HVAC

A Quick Intro to Hotel Ventilation for Students at HVAC College

July 11, 2018

The phrase ‘drive it like you stole it’ comes to mind when you consider spending time in a hotel room. While most people won’t go crazy, it’s fair to suggest that our normal energy use habits are slightly adapted when we’re away from home. The room has already been paid for, so we might stick on the heating for a lot longer during a winter stay, or leave the air conditioning unit humming for an increased amount of time in the summer.

HVAC technicians need to consider this added strain when fitting necessary equipment to large hotel developments. Here’s a quick primer on what to look out for when working on hotel HVAC projects.

The Unique Challenges Posed by a Hotel Development

Hotels are a mixture of rooms and facilities of all shapes and sizes. As well as conventional bedrooms, you also have kitchens, restaurants, bathrooms, swimming pools and fitness centres. Many others have underground car parks and larger penthouse suites in their blueprints. Professionals with HVAC certificationtherefore have to introduce a variety of different ventilation systems to suit these different environments.

A typical hotel air conditioning unit

Occupants expect the same ventilation standards in all rooms, and this can be difficult given the vast scale of normal hotel developments. Some rooms will be south-facing and naturally cooler as a result. Others will be north-facing and may require an increased emphasis on ventilation to reduce temperatures. Demand on HVAC systems is also significantly higher in the evenings and nighttime when visitors are more likely to be in their rooms. This means that professionals are continually trying to devise systems which are effective at times of low and high demand.

Natural Ventilation Should be Used Where Possible after HVAC School

Cost efficiency is always a consideration for clients, and it’s especially pertinent when discussing a vast HVAC system with a hotel developer or manager. Natural ventilation from outside air carries many benefits, including its cost-effectiveness and lack of noise pollution. Of course, it does have limitations due to its limited temperature range.

Students at HVAC college should always consider the ‘Stack Effect’ when considering high-rise development such as hotels. This phenomenon finds that air gradually warms up and rises through the floors, eventually escaping through vents or other openings at the top of the building. This is replaced by cold air at the bottom and the cycle continues. Rooms at the top of the building are therefore likely to maintain better warmth, so mechanical systems must be introduced to create a constant temperature throughout the building.

Mechanical Ventilation Systems Bring Lots of Comfort to Hotel Occupants

Natural ventilation is particularly limited in hotel areas of high air flow, including swimming pools and kitchens. HVAC technicians therefore commonly use a hybrid of natural and mechanical ventilation to make sure occupants are always happy. A balance often has to be struck between the high costs of a very powerful HVAC system and the demands of hotel visitors who want to treat themselves to the most pleasurable experience.

Swimming pools pose unique challenges because of high humidity levels

As well as maintaining pleasant temperatures in the hotel rooms, extractor fans need to be introduced in kitchens to remove odours, water vapour and heat. Specialized ventilation is also required in the swimming pool facilities because of increased air humidity, which runs the risk of developing mould in confined areas.

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