BREAKING THE RULES: Revolutionising cooling for warehouses, sports halls and large spaces (PART THREE)

Welcome to PART THREE of our series on Warehouse Cooling.

So far, in PART ONE, we’ve explored stratification and the challenges around cooling for warehouses and large spaces, and in PART TWO we unpacked the importance of prioritising cooling and the risks and rewards in doing so.

In this instalment we are talking about the “HOW” of large space cooling – what is the most effective solution to cooling your large space or warehouse, and what are the pros & cons and cost differences of each.

Let’s begin by exploring the pros and cons of an air conditioning solution versus destratification fans for warehouse, sports hall or large space cooling.

PROS & CONS

	PROS	CONS
Air Conditioning	Creates cooler air to reduce air temp Allows more control over air temp	Expensive to install Difficult to install (e.g. ducting) Expensive to run Can require infrastructure/power supply upgrades
Destratification & Air Circulation Fans	Cheaper, quicker & easier to install Cheaper to run (less power) Doesn’t require infrastructure/power upgrades Doesn’t require ducting Less obtrusive Airflow (evaporative cooling) creates the sensation of feeling cool even with warmer air Helps in warm and cool climates to equalise air temp	Doesn’t reduce air temp

As we can see from the comparison above, the main advantage of air conditioning is the ability to reduce the air temperature – however in almost all instances, the airflow and evaporative cooling effect (air over the skin) from a destratification fan solution will provide an almost equally satisfying sensation of cooling for occupants, while offering a huge list of benefits – including significant savings on running costs, equipment costs and a far quicker and simpler installation.

Speaking of costs, let’s take a closer look at just how much of a difference there is between air conditioning for a warehouse versus an Airius destratification and air circulation fan solution for the same space.

Here are some hypothetical scenarios comparing both air conditioning and Airius destratification fans for a 300sqm warehouse and a 3000sqm warehouse.

WAREHOUSE AIR CONDITIONING VS DESTRATIFICATION FAN SOLUTION

300sqm Warehouse
Assumptions:
• 6.0m High warehouse
• Metal roof, with insulation layer, no skylights
• 2 x Rows of Racking
• Temp <26 deg in warehouse

AC system – Temp controlled warehouse	Airius Fan Solution
Assuming 180Watts/sqm as Ac design load. 50kW AC system installed – 2 x 25.0kW ducted systems Sheetmetal spine duct installed down each aisle with jet style diffusers to ensure airflow to low level Cost: Est $70k plus GST	6 x Airius Onyx EC with speed controller. 50sqm per fan Cost: Est $17k plus GST (~75% less than air conditioning)

3000sqm Warehouse
Assumptions:
• 10.0m High warehouse.
• Metal roof, with insulation layer, no skylights
• Multiple x Rows of Racking with pick/pack area
• Temp <26 deg in warehouse

AC system – Temp controlled warehouse	Airius Fan Solution
Assuming 180Watts/sqm as Ac design load. 540kW AC system installed – 80kw Rooftop Package units x 6 Sheetmetal spine duct installed down each aisle with jet style diffusers to ensure airflow to low level Cost: $850k plus GST	12 x Airius Emerald G630 EC with speed controller. 250sqm per fan Cost: $80k plus GST (~91% less than air conditioning)

SUMMARY

Whilst traditional thinking may be that air conditioning is the preferred cooling solution for large spaces, the reality is that AC will set you back tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars more just to install – not to mention the staggering difference in operating costs.

High powered commercial fans offer a highly effective warehouse cooling solution at a fraction of the cost to install and operate.

Stay tuned for the fourth – and final – instalment of this series on warehouse cooling where we will put our “mythbusters” hat on and unpack some of the common misconceptions and pitfalls to avoid when it comes to large space cooling.