Aaron’s Mechanical Services: The Future of Heating and Cooling

Contemporary practice in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) is inadequate to fulfill the stringent demands of the 21st century. It can be deficient in comfort, ventilation, indoor air quality, fire safety and perhaps most important energy efficiency.

For several decades now, HVAC designers have known that they must make their systems more energy efficient, but combining efficiency with high standards of comfort and health has proven to be an elusive goal. It may seem that performance compromises are inescapable, but that is not true. 

Present problems stem from continuing along an evolutionary design path that took a wrong turn in the past.

How HVAC Reached Its Present State

The evolution of HVAC has not been a steady march toward systems that are ideal for today’s conditions. On the contrary, as in biological organisms, HVAC systems evolved in response to conditions that existed at various times in the past. As a result, HVAC has accumulated historical baggage that make s it poorly adapted to present conditions.

Contemporary HVAC began its evolution about 120 years ago, when centrifugal fans were introduced in the first large steel frame buildings to circulate outside air for the purposes of cooling, odor removal, and prevention of infectious diseases. In quick succession, these ventilation systems acquired additional functions and requirements. With each new requirement, variations of existing methods were attempted, and new problems usually accompanied them.

Steam heating coils were added, creating central forced-air heating. These introduced the problem of temperature control for individual spaces, which was met with manual dampers.

Soon, prior expertise in mechanical cooling for meat preservation, ice making, and beer brewing led to the addition of cooling coils in central systems. This increased the problem of space, temperature control further, as cooling became associated with uncomfortable “dumping” and stratification of chilled air.

The Solutions In Future HVAC

The accumulation of unsolved problems in contemporary HVAC requires us to stop and take a fresh look. While we exploit the lessons of past experience, we will abandon assumptions that are no longer relevant and change practices that fail to achieve optimum performance. HVAC today uses two broad approaches. For compartmentalized buildings, the dominant design approach is using centralized air handling systems that serve multiple zones. For smaller buildings, and for individual spaces whose conditioning requirements do not match the rest of the building, the dominant approach is using single-zone systems. The first step toward optimum HVAC is recognizing that multiple-zone air handling systems inherently cannot optimize all HVAC functions, nor can they operate with a high level of energy efficiency unless they seriously degrade the comfort and health functions of the systems. This is a theoretical limitation, not just a practical one. Therefore, multiple-zone HVAC systems must be abandoned. The need to abandon multiple-zone systems for ces HVAC to rely on single-zone systems. However, contemporary single-zone systems have serious shortcomings, to the point that they are widely viewed as inferior alternatives to centralized systems. Fortunately, the deficiencies of single-zone systems are curable. They result from lack of care in design and from inadequate evolution of the equipment.

Looking for fast and fair heating or HVAC service? Aaron’s Mechanical Services wants you to stay comfortable all year round.  Most important we want you to spend the least amount of money possible while you stay comfortable. If your heating system or HVAC unit needs service or replacement please think of us and call at 623-388-4436 and we will come to you and solve your heating system service needs.

Presented by;
Aaron’s Mechanical Services
623-388-4436
info@aaronsmechanicalservices.com
http://aaronsmechanicalservices.com