Category Archives: HVAC

Energy Audit, HVAC

How an HVAC Audit Company can help in saving HVAC Project Cost?

An HVAC Energy Audit Company is required to reduce operational expenditure, decline in wear and tear on equipment, longer equipment life all culminating in a  better working environment. To achieve this, we need to conduct an HVAC Audit.

Next, to lighting, HVAC is the largest energy user in a building, so improvements in the HVAC system can significantly lower the total energy bill – by up to 40 percent. HVAC Audit tells about equipment performs and how much energy HVAC system consumes. Once consumption pattern is available, an HVAC Audit Company can compare against upgrade options, get ROI estimates, and make informed decisions.

HVAC Energy Audit
HVAC Energy Audit

Benefits of HVAC Audit

Equipment performance can be greatly improved with an audit e.g. easy things like changing filters on time can save electricity and save an air-handler from premature failure.

Also, HVAC Audit can save Energy in terms of:

  • Adding variable speed drives to chillers and other big load HVAC equipment.
  • Approprratelitly doing sizing of the fans
  • Adjusting controls (changing setpoints due to cyclical seasons) or upgrading them.
  • Optimizing ventilation according to the capacity utilization
  • An HVAC Audit can also help in identifying worn motors, leaky valves, inefficient compressors, ineffective heat exchangers, and inefficiencies in the fuel/energy process
  • Identifying HVAC equipment running less than their optimal efficiency

The building environment is constantly changing: seasonal temperatures, building upgrades, office space use, number of occupants, etc. An audit will quickly identify if your system is updated and tracking to all of these changes.

HVAC Energy Audit
HVAC Energy Audit

When to do an HVAC Audit & by whom?

A routine audit should be done at least once every 12 months by a professional HVAC Audit Company.

However, it is recommended to perform an audit whenever you find inefficiencies on a daily or weekly basis e.g. long boiler runtimes, water loss, steam leaks, high stack temperatures, etc. An HVAC Audit Company will look at these areas, triggering alerts to crucial issues, documenting results, and maintaining useful historical records.

Also, the basic changes to be done quarterly to monitor the energy use of key components such as chillers, boilers, air handlers, etc.; ensuring the correct operation of dampers, condition of filters, and ventilation rates; etc. Also, it is advisable to maintain an inventory of information – equipment age and size, make/model, maintenance schedule, dates of any upgrades as a ready input for an HVAC Energy Audit Company.

MG Cooling Solutions is a complete HAVC Solution provider in India contributing to various HVAC related issues including HVAC Audit to save energy cost for its clients.

 

HVAC

How to reduce HVAC Noise through right HVAC Design ?

HVAC Noise can arise due to bad ductwork or wrongly placing HVAC equipment inside or outside the building. This article talks about minimizing HVAC Noise strategically in the context of hospitals or medical facilities.

HVAC Noise reduction

The noise-free environment is required in every office, medical facility and hospitals. As patients do not like to get disturbed with the irritation noise and about medical staff who need an environment conducive to delivering quality health care. Also, sometimes noises could lead to a deficiency in medical services. For example, if nurses and other medical staff can’t hear a doctor’s orders, if they can’t clearly understand their patients, or if they are distracted, they are more likely to make errors. Hence, it becomes vital to check the source of noise and one of the sources could be poorly designed, wrongly located and malfunctioning HVAC equipment.

Air handling units designed with sound attenuators reduce equipment noise in the ductwork.

Let’s talk about some of the reasons for the HVAC system making noise

HVAC Ductwork It looks easier if the ductwork could be a straight line from one end of the building to another. But, in reality, there are many elbows, walls, and dampers for the duct to run. One of the biggest noisemakers in ductwork is a damper as it is designed too close to the duct shaft causing an obstacle to airflow. HVAC Designers prefers to maximize space between the shaft and damper to gain the most amount of square feet of space possible. This, however, can cause an abrupt change in airflow that causes noise. In ductwork, the air that “crashes” into a duct makes a loud hissing sound when there’s an abrupt change in speed and direction. However, this can be fixed by HVAC Designers by allowing additional space between the shaft and the damper to install a bell mouth which eases the airflow through the damper.

