Natural Ventilation in Intelligent Buildings

There is now increased demand for the development of highly intelligent buildings. Owners want a building that is sophisticated and highly energy efficient with the potential to reduce operating costs, whilst also providing the occupants with a high level of thermal comfort. There are some important advantages that exist for intelligent buildings, including: Optimised building performance and functionality Automated control and enhanced monitoring of building systems through a single platform Maximised operational and energy efficiency Lower life cycle costs Increased occupant comfort and productivity In order to realise such advantages, it is essential that all building systems, technologies and solutions are integrated into one platform – a Building Management System. It can monitor and control the operation of many of the technologies and systems within a building, ensuring that optimal indoor conditions are maintained, in the most energy efficient manner possible. Natural ventilation is considered to be a vital element in any building striving to increase occupant comfort, as well as decrease operating costs. It can act as a complementary system to the HVAC, providing free cool and air exchange until conditions determine that mechanical ventilation is required. Arens enables you to integrate the automated windows with the Building Management System, which can both monitor and control the building’s natural ventilation. While it is quite common to have simple switch closure for automated windows, this does not allow the natural ventilation system to operate to its full capabilities. When an automatic natural ventilation system is incorporated into your building, it can result in benefits such as: Increased energy efficiency & decreased operating costs – Various studies suggest that heating...

Arens to Appear at 2015 R+T Stuttgart, Germany

Arens is a co-exhibitor at the 2015 R+T Stuttgart, Germany, from 24 – 28 February. It is regarded as the leading trade fair for roller shutters, doors, gates and sun protection systems, as well as showcasing windows and window hardware. It is the perfect opportunity for Arens to showcase our new chain actuator and louvre actuator, with remote control. These products will provide you with another highly effective way of achieving natural ventilation. They both provide a high level of flexibility, with operation possible from a programmable remote control or wall switch. The complete range Arens actuators, including both the new chain and louvre actuators, can be integrated with BACnet, KNX and other common Building Management Systems. The Arens Louvre Actuator is slimline, making it ideal for mounting on frames as narrow as forty millimetres. Being surface mounted means that should servicing be required at any stage, it can easily occur without the need to dismantle the frame. The Louvre Actuator can operate a wide range of top and centre pivoting louvres. For more information on these products please visit us in Hall 7, Stand A77 at R+T Stuttgart 2015. Also, keep an eye on our website as further information on these products will be available...

Night Purging

Night purging is a highly effective method of pre-cooling a building or room during the night, before it is occupied again the next day. It involves operable windows or louvres being opened for a pre-set period of time over night, allowing a natural air flow through the building. Why should night purging be incorporated into your building? Night purging can help reduce the building operating costs, with hot and stale air being replaced with fresh night time air. This reduces the need for the HVAC system to be activated as soon as the building is occupied in the morning. The thermal mass of the building will be cooled, providing a fresher and cooler environment for the occupants. If hot and stale air is not removed, not only will the room feel stuffy, but air borne pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, may reach alarming levels. This can be potentially harmful for the occupants with symptoms such as headaches, dry and itchy eyes or a sore throat developing. In turn this can have a negative effect on both productivity and satisfaction levels with the internal environment. In which climates is night purging most effective? It is particularly effective in climates that have cool to cold night time temperatures as there will be a greater difference between internal and external temperatures. This is not to say that night purging cannot be effective in warmer climates. Even when internal and external temperatures are very similar night purging can still provide a means for air borne pollutants to be exhausted and allow fresh air to enter. Night purging with Arens The Arens Automatic Ventilation...

BACnet Integration

Can the Arens Natural Ventilation Systems integrate with BACnet? Arens provide a number of ways to integrate a smoke or natural ventilation system with BACnet. This will allow for building automation and control systems, such as air conditioning, heating and natural ventilation to exchange status information and operate in synchronisation. What benefits does BACnet integration bring? By integrating the HVAC and Natural Ventilation Systems with BACnet, it allows for synchronisation between building automation and ventilation control systems. This can result in improved thermal comfort and indoor air quality for occupants as well as improving energy efficiency by delaying the activation of the HVAC system. This integration can also allow features such as two way communication between MotorControllers and the BMS, precise position control and feedback, as well as early fault indication. How does Arens make BACnet integration possible? There are a number of ways that BACnet integration is made possible by Arens. WindowMaster FlexiSmoke BACnet Controller (WSC 520) – this will allow for direct communication from the BMS to the MotorControllers that are controlling the actuators, signalling them to either open or close the windows according to when the BMS sees appropriate. This may occur when temperature or CO2 set points are exceeded for example, or windows can be manually operated by occupants in the relevant rooms or zones. Through a voltage free contact – this is our simplest form of integration with BACnet. It will allow the BMS to operate the windows but it will not provide it with any status information. The WindowMaster FlexiSmoke is a BACnet compliant controller that is implementing a standardised profile – using...

Designing for Window Systems

As a highly experienced company in the field of automated windows and natural ventilation systems, part of our job is to help you develop accurate specifications for your project. Below are some of the most important considerations for you to take into account in the design phase of your project. Window Actuators Arens offer both chain and linear actuators that can be used for three main purposes: Allow manual operation of high level windows and louvres for natural ventilation Provide a fully automated natural ventilation system Facilitate natural and smoke ventilation systems Window Sizes Ideally, awning sashes should be at least 500mm high in order to avoid the need for chains to be shortened. Windows should also be 450mm wide or greater to ensure there is adequate space for the actuator to be mounted. Arens do offer some custom solutions for smaller windows, but early consultation will be required. If your design is going to incorporate wide sashes, it is important to consider that any window that is greater than 1200mm will require two points of attachment. This is recommended by many window manufacturers to avoid bending or twisting of the frame. Fastenings In high wind loads some fastenings will not hold to timber and aluminium sections. In coastal and exposed locations as well as multi-level buildings this is particularly important to consider. Likewise, if your project is going to incorporate any form of displacement air conditioning this can lead to increased pressure on the windows and attachments. Calculations may be required to ensure that the most appropriate fastenings are selected. Window Openings and Locations High level operable windows...

Making High Level Windows Operable

Have you got high level windows that you cannot reach to operate? The need to open these windows can become very evident in the warmer months. It provides a cost effective means of exhausting hot stale air from your building and replacing it with fresh air. Passive cooling is promoted and the occupants can experience a greatly improved internal environment and in turn, higher levels of thermal comfort. The operation of high level windows can result in significant energy savings, whether it is in a school, home or office. Particularly in the warmer months, by allowing the build-up of hot and stale air to escape from the building a more comfortable internal environment can be achieved. It can also see the activation of air conditioning delayed. As air conditioners can make up a significant proportion of building operating costs, even small reductions in their use can amount to significant savings. Natural ventilation also plays an important role in the health of building occupants. If stale air is not removed from the building not only can drowsiness result, but in some cases symptoms such as headaches, a sore through or irritated eyes. These symptoms can result in not only reduced comfort but also a fall in productivity.   Arens International specialise in both manual and electric controls for remote windows. These can be used to operate various types of high level windows and louvres in both new and existing buildings. Our manual range incorporates a wide range of operators for single, multiple and wide sashes. They are reliable and cost effective, requiring no electricity and very minimal maintenance once installed....