Why Open Office Layouts Require Different Cooling Logic 

The design of traditional HVAC systems was developed regarding smaller, closed rooms – areas where air circulation, thermal load, and occupancy rates are more predictable. Once you take the walls down and put dozens of people under one big roof, the physics of temperature control is altered drastically.

This article explores why commercial HVAC installation requires a different approach than standard systems and outlines strategies companies can use to make HVAC solutions for open office designs both comfortable and energy-efficient.

The Temperature Comfort Divide Is Real

Lack of consistency in comfort is one of the complaints that is most prevalent complaints in open offices. This is because of several reasons:

• Cold air will be settled on an uneven basis: Having vents in a central point will cool off employees in that area and leave others too hot.
• Varying comfort requirements: There are so many people in a single large area that each person has different temperature requirements. 
• Hot clusters: A team more equipped or sitting nearer would feel warmer as compared to one distant.

Addressing comfort in an open office can not be equal to simply changing the thermostat, but rather, more intelligent office temperature control.

Standard Cooling Systems Aren’t Built for Wide, Shared Spaces

Conventional HVAC systems are based on the premise that there is a thermostat that regulates a certain room. This is effective in a non-ventilated room.

Here’s why:

• A single thermostat is incapable of controlling a whole open room: The sensor position usually turns out to be the location of the preferred climate, and overcooling or undercooling occurs in all other locations.
• Smaller spaces: A smaller ductwork is insufficient: Standard duct design lacks the even distribution to large open spaces.
• Air flow in static mode is not sensitive to the changing occupancy: In open offices, there can be several occupancy changes in a single area during the day. 
• Pathways of returns become distorted: Unless there is proper planning, warm air, which pours out of large crowds of people, can be trapped, lowering the efficiency.

In brief, the traditional logic of office temperature control was not made to cope with the dynamic nature of open office space.

Smarter Cooling Strategies That Actually Work

Fortunately, companies do not need to cope with poor temperatures. Some contemporary cooling designs are very successful in an open office layout:

• Zoned cooling: In the open plan, building invisible zones of the space can be used to provide more areas with custom air supply and temperature control, which enhances the level of comfort throughout the board.
• Variable air volume Systems: These are mechanisms that vary the quantity of air supplied in accordance with the real-time temperature requirements and hence have been effectively used in variable heat loads.
• Smart thermostats and sensors: There may be numerous temperature sensors installed all over the floor, which can relay the information to one central system, which can then adjust cooling accordingly.
• Additional cooling of hot areas: Portable or ceiling-mounted cooling units could be used to cool areas around windows or clusters of large-density desk areas.
• Balancing of airflow: This is achieved by adjusting dampers and duct locations so as to redistribute air.

An informed HVAC contractor, like Chill Heating and Cooling, will be able to build up and execute cooling provisions specifically designed for the circumstances of an open office.

Planning and Maintenance Matter More in Open Layouts

The luxurious cooling equipment cannot do its job effectively without planning. The HVAC zoning systems in open offices must be considered at the beginning of the construction, i.e., the placement of vents, the amount of sunlight exposed to, and how the layout would be changed in the future. 

52% of commercial energy use is attributed to HVAC. Periodic checks can be used to make sure that the cooling system is functioning effectively and that it is keeping up with the changing demands of the office. 

Conclusion

Open office layouts are advantageous in a number of ways, yet they also present a lot of challenges in terms of cooling. Moving heat in large spaces with no barriers, the likes of employees with high and low temperature preferences, and the conventional HVAC systems are not designed to address these varied comfort needs. A considerate cooling strategy means that the modern workspace can be a good place where productivity will be achieved, rather than where employees will fight with the thermostat.