19 May 2021
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Elta says peak CO2 levels have been reduced by 33 per cent
Ventilation specialist Elta Fans says it has reinforced its commitment to improving indoor air quality (IAQ), with the installation of a new air handling unit (AHU) at its head office.
Elta has been campaigning for IAQ to become a primary focus across the built environment in the UK, urging businesses to assess their ventilation strategies as we move out of lockdown.
Elta has now taken the opportunity to upgrade its own ventilation system at its head office in Kingswinford. The installation of a PREMA 540 has ensured that IAQ within the building remains at a good level, all the while delivering on the notion that high quality air doesn’t have to mean big energy bills.
Ana Cross, AHU product manager at Elta Fans, said: “We started this project back in April 2020, using the reduced occupancy in the building as an opportunity to make changes to the physical space. We opted for a PREMA 540 with an electric heater to ensure that we could maintain ambient temperature for staff, all the while improving our IAQ. As all of our PREMA products are fitted with fine filters (ePM1 55%) on supply, we could be confident that it would remove respirable particles from incoming air.
“The results have been fantastic. Since getting the system fully up and running in September last year, we have seen a 33 per cent decrease in peak CO2 levels throughout the working day. The fact that the system is demand-controlled has also allowed us to adapt to the various lockdowns, meaning that it only works as hard as it needs to depending on occupancy levels.”
Combining a low-energy consumption EC motor with the ability to heat incoming air through a dedicated heat exchanger ensures utility costs are minimised. Where natural ventilation, such as opening a window, causes heating systems to work harder in order to maintain ambient temperature, Elta says the latest AHU technology heats incoming air to help those tasked with managing a building’s energy output.
Cross added: “If events of the past year have taught us anything with regards to indoor spaces, it’s that we need to ensure ventilation remains a top priority. The most effective way to do this is to install demand-controlled systems that are capable of adapting to fluctuating occupancy levels – whether that’s long-term or simply overnight and at weekends.
“We’re proud to have an office that achieves this by prioritising the health of its occupants, by continuously monitoring CO2 and other types of pollutants including PM2.5, TVOC's, NO2 and O3. It’s a core part of our ethos, and to demonstrate tangible improvements to our IAQ is an important step for the business.”
