 7624 9440

Leicester & Leicestershire Office: 3rd Floor, St George’s House, 6 St George’s Way, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 1QZ. Telephone: 0116 202 5094

Redditch & Alcester & Worcestershire Office: Minerva Mill Innovation Centre, Station Road, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 5EH. Telephone: 01527 531275

Northampton & Northamptonshire Office: Moulton Park Business Centre, Redhouse Road, Moulton Park, Northamptonshire, NN3 6AQ. Telephone: 01604 269540

Kettering, Corby & Northants Area Office: 10A Silver Street, Kettering, Northants, NN16 0BN. Telephone: 01536 386046