A spacious office can become a place of comfortable and efficient work for a large number of people. For this, you need to create comfortable conditions, as well as maintain a pleasant indoor climate. The temperature and humidity in all working premises of the office are regulated by law. And they almost always require the installation of an air conditioner for their support.
Features of choosing air conditioners for large offices
Open-plan offices are much more economical than many small rooms for individual employees. In addition, sometimes they help to increase labor productivity. There are many planning options for offices of this type – cluster or team, with high and low partitions between workplaces. With any planning, the temperature in the room should be maintained at the level of 22-25 degrees, and the humidity should be between 40 and 60 percent.
The larger the room (and the more partitions in it), the more difficult it is to establish fast and effective air conditioning. In order for the equipment to properly cool the air, not to wear out quickly, and not consume too much energy, when choosing it, you need:
- correctly determine the power;
- choose the best type of air conditioner;
- choose a suitable option of internal blocks;
- choose a suitable manufacturer of climate equipment;
- find a company that will perform quality installation and service.
How to correctly determine the power of the air conditioner
The power of the air conditioner should be sufficient, but not too much. But it is worth choosing the right air conditioner with the right calculations in order to avoid HVAC repair in Fair Oaks or anywhere in the USA in the near future after installation.
A low-power air conditioner wears out quickly and will not be able to cool the entire room and maybe the overload can cause HVAC repair in your city or, for example, in Fair Oaks. And too powerful equipment will cost more, besides, it will consume much more energy.
To calculate the exact cooling capacity for an open office, you need to call a specialist, like Alpha Mechanicals, who will take into account planning features, the number of equipment, employees and other important parameters. For the first approximate calculations, it is enough to measure the area of the room (multiply its length, width and height) and multiply the result by 40. You can also use various free calculators on the Internet, but choosing the final option without consulting a specialist is highly discouraged.
It should be borne in mind that the more equipment and people in the room, the more cooling power the air conditioner should have. The lighting of the building and the size of the windows also affect this indicator.
How to choose the best type of air conditioner?
As soon as you have determined the approximate power, you can proceed to choosing the type of air conditioning system. For large offices, there are two options:
Central air conditioning system. The best option for large single-story buildings, which are either still at the design stage, or have a large margin of height for installing a network of air ducts under the ceiling. Normal power — from 3.5 to 17 kW. The size of the office is from 25 m2.
Split or split systems. They are not suitable for cooling the largest rooms, but are sometimes able to maintain a microclimate in spacious rooms. They do not require ducts, they are much cheaper and easier to install. Normal power — from 1.5 to 7 kW. The size of the office is up to 50 m2.
If the split or multisplit system is selected, you must additionally select the type of internal units. Cassette units that are built into the ceiling and emit powerful air flows in four directions from themselves are best suited for open layout. The second option is suspended ceiling units. They drive air in only one direction and are installed where cassettes are not suitable.
Additional functions you need to pay attention
We have already considered the main types of air conditioners and learned that each of them has a set of additional options. We suggest getting to know them in more detail.
Additional ventilation
This mode is necessary in the cold season. Air heated with the help of an air conditioner by its nature tends upwards and is under the ceiling. Ventilation helps to spread the generated heat around the perimeter of the entire room.
Air purification
In models with this function, special coarse and fine filters are provided. The former filter out large particles of dust, foreign bodies, insects, and the latter retain pollen, various unpleasant odors and smoke. There are also those that are able to filter micro and nano particles of dust, bacteria and microbes.
Drying and moisturizing
The options allow you to reduce or increase the moisture content in the room accordingly. Ionization This function is present in more expensive models. With its help, the air is saturated with ions that are of undeniable benefit to human health.
How to choose a brand of air conditioners and a contractor for their maintenance?
The more powerful the air conditioner, the more expensive it is. When buying expensive equipment, you want to make sure of its quality, reliability, and durability. Therefore, it is necessary to study the reputation of the manufacturing company, especially the selected models of air conditioners, as well as the availability of professional installation and maintenance.
A large selection of models will help you find the ideal option in terms of price, power and capabilities so that you can have a high-quality device and avoid frequent HVAC repair services. The products of each of these companies can maintain a comfortable working microclimate in rooms with a volume of 20 m2, with an energy efficiency class of up to A++. In addition to the considered options, you can also consider mobile air conditioners that are suitable for offices up to 35 m2 in size.
In addition, you can turn to specialists such as Alpha Mechnicals for help. Company will help choose the optimal type of air conditioner for each office, taking into account its layout, the number of employees and equipment, as well as other important conditions. The company will professionally install air conditioners, as well as provide warranty and post-warranty service. They can offer air conditioners for offices with the function of mixing fresh air, high-efficiency cleaning filters, WiFi control and many other useful functions and options.
