Warehouse Heating, Cooling & Temperature Control
Appropriate heating, cooling and ventilation are top concerns when developing or refurbishing a warehouse. Whether you are designing a new site for business expansion or planning to start your business from scratch in premises you've recently invested in, alongside warehouse storage systems, temperature control should be top of your list. Both for the correct storage of stock and produce and the comfort and safety of workers, there is plenty to consider in maintaining the correct temperatures in all areas on-site.
Here are just a few of the important factors you should consider for your upcoming refurbishment or development:
Correct System Utilisation
When choosing a temperature control system, using the most suitable method for your particular space should be a priority. The demand placed on a well-divided area, for example, would be far less than on an open warehouse with high ceilings and no division.
Installing a system that suits the volume of the space and the individual requirement of your work is the best option every time.
Legal Obligations For Temperature Control
According to the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, a reasonably maintained temperature is a requirement for all employees within the workplace. With general guidelines suggesting temperature within 16 to 24 degrees centigrade, keeping your warehouse within these ranges throughout the year is best practice.
Beyond your legal requirements to employees, you'll also need to ensure you meet legal guidelines for storing specific products and perishables within defined temperatures on-site.
Item Preservation In Storage
If you carry a stock of materials or perishable items, having a suitable temperature control system is necessary. By carefully managing the temperature, it's possible to reduce spoilage and ensure the longevity of expensive stock throughout the year.
Your system should be able to accommodate temperature changes. Including the extremes of both summer and winter successfully to ensure accurate, on-point preservation year-round, while solutions such as carton live storage ensure goods can be picked and packed appropriately.
Clean Rooms & Controlled Spaces
If your line of work requires the use of controlled spaces or clean rooms, implementing a specific HVAC system is a requirement to meet these high standards. Perhaps you are using cleanrooms for the first time. In that case, using a dedicated HVAC system, combined with other internal safety policies, can ensure that your space is contaminant-free and suited for purpose.
Clean room partitions can be used to install air and dust tight spaces within commercial premises, and these areas may require specialist HVAC systems. Ventilation for particular specifications of cleanrooms may require entire separation from other on-site systems, which is worth considering when deciding on the layout of your warehouse and where to position the clean room for workflow purposes.
Insulation And Protective Materials
For temperature control to be successful without increasing energy costs, insulation and protective measures can make a significant difference.
Using insulation both within inner partitions and on outer walls and roofing can significantly reduce the strain on HVAC, heating and cooling systems, ensuring a consistent ambient temperature on-site. Combined with destratification systems, well-placed insulation can help to prevent significant dips or rises in temperature throughout the day.
Temperature Management Across Workflows
For many warehouses, temperature control needs to be consistent and high-quality across multiple areas and ambient requirements. From freezer spaces to refrigerated areas to warmer manufacturing zones, temperature control needs to account for the varying conditions in each workflow stage. If you have one or more mezzanine levels within the space, it’s important to ensure appropriate heating, cooling and ventilation is available at each level.
A well-designed heating and cooling system takes this into account, allowing you greater efficiency while ensuring a smooth workflow. Designing your warehouse around the required temperature 'zones' will be far more efficient to keep each area to the temperature needed for that stage in the process.
What Options Are Available For The Heating, Cooling And Ventilation Of Warehouses?
With the above considerations, investing in quality HVAC, cooling, and heating systems is an important step in developing or refurbishing a warehouse. Whether you're concerned about efficiency, providing your workers with a comfortable environment or ensuring your stock is appropriately stored, here are some of the options available to you:
Monitoring & Sensor Systems
Whether you require cleanrooms for your processes or you require distinct separation in-stock storage and workflow processes, a containment system may be the ideal solution for you. By partitioning warehouse space for specific purposes, you're able to contain temperature control in smaller, more manageable areas. Instead of taxing a warehouse-wide control system with handling various temperature requirements, you can contain individual systems to deal with extremes while maintaining general HVAC for non-temperature-specific zones.
Destratification Fans
Warm air rises while cool air falls. This stratification can quickly lead to the ground floor of warehouse spaces becoming cooler than upper levels, particularly in buildings with poor airflow. The use of large destratification fans can provide a way to effectively mix hot and cold air, creating airflow for a comfortable and consistent working environment. Large fans can cover significant areas, reducing heating wastage and creating the airflow needed to reduce air stagnancy in the process.
Natural Ventilation
For the hotter months, natural ventilation in roofing and ceiling vents can be an effective way to save costs on cooling while bringing in fresh airflow.
The use of skylights and similar roof venting systems can be combined with a conventional HVAC or heating/cooling system to reduce the risk of health issues and ensure a consistent internal temperature during heatwaves and the summer months.
Heat Recovery Systems
In colder seasons, using a heat recovery HVAC system can be an effective way to save costs on heating a large space. Heat recovery provides consistently warm working areas and reduces energy usage as heat is recycled into the space effectively.
Heat recovery works well alongside warehouse heating systems, reducing the need for output while helping to regulate temperatures in areas where perishables or non-freezable items may be stored.
Smart HVAC Sensors And Thermometers
A smart system is a system that does half the work for you. Using a programmable HVAC complete with smart sensors and thermometers can ensure your temperature control is highly efficient and just as effective. The installation of sensors in critical areas, such as by the entrance and towards the back of storage areas, can ensure consistency where it's needed the most. Smart thermometers can also allow for the quick identification of temperature spikes, allowing heating or cooling to be applied instantly to resolve changes in temperature as they occur.
If you have plans for developing or refurbishing a warehouse, your temperature control system should be one of the first things you consider. With good implementation and a well-thought-out design, it's possible to create a system that's cost-effective, practical and meets every one of your legal requirements. A well planned HVAC implementation will work in tandem with your racking system or other warehouse storage solution to create a safe and highly efficient workspace.
Avanta’s Efficient Workspace Solutions
With over 20 years experience creating tailored workspace solutions that help UK companies meet their current and future goals, Avanta are able to assist clients with any size of warehouse development project to deliver significant improvements in the performance of the space available.
From the latest in pallet racking and commercial storage solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of your business, to mezzanine flooring systems designed to increase and maximise the space available in a facility, our team can work with you to deliver a comprehensive range of interior solutions that enable your business to grow sustainably, efficiently and effectively.
If you are planning a commercial refurbishment project or require updates to a warehouse or other kind of workspace, contact Avanta to discuss your requirements and find out more about the range of options available.