It is that time of the year when the heat is unrelenting and the only way out is to find yourself the cool environs of an air conditioned room. A hot office, or even a badly air conditioned office can severely hamper your work output and affect productivity. The best choice for any commercial establishment or office is to go for full air conditioning to improve office atmosphere and ensure that the heat is not hindering your bottom line.
If you are looking for air-conditioning facilities in your office, there are basically two choices before you – you can either go for Ductable or go for Split air-conditioners for your establishment.
Ductable air-conditioners are basically the indoor units of a centralized air-conditioning system. These are called ductable because they use ducts to connect to an air handling unit (AHU) which is located on a mechanical room adjacent to the office area. The refrigerant/chilled water cools and dehumidifies the air in the AHU. The cool air is then circulated throughout the building through the ductwork.
Ductwork is a branching network of round or rectangular tubes. It is generally constructed of sheet metal, fiberglass board, or a flexible plastic and wire composite material and is located within the walls, floors, and ceilings of the building.
Ductable air-conditioners are of two types – Air-cooled ductable air-conditioners and Floor-mounted packaged air-conditioners.
1. Air-cooled ductable air conditioners are generally located above the false ceiling of the conditioned area and are connected to the ducting. They are available in 3, 5, 7.5 and 8.3 tonnes capacities. Ideally, the indoor units are to be placed in corridors or overhead lofts, where accessibility isn’t a problem while servicing.
Advantages of Air-cooled ductable ACs:
- Distribute conditioned air over large area, uniformly through ducts.
- Prove advantageous for highly mechanized projects such as manufacturing plants, for example to maintain optimum temperatures.
- Maintain high static pressure in the premises.
- Efficiently handle large tonnages with less units of power.
- Easily serviceable due to accessibility.
- Better performance with longer ducts as powerful fans are installed.
- Demand strong project management skills as it involves complex technology
- Incur high installation cost, for duct work
- Require additional equipments such as air handlers for working
- Deliver high performance, especially best suited for small-sized offices and shops wherein the conditioned area is about four meters.
- Require low maintenance with washable air filters.
- Score high on energy efficiency with low noise levels due to its ductless technology.
- Generally, the outdoor compressors can push conditioned air up to only about 30 to 40 feet high. So if you have an office that is 2 storey high, a split air conditioner will not suffice.
- It is not appropriate for air-conditioning large spaces and for extended hours of usage as required in industries.
2. Floor-mounted packaged air-conditioners are cupboard-shaped and are typically located adjacent to the conditioned area as small enclosures. Their capacity varies from 5 to 16.5 tonnes.
Advantages of floor mounted ACs:
Disadvantages of Ductable ACs:
Application
Theyare commonly used in commercial complexes, showrooms, government/private institutions and also in industrial establishments.
Availability and Pricing
All leading brands such as Mitsubishi, LG, Whirlpool, Samsung, Videocon, Haier etc. offer wide range of models with customizable features under ducted air-conditioners. However, as it comprises of several indoor units and additional equipments to setup the entire system, it is quite difficult to estimate the pricing for the same. The ductwork and other components required differ on basis of the office building and area to be covered.
Split air-conditioners have an indoor unit (evaporator, evaporator blower) that supplies cool air inside the room and an outdoor unit (compressor, condensor, condensor fan) that removes the heat from the refrigerant. The two separate units are connected through refrigeration tubing and electric wires. They are termed as high wall splits, ceiling-mounted splits and cassette-type units (mounted above false-ceiling) based on their mounting positions. Their capacity is below 3 tonnes.
Advantages for Split ACs:
Disadvantages:
Application
They cater to small and medium-sized shops and offices such as ATMs, clinics, showrooms and so on. Their compact and sleek design serves both aesthetic and functional purposes.
Comparison between Ductable and Split ACs:
Area of coverage:
Ducted AC – It covers about 500 sq.ft and above
Split AC – It covers spaces within 4 meters.
Functionality:
Ducted AC – It controls internal temperature and pressure levels within a building complex uniformly.
Split AC – It ideally maintains low temperatures within a small area at higher efficiency.
Price:
Ducted AC – The air-conditioner that connects upto 16 units costs Rs.45,000. Its price range starts at Rs. 20,000 and can rise to lakhs.
Split AC – The lowest range starts at around Rs.13,000 and goes up to Rs.1.5 lacs and above too.
Maintenance costs:
Ducted AC – It involves high maintenance and servicing costs as regular cleaning of filters is essential.
Split AC –It haseasily removable and washable filters and costs less on maintenance.
Any other feature:
Ducted AC- Some Ducted ACs have auto restart, Self diagnosis function, two Thermistor control, Group control and Gold fin technology
Split AC – Some Split ACs have auto restart, De-odorizing filter, Dehumidification, Fuzzy logic, Air swing and Remote control.
Also, consider a list of major technical criteria as given below before purchasing:
(i) Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) (W/W)*
(ii) Cooling capacity (W)*
(iii) Power consumption (W) *
(iv) Star rating
* (W = Watts)
Ducted air-conditioners are centralized units that best suits cooling area of 500 sq.ft and above for extended productive hours and also where complex infrastructures and machineries are involved. On the other hand, split air-conditioners are unitary units, most apt for spot cooling limited area for specific duration. Though it can be easily installed and operated, it’s unfit for heavy usage conditions.
Now that you’re aware of the basic choices available in detail, you can compare, analyze and pick the right air-conditioner for your office and enjoy a laid-back summer.
[Source : http://officeneeds.sulekha.com]
No comments:
Post a Comment