With good reason, the health sector is traditionally conservative in its plant selection but Joe Wieckowski, general sales manager of Colman Moducel, argues that over-engineering in non-critical areas is needlessly ramping up costs and leading to energy wastage.
TRADITIONALLY the health sector is very conservative when it comes to specifying plant and tends to play safe by using familiar systems and equipment.

This is understandable when designing systems for critical areas such as operating theatres, intensive care and high dependency units and other sterile areas. However, the formula is replicated in non-critical areas too. This can result in plant being over-engineered prior to specification which in turn ramps up costs and leads to energy wastage. There are real savings to be made by optimising the design specifications without compromising performance, reliability or a healthy environment.

No one wants to make a mistake with the design, and so the fear factor plays an important part in the decision-making process, but so too does the myriad of directives and building regulations pulling health estate managers in different directions not to mention the needs of employees, patients, visitors and aesthetic criteria.

Disease prevention
There is no question that proper climate control is helpful in the prevention and treatment of diseases. The factors determining the need for air handling units/ventilation systems in hospital facilities may include: the need to restrict air movement within and between departments; specific requirements for ventilation and filtration to dilute and remove contaminants in the form of airborne micro-organisms, viruses, odours, hazardous chemicals and radioactive substances; different types of temperature and humidity requirements for various areas; accurate control of environmental conditions; control of air quality and air movement.

Juggling all the requirements is a major logistical exercise, little wonder then that the tried and tested route is to specify what you know works and stick with it.
Easier said than done. The threat of climate change and demands for reductions in carbon footprints has left no sector untouched.

It is well documented, that buildings account for almost half the energy consumption and carbon emissions in the UK. Hospitals by nature function 24/7 and by default are a major contributor.

Mandatory inspections
By January 2009, mandatory air conditioning inspections will be introduced to help improve efficiency, reduce electricity consumption, operating costs and improve existing systems. This will provide Health Estates managers with an opportunity to examine their plant and set out a more energy efficient model when refurbishing or renewing plant.

All healthcare management, design engineers, estate managers and operations managers are fully aware of the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM O3-01) which is a vital tool for the safe and efficient operation of healthcare facilities. It gives comprehensive advice and guidance on the design, installation and operation of specialised building and engineering technology used in the delivery of health care.

Part A deals with the design and installation of ventilation systems, it also sets out the minimum requirements for the design of air handling units with regard to the control of Legionella HS[G]70, and safe access for routine maintenance and inspection.

Part B deals with operational management and performance verification. These publications give comprehensive advice and guidance and provide best practice engineering standards to enable all concerned to understand and meet these standards.
The less familiar European Energy using Products directive (EuP) provides rules for eco-design and aims to encourage manufacturers to design products with environmental impacts in mind throughout their entire life cycle.
The latter poses a dilemma for health estate managers wanting to do the right thing for the efficient management of their hospitals' environment, employees and patients whilst at the same time meeting the essential criteria for HTM.

Energy efficiency
Hospitals are major users of electrical energy, and electrical demand is the fastest growing energy end use category. This is expected to continue growing within the next 20-30 years unless an alternative is found. A significant reduction in energy consumption, as suggested by the Commission in its European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) is possible.

EuP recommends that action should be taken during the design phase since it appears that the pollution caused during a product's life cycle is determined at that stage and most of the costs involved are committed then.

The air handling unit/ventilation industry is actively working to develop more energy efficient products, using recyclable materials and help users maximise their investments.
Addressing CO4 [revision due 2008] and HTM specifications combined with the demands for efficiency of equipment, hygiene and access can be difficult for many manufacturers to fulfil.
Not all manufacturers have the necessary skills, expertise or experience. From the outset it is essential to select a company that has a proven track record in the health sector and is familiar with the requirements of a demanding 24/7 health environment.

Ideally, air handling units should feature Plastisol coated external panels to ensure a wipe/wash clean, uncluttered external appearance (other than for access doors). Clean smooth internal surfaces help minimise friction losses in the air-stream and make a major contribution towards good hygiene. Inner flanges on Pentaposts help to create positive air seals behind the panels, reducing air leakage to an absolute minimum.

Other design issues that need to be considered include the use of energy efficient optimised coils. The design needs to reflect the usage of the component and where possible take advantage of natural ventilation or free cooling, heat recovery coils when fitted again can be optimised and the recovery coils can be much more efficient and can produce a greater return if it is built into the original design. Standard recovery coils cost money, by optimising the coil design you can achieve a far greater return on that money and the increase in capital cost is quickly recovered.
Within the air handling unit access sections allow for coil cleaning and routine disinfection, while stainless steel 'wet' sections and the use of 'dagger plates' to isolate components provide ease of sterilisation.

There is also a demand for a greater use of fresh air plant to ensure that stale air and bacteria are not continually re-circulated around hospitals through their air handling and ventilation system. This should be paramount in the mind of the engineer during the design phase and with free cooling, should be the basis of the design brief.

Serviceability is another key design concept, with man-size doors, accessible components and service vestibules when specified. When routine maintenance is convenient, units will operate trouble-free.

With new builds, plant can be designed into the project from the outset and seeking engineering assistance from the manufacturer especially during the planning stages can save thousands of pounds in equipment first costs, whilst still providing high quality efficient units. Retrofits and total refurbishment are more costly but even so, savings can be achieved without compromising the spec.

Moducel works with project teams and other component suppliers used within the ventilation system so that costs can be minimised, specifications adhered to and install times reduced. Cost savings of 5-7.5% are regularly achieved when this approach is taken and there is a noticeable reduction in site holds ups as well.