BRADENTON, FLA.—American ALDES is now working with the top hotel chains to implement highly effective strategies to save energy at existing properties by installing devices that automatically regulate ventilation systems to save energy and provide good indoor air quality.
Many energy experts have reported the cost of ventilation systems in hotels as 4 percent, but the often overlooked real cost of ventilation is the load it places on heating and cooling systems. Energy saving programs often address the effects of energy waste rather than the cause. These tactics often focus on less consumption by improving the efficiency of the HVAC equipment and using more efficient fan motors. But too few of the energy saving projects manage to address one of the biggest culprits of energy waste in hotels, which is uncontrolled ventilation.
Up until recently the norm was to install manual balancing dampers in exhaust and supply registers and the airflow was manually balanced to the airflow rate at that moment. Even if the testing and balancing of the damper was done perfectly (which is rarely the case), this method is ineffective for maintaining a constant airflow under varying conditions such as stack effect, wind, grille/duct clogging, duct leakage, occupant interaction, and unintentional adjustments during cleaning.
Constant Airflow Regulators
Now there are automatic Constant Airflow Regulators “CAR’s” that resolve these issues for typically about half the cost of traditional test and balance. CAR’s are pressure independent and automatically self adjusting, so accurate airflow is provided at all times.
The first step to a successful energy saving strategy in hotels should include automatic regulation of stale air removed from and fresh air introduced into each space. While most experts recognize it is important to seal spaces tight to prevent outside air infiltration, it is equally important to ensure the volume of mechanical ventilation airflow is controlled accurately and automatically.
In the past few years most of the building codes have lowered the mandatory ventilation rates in response to rising energy costs. The new lower ventilation rates make it more important than ever to automatically maintain precise airflows to achieve an ideal balance of energy savings with good indoor air quality. The new lower airflow rates provide the opportunity to lower energy costs and provide a very quick ROI for this advanced ventilation strategy.
Go to American ALDES.
