As the recent summer heatwave proves, businesses without air conditioning suffer; customers stay away and workers do too, refrigerators in hot rooms break down, mistakes are more common and productivity nosedives. In some cases, the conditions breach Employment Law and other regulations.

The government is focused upon improving energy efficiency rather than business efficiency or working conditions but nevertheless, the drive to improve air-con efficiency is delivering bankable benefits for businesses. Energy-efficient climate control is inherently cheaper to operate and new technologies provide the buyer with much improved control: the same system can take care of both heating and cooling even when different rooms require different conditions. 

A common problem for those in office blocks or high-rise student halls is to cool south facing rooms while warming those facing north. This is an opportunity rather than a problem and ideal for modern heat pump solutions.

Air-con solutions

The usual solution for a single room is a ‘split system’ with a room unit paired to an outdoor one. For multiple small rooms, each indoor unit can be connected to a single outdoor condenser. Multiple units can serve single large spaces and a single air-con unit can service multiple rooms. For larger buildings, a rooftop installation is often preferable – but today’s solutions are smaller, more flexible and can adopt heat recovery or VRF technologies (heat pumps).

Modern units are usually quiet so they are ideal for kitchens and restaurants, shops and server rooms – even classrooms, bedrooms and churches. If you are trying to price a larger space, as a guide a 12kW system will normally provide sufficient power for 200m2. Retail spaces may need less (as there are usually fewer people per metre) but IT suites need more – because computers generate heat.

There is a solution for every type of building and for individual rooms. MK Electrics will be happy to help you find the solution you need.