- Assuring that all the MEP system in the building are as per Chicago building standards.
- Finding out faults in old MEP and then rectifying them. MEP engineers optimize a building and increase its efficiency.
MEP engineers take care of
- Mechanical Services
- Electrical Services
- Plumbing Services
Making Mechanical Installations More Compact
To ensure that mechanical installations work as they should, Chicago building engineers take the following into account.
Installing Boilers On The Roof
Boilers that run on organic or chemical fuels require a chimney to release gases. If a boiler is installed as near as possible to the roof, it will require less space and this has three advantages:
- The space that the chimney would have used is free for other purposes now
- Since the gases will be released from the roof it is safer
- The overall cost of the chimney installation is reduced
Another alternative to an organic or chemical fuel boiler can be electric boilers or solar water heaters.
Air-Conditioning Units Installed On Ceilings
A condenser is the largest part of an air-conditioning unit and you place it outdoors. Installing them on the external walls of the building reduces free space and obstructs air circulation if it's located on the first floor. These condensers also release a lot of heat and in case they are near another building or wall the air-circulation can be restricted to a large extent. Due to this, the outdoor areas can become uncomfortable due to hot air and the efficiency of the air-conditioning unit can also become less.
However, if the condenser is located on the roof, not only air-circulation will improve but also noise will become less of a problem.
In large buildings, residential or commercial or industrial, the air-conditioning equipment is considerably much larger. Therefore, a considerable amount of space is saved when they are installed on the roof.
Commercial or industrial MEP engineering project that has equipment on roof are:
- Packaged rooftop air conditioning units
- Air-cooled chillers
- Cooling towers for industrial processes or for water-cooled chiller plant
Having A Common Heating And Cooling System
A heat pump has the same refrigeration cycle as that of an air-conditioner except that it functions the opposite way- it takes out heat from the outside and uses it to heat the indoor space or for heating water. Heat pumps can be reversible too, which makes it possible to combine heating a cooling into one equipment.
- Improving Efficiency By Using Heat Pumps
- Energy efficiency improvements can be made by using heat pumps.
- A heat pump upgrade can also improve energy efficiency.
When it comes to MEP engineering, if a household is using a resistance heater and an old air-conditioning unit it would be an ideal scenario for upgrading to a heat pump.
Combining two devices into one with the heat pump is bound to improve energy efficiency for the two ways of operation
In case of industrial applications, it's better to use an absorption chiller for combining heating and cooling systems. This way the chiller can use wastewater from an industrial process or steam plant and then use it for providing space cooling and water cooling.
Installing Mechanical Equipment in Spaces That Are Unused
Another smart and efficient strategy can be to install the mechanical equipment in parts of the building that are not in use so as to increase the space for use indoors. A good space for that can be the roof access enclosure.
Instead of Packaged Rooftop Units for Small Buildings Use Mini-Split Systems
Packaged rooftops units permit a number of condensers to be combined as one single unit, but they require a lot of space for duct work. Mini-split systems are a better choice for small residential and commercial units as they are easier to install and more energy efficient.
These systems are an ideal choice for locations such as shopping malls that have several areas with independent timings.
Arranging Equipment Vertically on Several Floors
In high-rise and multi-story buildings, there is equipment repeated by each floor; mechanical equipment falls in this category too. Like, for example, in high-rise buildings the air-conditioning units have a chiller plant which cools the water, after which the water is forwarded to the air handling units which cool air in individual floors. When the AHUs are arranged vertically on a floor by floor basis, cold water can be distributed to all of them with a single water pipe that runs vertically through the building.
Everything matters from the hot water pumping system you choose to how you install a sump pump.
For The Design Stage Hire Qualified Professionals
Ensuring a simple layout is a step that begins at the design stage of the project. A well-organized mechanical installation is bound to occupy less space. If MEP is designed together, the equipment and associated parts can be specified and located with these goals in mind:
Reducing the material and space requirements
Avoiding the mess of different parts from different building systems. To create and visualize 3D MEP models - before the start of the construction process - you can use a software like Revit. These 3D models can be very helpful in deciding how you go about the mechanical installations in your construction project.
Conclusion
When you use space optimization for mechanical equipment, there are a number of advantages, not only you save on installation costs but in a lot of cases your building's energy efficiency is increased too. You can ensure that a mechanical installation offers the top performance and is laid out efficiently is to hire experienced and qualified designers.
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