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The decisions real estate owners and consultants face when building or remodeling properties are increasingly complex. The range of considerations spans from making sure buildings are safe and healthy, both in themselves but also for future tenants, to prioritising energy efficiency and overall sustainability. We believe that it is vital to ensure that the indoor climate is not compromised in the effort to meet other demands. At Swegon, we develop and manufacture products designed to be deliver a good indoor climate while not making unnecessary strain on the environment. Our expert Jan Scheuring, Product Manager at Swegon, will elaborate on the use of climate ceilings.
The interest in, and the understanding of, the importance of a good indoor climate is growing. Just a few weeks ago, the WHO hosted its first global air quality conference where they declared that air quality must be considered a human right. In the building industry, many projects prioritise the indoor climate and some turn to the well-known building certificates and standards as they drive the development of comfort and well-being in buildings by the means of various target measures. However, when energy efficiency is key, the indoor climate is far too often overlooked or negatively impacted.
Energy efficiency in a building can take many forms. It might involve turning off various building equipment reduce the electricity usage, but this approach most often comes with a cost – a cost of failing or sacrificing something. Think about an elevator for example. If it only stops on every other floor to save energy, it will pretty soon fail to meet tenants’ expectations, they may consider to relocate. Now think about an air handling unit. If turned off, the indoor air quality will quickly fail to deliver on a number of parameters and the indoor climate will become unsatisfactory, again there is a risk of tenants considering to reposition. The challenge is to find ways to use less energy without compromising other important aspects – the indoor climate for instance.
What are Climate Ceilings?
Climate ceilings are systems for heating and cooling that use radiant heat transfer to regulate the indoor temperature. By emitting infrared radiation from panels or profiles installed on the ceiling, people in a room can be directly heated or cooled. The products are evenly spread out across the ceiling in the indoor space, which ensures an evenly distributed temperature throughout the room. All this supports a good indoor climate. Additionally, because climate ceilings are designed to utilise radiation, they are highly energy efficient.
The hot or cold energy in climate ceilings is carried by water. In heating mode, the warm water flows through the product and emits heat downward. In cooling mode, chilled water absorbs heat from the room which creates a cooling effect. Given the efficiency of transporting energy via water, these products are energy efficient in this respect as well.
Energy efficiency in the building mass
Climate ceilings take up space in the generally sparsely utilised ceiling. Consequently, they interfere less with the architectural design, or with other necessities, which are normally focused to the floor and wall space of the indoor environment. Beneficial in itself, but ceilings also feature a further benefit in regards to energy efficiency - it can store energy for climate ceilings to utilise instead of relying on electrical power.
Different materials can hold and release different amounts of energy. Think about two building structures, one made of concrete and one made of wood. The reason for why the indoor temperatures differ vastly between the two on a hot summer day is the different materials ability to store and release energy. The house built in concrete has high heat capacity and can absorb a lot of heat energy, while the wooden building cannot. Some climate ceilings are developed to utilise this natural transition of energy. Additionally, thanks to the storing characteristics of certain materials, the provided climate ceilings may be run exclusively at night, and then in free cooling mode - further adding to a reduced energy consumption.
Lastly, climate ceilings have been developed with components to also supply air to the indoor environment. The air increases the air movement which enhances the energy exchange between the room and the ceiling, hence the need for additional energy is lowered. The air component is also beneficial as a good indoor climate is not only concentrated to ensure the right temperature. Air quality, among other parameters, is vital when creating a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
Climate ceilings are more than energy efficiency
In summary, climate ceilings can meet the growing emphasis on sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. It is evident that they are energy efficient in many ways, and we have then not elaborated on the fact that they can be powered by partly or completely renewable energy sources, such as heat pumps and solar power systems. Beyond energy efficiency, climate ceilings are versatile, suitable for various applications from residential homes to public buildings and offices. They are available in different models and as they are integrated into the ceiling structure, they blend in well with the interior design. Additionally, climate ceilings operate silently, a crucial parameter for creating a good indoor climate for people to feel good inside.
With all this said, we recommend you to have a look at our portfolio of products and solutions. You can also find more information about energy mass storage in our technical guide.