HVAC Mechanical systems. There’s no doubt that the biggest HVAC noisemakers are mechanical systems. Even the systems that operate with the greatest efficiency causes noise. Thus, the placement of HVAC Mechanical System & Equipment can have a big impact on noise levels. They must be strategically placed and never located adjacent to or above patient rooms without thick walls and lots of insulation buffers. Thus, the best location for compressors, air handlers, vacuum pumps is to keep them  away from critical patient care or nurses’ stations or on the top of the facility

HVAC Designers can observe below-mentioned noises to know for the fault in HVAC Mechanical Systems.

  • Thumping. This may be from pneumatic tubes or the compressor.
  • Hissing. This probably indicates a problem in the ductwork or air distribution system.
  • Rumbling. Fans and air handling systems can cause rumbling noises.
  • Humming. This could be a transformer or even lighting.

Hence, a right or precise HVAC Design can contribute to reducing HVAC noise and MG Cooling Solutions is an HVAC Company doing right HVAC Design for its customers.

 

HVAC

How to choose right HVAC Company for Museums ?

Museums across the globe are places in which objects and artifacts cease to age, a miracle made possible by an HVAC Company for Museums controlling air quality, temperature, and humidity with great precision. Whatever is the displaying content of a museum, it should be protected by outside climatic conditions and this is where an HVAC Company has a role to play.

HVAC Company for Museums
HVAC Company for Museums

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Due to the nature of a museum profile, most of them are 15 years or mold old as per a recent survey. The age and the condition of the building envelope must always be taken into consideration when preparing to upgrade HVAC systems as the museum must be sealed to make sure there is no infiltration from the outside conditions.

Hence, controlling indoor air temperature and humidity is the prime objective for any professional HVAC Company for Museums.

 

Impact of Humidity

Suppose, if a high degree of humidity is introduced into the air, condensation can develop within the building envelope. Hence, If we add too much moisture into space, without a  proper vapor barrier, there will be condensation inside the building which will lead to mold growth inside the walls of the building. Hence, a good HVAC Company for Museum makes sure that the humidity level is not much exceeded.

Too much moisture In the air can be burdensome to a museum’s HVAC system as it works to dehumidify the air to a level deemed appropriate for the preservation of objects. One of the ways to resolve this is by the use of desiccant dehumidification technology

This is also applicable in operating rooms, pharmacies, offices, retail stores, and industrial to control humidity and keep mold growth at bay.

HVAC Company for Museums
HVAC Company for Museums

Air Quality for Museums

HVAC Company for Museums must control Indoor air Quality by adjusting outside air with appropriate filtration solutions. Air quality is largely dependent on the amount of outside air Introduced into the indoor environment.

Also, HVAC Company for museums monitors CO2 levels and only bringing in outside ventilation when occupied. Because there is no point in conditioning the space when there is no or little occupancy. In those cases, spaces can be conditioned for the perseverance of artifacts.

Controlling specific areas depending on occupancy (via HVAC zones) in any facility is an energy-efficient strategy as the HVAC system can be closed for that time. Also, filtration of air from contaminants like  (e.g. NOx and SOx emissions from vehicles) is essential to protect art/artifacts and providing healthy, clean air for occupants and visitors.

MG Cooling Solutions is an HVAC Company in India for Museums and other spaces to deliver cost-efficient and energy efficient projects.

 

 

HVAC

Role of an HVAC Design Company for Laboratories

A right HVAC Design is crucial for any laboratory to be in existence and only the right HVAC Design Company can accomplish this critical task. Laboratories are the places where innovation and invention are done for the betterment of humankind. Hence, they must be well designed to protect the lab staff from fire hazards and other risks through the well-defined HVAC system.

