Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MAY 2022 25 FEATURE HEATING More information can be found at www.johnsoncontrols.com/ en_gb It’s more than HVAC No matter which HVAC solutions a facilities manager chooses, it’s not a case of installing them and then waving goodbye. By implementing smart technologies, such as smart connected chillers, FMs can use predictive maintenance and monitoring tools, which use AI and automation to predict issues before they arise. This ensures equipment runs reliably and downtime can be minimised. Investments into new HVAC solutions with smart tech means efficiency savings can be made throughout a building. Imagine a particular room, or entire floor is empty. Smart systems can monitor occupancy levels and adapt the heating accordingly, so nothing is wasted. Such a setup helps create huge savings – financially and environmentally – especially amid an energy crisis. With the pandemic shining the spotlight on our health, ensuring employees have a safe and productive return to the office by improving indoor air quality (IAQ) was a much-needed wake up call. Not only do we want a healthy planet, but we also need healthy people. Some buildings in the UK have bad ventilation and overall IAQ. With mechanical ventilation in these environments, we can continue to improve IAQ, and keep the focus firmly on improving the air we breathe, even as the effects from the pandemic dissipate. When fresh air flows into a building, the spread of airborne viruses can be reduced, staff sick days can be lowered, and businesses can experience increased overall output – a win-win for all. For businesses, governments, schools, and hospitals across the country, IAQmay soon become the number one priority – on par with sustainability initiatives. But this isn’t without its own challenges. Improving IAQ requires and increased consumption of energy as you’re pumping fresh air from the outside, indoors. There will be a fine balance to meet the goals of improving IAQ whilst keeping consumption low to meet both goals. Driving incentives for retrofitting buildings It’s encouraging to see many businesses set out goals to meet carbon emissions targets, but there is still a long way to go. Governments will need to introduce new regulations and incentives to encourage businesses to retrofit outdated and inefficient technology. Retrofitting existing buildings with new technologies, improving energy efficiency, and creating more effective building management systems now needs to be top of the agenda. It’s clear the solution isn’t demolishing inefficient structures and building newer, shinier ones from scratch – that would be counterproductive on trying to drive solutions to climate change. We need an overhaul of our existing buildings and need to think differently about how we’re using energy. To meet the ambitious net-zero and emissions goals, we better start sooner, rather than later.