Many people do not realize that indoor air quality in commercial spaces is just as important as it is in residential settings. It is a factor in employee and customer satisfaction, health and safety. A ventilation system is one of the best ways to ensure that air in a commercial space is clean and fresh.
There are several different types of commercial commercial ventilation system ventilation systems to choose from. Some are based on natural methods, while others are purely mechanical. Natural ventilation relies on opening windows and doors to let out old stale air and bring in new, clean air. Unfortunately, many commercial buildings do not have enough windows to rely on natural ventilation alone and a mechanical ventilation system is required.
Mechanical ventilation systems use electricity to power fans that pull in and exhaust air. The most common is a duct-based system that utilizes heat exchange to supply filtered fresh air and remove humid air. These are often referred to as two-way ventilators and are a simple addition to bathrooms, kitchens and other rooms where pollutants tend to build up. Another type of mechanical ventilation is local exhaust ventilation. This system captures pollutants at the source and expels them away from the work area through a duct network. This is often required in spaces such as industrial areas that produce harmful gases or other volatile organic compounds that are not trapped by standard HVAC air filters.
An alternative to local exhaust ventilation is a dilution ventilation system. This is designed to filter and disperse odors and other contaminants throughout the entire building. This is more effective at controlling odors and other contaminant levels but not as good at handling metal fumes or other hazardous chemicals.
Another popular choice is a rooftop ventilation unit. This system takes in air from outside, passes it through a filtration and heat/cooling process before delivering it to designated spaces. This system is used in all types of commercial spaces and works well with most heating, cooling and refrigeration systems.
It is important to note that building codes and industry standards lay out specific ventilation rates for commercial spaces as well as minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) levels that must be met in order to avoid negative impacts on human health and productivity. A specialist or engineer should be consulted to help design a ventilation system for any commercial space and to implement proper airflow patterns that will meet these requirements.
Tri-Tech Energy is very familiar with complex, large scale ventilation projects for resorts, hotels, malls, factories, warehouses and other large commercial spaces. This includes designs that incorporate thousands of feet of duct runs, massive rooftop ventilation fans, specialized chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing systems as well as ventilation and cooling for food processing plants. We have the skills and experience to handle it all.