HVAC Design Company India for labs
HVAC Design Company India for labs

 

Ventilation requirements for laboratories

Usually, minimum air change rates considered for laboratories are at 6 to 10 air changes/hour (ACH), depending on the space function and criticality of the ongoing process. However, it could be more as well.

 HVAC ducts for Laboratories

Supply air distribution within lab spaces and rooms should be designed to avoid air currents that would adversely affect the performance of chemical fume hoods. According to the ASHRAE and other global standards, all laboratory ventilation systems should be designed to ensure that fire hazards and risks are minimized.

Generally, under normal operating conditions, all lab hoods in which chemicals are present should be continuously ventilated. Each laboratory hood must have its own exhaust system to protect lab personnel. The HVAC Company must take care of proper hood exhaust ducting, fan selection, and makeup air delivery.

What is Hazardous Exhaust?

These hazardous exhaust and duct system, i.e. the system responsible for the exhaust of toxic gases, fumes, smokes, etc. should be independent of other types of exhaust systems.  It also should not share common shafts with other duct systems, except where such systems are exhausting similar compatible materials and originate in the same fire compartment. The same goes true for the laboratories handling radioactive materials governed by NFPA 801, Fire Protection for Facilities for Handling Radioactive Materials.

HVAC Duct system for laboratories

Supply air and exhaust air balancing within lab spaces are extremely critical. These air systems must prevent a pressure differential that would impede egress or ingress during an emergency. Air systems must be designed to prevent the recirculation of flammable or combustible or chemical fumes within the lab space. The location of fresh air intakes must be chosen to prevent the entrainment of chemical fumes or vapors from the lab exhaust discharge or from other sources in adjacent buildings.

Also, the HVAC Design Company must take care of providing proper air delivery and pickup that will not interfere with hood operation, keep slides from drying out, and capture potentially harmful fumes to protect lab staff.

MG Cooling Solutions is one HVAC Design Company in India providing clean rooms and HAVC support to laboratories.

HVAC

How an HVAC Company can stop infections in Hospitals by HVAC Design?

The primary role of an HVAC company working for a hospital is to improve indoor air quality and mitigating airborne transmission of diseases. Hence, HVAC engineering is different from a typical building HVAC system, where comfort is the main objective. Hence, an HVAC Company must comply with guidelines on hospital HVAC system filtration, temperature, humidity, air change, pressurization, and exhaust.  A good HVAC Company or a Clean Room Company must follow American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE) HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics which talks about infection control criteria, while also being reliable, low-maintenance and energy-efficient.

HVAC for healthcare hospitals
HVAC for healthcare hospitals

Summarized Version of HVAC manual for Hospitals by ASHRAE

The HVAC manual describes the relationship between infection control and HVAC design and explains how the different components of the HVAC system can influence the transmission of airborne microorganisms. In fact, a 50-page chapter is devoted to designing various types of critical rooms and areas within hospitals, such as operating rooms, isolation rooms, pharmacies, labs, and imaging suites, and includes new data on energy use by various types of imaging systems. Another chapter is devoted to designing renovations with an emphasis on system upgrades and infection control during construction.

Why right HVAC Design is crucial for Hospitals?

A good HVAC Design is crucial as hospitals contain numerous systems and devices that produce significant amounts of heat, such as imaging systems, refrigerators, and intense lighting. A good hospital HVAC Company must meet all performance parameters e.g., air quality, air changes, filtration, temperature, and humidity, be reliable, minimize maintenance requirements and be energy-efficient. Also, the firm must think about sustainability which includes the significance of the environment.

