Modern Building Services

20 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MAY 2022 FEATURE HEATING F rom national lockdowns to more recent hybrid working models, the majority of office and building managers have been forced to adapt their office spaces a number of times in line with changing Covid-19 restrictions in recent months. However, with all restrictions ending in England, workers are now back into the office in varying capacities. In fact, 50% of companies are reportedly expecting employees to return to the office five days a week in the coming year. With occupancy levels at their highest than at any other point during the pandemic, now is the time to make sure building systems can start working at full capacity again. The majority of buildings have been closed for long periods of time, or have only welcomed back office-workers two to three days a week at most. With office occupancy likely to fluctuate more than pre-Covid, there may be concerns about the performance, maintenance and function of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment over the next few months. The questions we need to ask are: - 1. Will equipment be able to perform to pre-lockdown standards? 2. What if certain components need replacing after having been switched off for so long, or begin malfunctioning once they begin working at full capacity again? Luckily, there are ways of ensuring building equipment gets back up to speed effectively and efficiently to cope with the new demands of office spaces. By assessing and evaluating the performance and integrity of HVAC systems early on, building owners and facilities managers can ensure equipment is prepared in time for the office return. Requirements have changed Over the last two years, each industry has been affected by Covid-19 restrictions differently, and each building and HVAC system will have been working at varying capacity depending on the sector. For example, medical facilities like hospitals or doctors’ surgeries will likely have had equipment such as chillers working overtime, meaning the facilities team looking after that equipment is well aware of the importance of establishing a good service and maintenance regime. However, in buildings like offices a lot of equipment will have been working at 10-20% of capacity or may have even stopped operating completely. As such, facilities managers employed in these sectors are more likely to need to prepare their systems for a gradual reopening in the coming weeks and months. By Brian Beetson , National Sales Manager for Service and Maintenance at Mitsubishi Electric Employees are back in the office, and HVAC equipment must be prepared for them HVAC TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES