Summer and hotter temperatures often times catch us off guard. Depending on the previous season, warmer temperatures can start ramping up a month or so before we’re ready. Depending on the location, temperatures can fluctuate before the steady heat of the summer kicks in.
As a facility manager, it is important to anticipate these changes. The temperature in your facility can affect the employees, the operation of equipment and the outcome of the product you’re manufacturing.
This is why it is critical to know how warm weather challenges building systems.
Here are 5 challenges that warm weather can present to your facility, along with solutions to restore and maintain worker comfort.
The cost to mechanically cool an industrial production plant or warehouse can be prohibitive. Therefore one must think of other methods to reduce the temperature of the work space. A simple but effective method is to utilize a time clock to start the makeup air equipment early in the morning before production workers show up and to run the system for a while after workers leave at the end of the day. Doing this will exhaust warm air out of the plant at the end of the day and bring cool morning air into the plant before the day starts. Doing this will not only get warm air out of the plant but it will also push out contaminants thereby providing better air quality for production workers.
Disabling the heating mode of the equipment eliminates the chance of heat being produced during the warmer months when heat is not needed. This will help reduce fuel expenses as well as help keep the workspace as cool as possible. You’d be surprised how many people forget to change the mode of operation on make-up air equipment.
The spring and summer months mean more allergens like pollen and dust, as well as seeds are moving and shaking through the air and clogging up air filters more than in the fall and winter. Increase the frequency of changing the filters to help maintain clean air throughout the building.
Committing to a regular maintenance check schedule can identify vulnerable areas in the system that impairs efficiency, causes system failures and reduces indoor air quality. Regular maintenance will help keep the system and controls working properly.
Take HVAC equipment planning into consideration. As an industrial business grows, it may have to relocate or build a new facility. Take time with the architects and carefully plan an HVAC system that takes into account square footage, number of employees and the overall operation of the facility.