In large commercial properties with several working areas, rooms or shift patterns, or multiple tenants, heating the whole building in one go is a waste of money and energy. The solution is zoned heating, controlled via a central Building Energy Management System (BEMS) such as HeatingSave.
But what are the benefits of using such a system, and how does it save you money? Read on to find out.
What is zone heating?
Zone heating is where different rooms or areas of a property have their heating controlled independently of each other, allowing each zone to have its heating times and temperatures set individually. This can be achieved with wired or wireless connections to the central Building Energy Management System.
In a commercial property zone heating and cooling is particularly useful in larger spaces or offices with different working hours.
Zone heating in larger spaces like warehouses
For larger spaces, such as warehouses or factories, having one set temperature for the whole area may not be practical. Heavy machinery could produce excess heat in some areas, or warehouse floors may be colder than other areas due to stratification (see our blog about destratification fans for more information on this).
Zoning large areas allows for the heating or cooling to be appropriately adjusted to each local temperature, without impacting the rest of the space. Using temperature sensors to monitor temperatures can then trigger the heating or cooling as necessary in each zone, without affecting the rest of the space. Using destratification fans can also help to circulate the air to improve air quality and reduce humidity.
Zone heating for offices
Office spaces can also benefit from zoned heating and cooling. If different people are in the office at different times, there is no need to have the heating on all at once. Program the heating according to working hours, as well as room use: if a meeting room is rarely used there's no need to heat it constantly, or if a sales team are out on the road for half the week their office heating schedule can be adjusted accordingly.
Zone heating for multiple occupancy buildings
Zoned heating for multiple occupancy properties means each tenant can set their own temperature, independent of the rest of the building. However, zone heating gives the added benefit of seeing the energy use of each zone, enabling landlords to see more accurate costs for each tenant.
It can also be useful in spotting any excessive or suspicious energy usage in the building, which can then further reduce costs if heating is being used unnecessarily.
Controlling zone heating with a Building Energy Management System
Using zoning for heating and cooling can provide much finer control over the use of energy, as only the zones that need heating or cooling will be active. In properties where the heating is poorly managed, adding a Building Energy Management System can provide savings of upwards of 25% on heating bills. In addition, using occupancy sensors in less frequented areas can help to further reduce usage as they can detect when the zone is empty and appropriately adjust the heating or cooling.
Summary
Using zoned heating for commercial buildings provides a greater amount of control over which parts are heated or cooled, which results in less energy being used — saving money on heating bills. It also provides a higher degree of visibility of the energy use per zone, allowing for more accurate costings and efficiency monitoring.
HeatingSave is scalable to any property size, so get in touch to find out more.