red letter day

Mechanical and electrical systems can obviously have a huge effect on the environmental sustainability of a building. Norfolk companies, Climatech, Tempest and Newpower Electrical spent nine months on the supply and installation of these services for the New Zealand Post Mail Service Centre.

Climatech played a crucial role in the development, and was responsible for the design, installation and commissioning of all heating, air conditioning and ventilation. This work was all carried out with an aim to lower power usage, says Richard Leggett at Norfolk Electric and Mechanical.

"In the administration area, four-pipe fan coils were installed, which include chillers and heat pumps for the cool- and heated-water systems respectively. Also, in the building's staging area, two-speed ducted axial fans extract forklift fumes, to prevent overheating."

Other factors include occupancy sensors in the building's cafeteria, which shut down air conditioning systems if the space is unoccupied for more than one hour.

"This time period is adjustable, and systems restart if occupancy is sensed for a period of longer than ten minutes, which avoids plant restarts for occasional intermittent usage," says Leggett.

A Building Monitoring System allows management of power usage, including electrical demand to the site.

For more information, contact Climatech, PO Box 112068, Penrose, Auckland, phone (09) 634 9600, fax (09) 634 9269. Email: ndenby@norfolkem.co.nz, or visit the website: www.climatech.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas