Looking for Mechanical - HVAC Engineering Services?
Mechanical - HVAC systems have many important roles in buildings, and indoor spaces would quickly become uninhabitable without them. Space heating, air conditioning, ventilation, tap water, wastewater drainage, elevators and fire protection are all possible thanks to mechanical - HVAC engineering.
However, mechanical - HVAC systems are also some of the most expensive installations in modern buildings. They also use bulky equipment, taking up more space than electrical and communication systems. To optimize the space requirements and costs of mechanical equipment, a professional design from a MEP engineering firm is recommended.
Among mechanical installations, HVAC systems are characterized by their high energy consumption. In many residential and commercial buildings, HVAC represents more than 50% of total energy consumption. By implementing energy efficiency measures during the design and construction stages, you can greatly reduce the operating cost of HVAC systems in the long run.
HVAC systems are characterized by their variety, and there may be several viable options for your building. Mechanical - HVAC engineers can help you choose the best possible system, improving your indoor air quality and energy efficiency.
Most ventilation and air conditioning systems run with electricity, but a wider variety of energy sources is used for heating. Some heating systems run only with electricity, but many use fuels like natural gas, heating oil and propane. There are also space heating systems that run with biodiesel or biogas, which are obtained by processing organic waste.
In construction projects, most of the mechanical - HVAC design process focuses on HVAC installations. These systems have a very important role in buildings, since they keep a suitable indoor temperature while providing a fresh air supply. Indoor air quality is also determined in great part by HVAC systems, since they help control relative humidity and air pollution levels.
HVAC systems are characterized by their variety, and there may be several options for a specific project. There are tradeoffs involved, like in any design decision, but a qualified engineering firm can identify the equipment that works best in your building.
Looking for Mechanical - HVAC Engineering Services?
Heat pumps are a special case, since they can provide either heating and cooling, depending on the season. This means you can use a single piece of equipment instead of a separate air conditioner and space heater. Variable refrigerant flow or VRF systems use the basic principle of a heat pump, but they can adjust refrigerant flow depending on heating and cooling loads. Many VRF systems can provide simultaneous heating and cooling for different building areas. For example, this is useful if a commercial office area needs space heating, while a data center with many servers needs air conditioning.
Many heat pumps and VRF systems are equipped with a backup gas heater or resistance heater, since their performance drops in extremely cold days. However, most of the time they are a cost-effective option to provide both heating and cooling with only electricity. High-efficiency heat pumps can match the most efficient chillers and split units in cooling mode, while having heating costs similar to those of natural gas.
Optimizing Your Mechanical - HVAC Layout with BIM
Mechanical installations use many types of equipment, and also fluid distribution systems like air ducts, hydronic piping and refrigerant lines. Packaged rooftop units and furnaces control the air temperature directly, using air handlers and ductwork to distribute it indoors. On the other hand, boilers and chillers rely on hydronic piping, to deliver heating or cooling through fan coils. Finally, split-type and VRF systems use direct refrigerant lines between outdoor and indoor units.
All these components can have a complex layout, especially in large buildings. There are two main design challenges when specifying a mechanical layout:
- Preventing clashes between components, such as conflicting locations and insufficient clearances between equipment.
- Optimizing the total length of ductwork, hydronic piping and refrigerant lines. Consider that each extra foot adds cost to the project.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a very powerful tool for mechanical - HVAC design, since it simplifies clash detection and cost optimization. BIM also improves the quality of information provided to contractors and tradesmen, and it remains useful for operation and maintenance when a project is completed.
Looking for Mechanical - HVAC Engineering Services?
