The latest fan cool range enables schools and colleges to benefit from cost-effective energy efficient and healthy air control, says Joe Wieckowski, general sales manager at Colman Moducel.
Just as indoor air quality can affect workers' concentration and productivity, insufficient ventilation and temperature levels can affect the concentration of pupils and staff in class rooms and lecture theatres up and down the country. The government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is providing schools with the opportunity to improve their indoor air quality as part of the re-building initiative and is giving a major fillip to the fan coil industry.

Fan coil units have always offered a flexible and cost-effective solution for delivering locally conditioned air to an area that can be adjusted to suit requirements. But the government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF), the biggest-ever school buildings investment programme which aims to rebuild or renew nearly every secondary school in England has opened up new opportunities for the fan coil market.

The benefits of fan coil units - flexibility and excellent levels of comfort air conditioning - are well known to the hotel industry. Unoccupied hotel rooms can be kept at a set back temperature but swiftly adjusted by reception on check-in and guests can then make their own adjustments by using the fan's high-speed outputs.

Fan coil units are also very popular in new builds and refurbishment projects. Their flexibility make them an ideal solution for individual or small rooms and to condition rooms with cooling or heating load characteristics that are different from surrounding rooms.

Fan coil units have evolved quite dramatically during the past few years and are far removed from the fan-in-a-box concept. Units are smaller and compact, easy to maintain and, more importantly, energy efficient to address environmental considerations. Little wonder that the education sector is now focusing on them as a cost-effective solution.

Addressing the needs of the educational sector presents a set of challenges. There are minimum temperatures specified in school premises regulations, 18°C is normal for the majority of classrooms. But the regulations include good air distribution, elimination of hot and cold spots, fresh air and limiting the concentration of carbon dioxide in all teaching and learning spaces, with the average concentration of carbon dioxide not exceed 1500 parts per million (ppm). Noise is also a major consideration (the noise from ventilator actuators can be a problem as even relatively low noise levels can be very disruptive to class activities).

'Poor ventilation and CO₂ levels can affect pupils' concentration, performance and behaviour. Maintaining air quality and having a system capable of compensating for varying levels of classroom occupation is a major benefit' says Joe Wieckowski, Moducel's general sales manager.

One of the latest ranges that meet the ventilation requirements of class rooms is Moducel's fresh air Class Room range offering up to 35 kW of heating and 25 kW of cooling. The range combines the benefits of a fresh air monitoring system within a fan coil unit to deliver a comfortable and healthy environment. The units are compact ceiling mounted fresh air systems which maintains the air quality and volume while ensuring that CO₂ levels are lower than 1,000 ppm.

An in-built CO₂ sensor monitors and controls the carbon dioxide resulting from the respiration of occupants at varying levels of classroom occupation. When CO₂ levels climb with a full class, the CO₂ sensor detects the changes, communicates with the main control panel and fresh air is drawn into the classroom until the required level of 1000ppm is reached. When fewer pupils are present, the reverse occurs.

Compared with fixed fresh air systems Moducel's unit is considerably energy efficient as it only introduces conditioned fresh air against CO₂/occupancy levels. A reduction of only four students can reduce the heating demand by 1 kW. Additionally, as air filters can become blocked over time resulting in a reduced airflow, the units have a facility that automatically increases the fan speed to compensate.

The HVAC market is benefitting from the opportunities opened up by the BSF programme, which will provide schools and colleges across the UK with facilities fit for purpose. But now that individual schools have the control of their own finances, they are looking to spend funds wisely. Sourcing best value systems, services and best energy efficiencies are high on the agenda and the latest fresh air fan coil units will provide a high spec system that meets their requirements and will provide a good return on their investment.

Moducel, Tel: 01782 599995.
www.eaton-williams.com