As the patients are much more sensitive than the general population in terms of the impact of temperature, humidity, and air velocity. Moreover, each area of the hospital is likely to see a wide variety of patient sizes, ages, and acuity, reqtúring the HVAC system to be highly flexible. For example, the Surgery Department which is the economic engines for hospitals and generates maximum complaints in terms of temperature and humidity generated by a lack of understanding of psychrometrics. Unfortunately, the general public, hospital operating engineers and even many consulting engineers lack a deep understanding of psychometry. Hence, a good HVAC Design Company must work in close liaisoning with the builders at the very beginning phase to avoid any further complaints and train the staff accordingly.

Hence, small things matter most. MG Cooling Solutions, an HVAC Company in India, designs HVAC Projects for hospitals quite precisely.

 

HVAC

Role of HVAC Consultants for Office Ventilation & Air Conditioning

HVAC Consultants must optimize the office HVAC so that employees feel not too hot or too cold while also providing proper ventilation keeping in mind energy efficiency as well.

HVAC for offices
HVAC for offices

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning. Since Heating or Air Conditioning depends on the climate of the location, however, ventilation is required everywhere every time.

Why Ventilation is required in Offices?

There are studies that show that proper ventilation in offices does indeed make a difference in productivity by reducing absenteeism. Back in the old days the ventilation was “controlled” by operable windows that could be opened and closed for comfort control. Now, HVAC Consultants have more sophisticated technologies for control of ventilation air in offices and can measure ventilation air quantity and quality as well.

Air Distribution makes the Difference

One of the roles of HVAC Consultants is to bring in the appropriate calculated outside air and distributing that outside air properly within the office premises such that each person gets the appropriate quantity of air as specified in the global codes and standards. Architects and interior designers must work with HVAC Consultants in the very beginning to integrate the ventilation system components into the space design. HVAC Consultants must choose proper air diffuser to get the ventilation air in the offices evenly and properly distributed at all times of occupancy.

Office authorities, real estate people need to stay focused on the health of the employees as impacted by the ventilation effectiveness of the HVAC system and must evenly spend on HVAC Components, aesthetics and other relevant things.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION It is important to fully integrate the HVAC system layout with the architectural functional layout. HVAC Consultants must design the HVAC projects to restrict air contaminants or exhaust from other areas of the building such as laboratories for science, toilets, lockers or kitchens.

CONCLUSION Ventilation control and ventilation effectiveness are vital for any office HVAC Design. It is essential for employees to have the best opportunity to work in an environment that allows them to function at their best. Hence, it is imperative to work with HVAC Consultants in the very beginning to make sure that there is no overhead of retrofits and proper ventilation is maintained throughout the work area.

MG Cooling Solutions are HVAC Consultants & Engineers helping their clients with the right ventilation to maximize productivity.

 

 

 

Air Conditioning, Cleanroom, HVAC

How to do right HVAC Design for Hospitals ?

HVAC design is not only performing heating and cooling load calculations, but it also includes selecting the right HVAC system type and equipment, and precise HVAC Engineering. HVAC designers also need to know the premises, the occupancy type and ASHRAE codes that govern the occupancy. Good HVAC engineering practices are required for proper design, ventilation rates, and temperature control aspects.

HVAC design goals

The goal of every HVAC designer is to efficiently provide safe, comfortable environments. However, for hospitals, the process needs to be more refined and must follow codes in effect, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, ventilation, and air quality. HVAC designs, parameters, guidelines, and governing codes have continued to evolve and develop with additional standards over the past several years for hospitals.

HVAC For Biotech Startups
HVAC For Biotech Startups

How to do HVAC Design for hospitals?

Additionally, hospitals require a higher level of life safety consideration which makes conditions more stringent for HVAC Design. It starts with planning and selecting the HVAC system and analyzing the architectural floor plan that has the appropriate space name and divisions as denoted by legends.

Also, the medical facilities administration team must work in conjunction with HVAC designers. Each of the zones in the hospital facility like OT, CT, X-Ray, OPD has different heating and cooling loads and air-change requirements. Each occupancy or room has a different type of specific minimum air change per hour (ACH) requirements for both total and outside air as per ASHRAE guidelines for hospital design and regulations. The ventilation rates provide comfort, odor control in areas of patient care and treatment. An HVAC Designer must think for fully ducted systems for future flexibility in expanding or changing space occupancy types.

