Ways to Cool a Commercial Building
Cool, well-ventilated commercial buildings are necessary for employee health and productivity. Stuffy, overheated buildings produce poor air quality as well as indoor pollution. According to studies, indoor air pollution is five times worse than outdoor pollution. However, a variety of effective strategies exist for cooling commercial buildings. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cooling System
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Cooling systems, such as air conditioning units and technologies such as district cooling and evaporative pre-cooling, must accommodate the size of the building. When a cooling system is too large for a building, it will most likely not run long enough to dehumidify the air. Instead, the air can become clammy and cold.
Cool Roofs
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Cool roofs reflect the heat of the sun, increasing a commercial building's efficiency and lowering cooling cost. Cool roofs are usually white and designed with nontoxic, renewable resources. Dark roofs, on the other hand, absorb heat, which accumulates in the building.
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Solar Windows
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Windows with low solar heat gain coefficients, or SHGC, can go a long way in decreasing the price of cooling your commercial building. Such windows allow plenty of daylight while minimizing heat. Consumers should search for windows possessing the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) certified solar heat gain coefficients of .35 or lower. The daylight coming through the window lowers your dependence on electric light and improves the working environment of employees as well as performance.
Reducing Office Heat Sources
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Office equipment can generate a lot of heat. To help cool the building, turn off heat-producing equipment when you're not using it, especially before leaving the office. Computers and other equipment should be shut down when not in use. Replace incandescent lights with fluorescent lighting to reduce heat, and use ceiling fans and small office fans.
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References
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