Maximize Comfort in Open Office Spaces with Careful HVAC Design

Does your office feature an open floor plan? Open office spaces face unique HVAC design challenges, particularly in the COVID era. Whether you intend to retain or rethink your office layout, planning your HVAC system design is crucial for ensuring comfort and indoor air quality in today’s office spaces. Knowledgeable commercial HVAC contractors know a bit of forethought now can protect you against costly changes down the road.

HVAC Strategies to Keep In Mind for Open Office Designs

• Energy-efficient operation

One of the most frequent complaints commercial air conditioning repair service contractors hear involves energy costs. As the most energy-intensive component of your office space, designing an office HVAC system setup that reduces energy consumption is essential to protecting your bottom line. A high SEER commercial system alongside a well-sealed building with highly insulated walls, low-e window glass, and occupancy sensors can help you achieve these goals.

• Zoned climate control

Creating zones with independently controlled areas throughout your office space improves comfort and efficiency. This may seem counterintuitive in an open office design; however, each region will have special needs. Zoned climate control is ideal for managing problem areas such as outside walls impacted by weather, crowded areas like meeting spaces, computer rooms with more exacting temperature and humidity control needs, and more.

• Proper system sizing

Calculating your heating and cooling load, carefully including square footage and energy-efficient design features, ensures an HVAC system that is not oversized. Our commercial HVAC mechanical contractors understand why bigger is not better, helping you achieve energy efficiency and comfort with properly size equipment. Is your current unit oversized? Equipment that is constantly turning off and on, hot and cold spots, and a humid environment point to an improperly sized system.

• Under-floor air distribution

In open office spaces with high ceilings, under-floor distribution offers better efficiency compared to traditional overhead designs. Under-floor systems, installed beneath a raised floor, take advantage of natural convection as warm air moves to the ceiling to be replaced by cool, conditioned air.

• Smart technology upgrades

Occupancy sensors and smart learning thermostats are essential tools in controlling HVAC energy costs. These additions track worker schedules, ensure comfort during office hours, and reduce energy use when the space is unoccupied.

• Indoor air quality and ventilation

In the COVID era, air quality is as important as climate control in ensuring a healthy, productive work environment. A system design that eliminates contaminants like bacteria, viruses, mold, dust, pollen, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants protects you from liability and ensures the well-being of workers. Ventilation – exchanging fresh, outdoor air for stale, contaminated indoor air – is essential. The insight of a knowledgeable HVAC commercial design professional makes all the difference between getting it right the first time or suffering costly problems down the road.

A properly designed commercial HVAC system is like money in the bank. Invest for success with help from H & H Commercial Services. Contact us for a system design consultation and obligation-free quote today.

This blog was originally posted at https://hhcommercialonline.com/maximize-comfort-in-open-office-spaces-with-careful-hvac-design/