HVAC Design & Varying Occupancy

The importance of the occupancy determination then identifies which additional codes must be used for the HVAC design criteria. Sometimes a physician office and clinic have equipment and staff that perform procedures similar to those in hospitals and outpatient occupancies. These could include endoscopic procedures, CT scans or cancer treatment functions. As long as the number of simultaneously treated patients is fewer than health care occupancy definitions, no additional code-related requirements are needed in the design. However, some consideration might be given to space temperature, airflow direction, pressure relationships, and filtration to enhance the comfort and care of the patient and health care providers. Prior to HVAC design, it is important to understand the space use, the procedures to be performed and the number of patients who will receive treatment at any given time. This information helps to determine the HVAC design parameters for the project.

MG Cooling Solutions is a leading HVAC Company in India providing professional HVAC Services to its clients.

HVAC

VRF Systems| All about HVAC VRF Systems |

What are VRF Systems?

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are an upgraded and enhanced version of multi-split systems causing simultaneous heating and cooling as well as heat-recovery capabilities. Modern VRF systems provide some major advantages, such as zoning (heating and cooling zone), separated temperature control, less ductwork, without any secondary fluids (chilled-water or hot-water), and other associated costs.

More about VRF technology

VRF run on all-electric technology and consists of a single outdoor condensing unit, multiple indoor units serving various areas, refrigerant piping with branch selectors, and associated controls. VRF systems use R-410A refrigerant as the heat-transfer fluid and the working fluid, achieving a very high energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 15 to 20 and integrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER) of 17 to 25. They are 20% to 30% more efficient than conventional HVAC systems due to partial load operation, speed modulation, zoning capabilities, and heat-recovery technology.

VRF Technology
VRF Technology

VRF operations in relation to other HVAC systems

VRF has the ability to vary and control the refrigerant flow through multiple evaporator coils to provide individual temperature control in various mechanical comfort zones. Using direct expansion (DX) as part of the basic refrigeration cycle, VRF systems transfer the heat from the room directly to evaporator coils located within the conditioned space. The heat-transfer media, in this case, is the refrigerant, which delivers heating and cooling to various zones with less energy as compared with air or water. VRF systems act as multi-split systems, connecting multiple indoor units with one centralized outdoor condensing unit assembly, providing simultaneous heating and cooling and heat recovery in various areas.

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The VRF system is best suited for applications with simultaneous needs for cooling and heating during the same mode of operation. Branch selectors are used as control devices directing the liquid refrigerant or gas refrigerant to particular zones requiring cooling or heating. In heat-recovery systems, the branch-circuit controller can take the heat recovered from the cooling zone and use it to warm up the room in heating mode. This way, the compressor cooling or heating requirements are reduced, which saves energy.

MG Cooling Solutions, the only company in India with complete HVAC portfolio, bring so many technical advancement solutions for their customers in the air conditioning, HVAC sector.

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HVAC

HVAC Design principles to reduce heat gain

HVAC Design process needs skills of HVAC design engineers to provide ambient air conditioning to the occupants. This means that a design that works brilliantly in one climate could be completely inappropriate in another, so the context of HVAC Design Engineering is extremely important. A successful and HVAC design is one that is context-appropriate in terms of the  life of a building and changing climate

Green HVAC
Green HVAC

Through some of the HVAC design principles building envelope can be adjusted to climate change, particularly with respect to the energy performance and thermal comfort.

  • Thermal discomfort and overheating can be attributed in large part to direct solar-heat gains through windows. HVAC Design Engineer can reduce the glazing percentage on elevations with high sun exposure (e.g., south, east, and west in the northern hemisphere).
  • For existing buildings, vision glazing can be replaced with insulated spandrel panels. A quick and cost-effective fix for existing windows that may be single glazed and/or uncoated is to add a thin film that provides solar control. HVAC Design Engineers may apply solar-control glass coatings to significantly cut down the total solar energy that is transmitted through transparent glazing
  • By using electrochromic glass in the windows, HVAC Design Engineers can also lessen the solar impact
  • HVAC Design Engineers can optimize thermal performance by using insulation whenever possible on walls and roofs.
  • Thermal mass has a very important impact on the thermal performance of buildings as it helps temper the diurnal temperature swings dynamically, which in turn reduces overheating and could help achieve an acceptable level of internal comfort and reduced energy use.
  • HVAC Design Engineers can also use thermal mass  to use phase change materials (PCMs), which provide a similar effect but can be easily implemented into drywall, PCMs use a building’s excess heat to melt until the PCM is in a liquid state, and when the internal air temperature drops, the PCM releases the stored latent heat back to the space and resolidifies. PCMs can also be used to upgrade existing buildings because they are relatively thin, easy to install, and cost-effective.
  • Green walls/roofs and living façades also can help absorb carbon dioxide as they photosynthesize, which helps reduce the overall embodied carbon of a building. Green walls and roofs can also help lower the building’s cooling loads by adding to the overall insulating performance of the building envelope as it creates a better thermal buffer.

MG Cooling Solutions, an HVAC Design Company, follows all the global codes and standards as set by ASHRAE to deliver successful HVAC projects.

 

HVAC

How HVAC Systems efficiency can be improved through IoT?

How HVAC systems can be combined with IoT for better efficiency?

HVAC & IoT

Data is critical now and the same is true with HVAC Systems for HVAC efficiency. Questions mentioned below cannot be answered due to non-availability of data.

  •  ‘How does your HVAC equipment – your chiller or boiler plant, as examples – behave on a 60-degree day without humidity?’
  •  ‘How do they behave on an 80-degree day with high humidity?’

However, these questions can be answered with IoT technology. IoT solutions in tune with local weather data provide HVAC Companies answers in terms of their equipment today, as well as last week and last month. By implementing data into daily operations, you can improve efficiency, maintenance and overall preparedness for your building’s HVAC systems.

Savings in Operational Cost

IoT technology helps in improving energy efficiency in HVAC systems as it helps adjust more precisely to current and changing conditions, achieving 5-15% in energy savings for HVAC systems.

This is done by deploying sensors on the electrical infrastructure in the building to measure the real-time equipment-level consumption of the individual components in the HVAC system Hence, whether that’s a pump, an individual fan or a cooling tower, a software is used to deploy sensors to collect equipment-level data and combining it  with local weather data

Based on the amalgamation of data, HVAC Company can adjust HVAC equipment to better account for changes in the weather. In terms of geographical areas, it is definitely beneficial everywhere, but for places that have more seasonality and greater temperature swings, it can be more

Lesser HVAC Maintenance Cost

By analyzing the above practice, an HVAC Company can identify peak performance and underperformance of all HVAC equipments. For example, if tomorrow’s forecast is a 60-degree day with low humidity, an HVAC Company analyses  how the equipment should behave

Also, one more example, if an HVAC system is supposed to be drawing 200 kW of power but is for some reason drawing above or below that, with IoT it becomes easier to pinpoint what is wrong

Heightened efficiency in response to weather changes

Most IoT sensors pull multiple data points such as temperature, wind speed, humidity, cloud coverage, and precipitation.

The data for precipitation can prove particularly valuable to protect your building against flood damage. When local weather data suggests prolonged rain, it can tip you off to possible flooding and give you time to shore up your building’s defenses against it.

For example, using local weather data one can identify the flood potential, which can save important equipment and electrical systems.

Hence, it becomes vital to combine IoT with HVAC Systems to save on operational expenditure, easy retrofits, and increased efficiency. MG Cooling Solutions help in bringing such recent HVAC technologies for its customers.