With today’s health and environmentally aware design philosophies, it is critical to the success of a commercial building to provide decent indoor air quality for a productive working environment, whilst using the minimum amount of energy possible.

Sentinel is a new demand ventilation system, designed to meet modern building management control principles. It responds to the exact ventilation requirements of a room at any one time providing supply or extract only when it is required and to the level that is required – therefore using only the energy that is required; no more no less… It is the answer to key questions such as ‘Why ventilate a room you’re not using?’ or ‘Why over ventilate a room with only one or two occupants inside?’

This overcomes many of the issues encountered with a traditional fixed volume ventilation system that is either on or off irrespective of the number of people in the room, risking room over ventilation, burning valuable money and a wasteful use of energy.

The Sentinel system from Vent-Axia benefits the commercial building by providing:

• Lower energy usage than traditional systems
• Longer running life
• Reduced operating costs
• Savings in lifetime maintenance costs
• Ease of installation

In support of Sentinel, Vent-Axia’s commercial project team offers:

• Practical advice on HEVAC installation and selection
• Guidance on solutions to meet legislation requirements
• Project management and site delivery
• After sales support and maintenance information

Minimising energy usage and protecting supplies for the future have been put sharply into the spotlight, with the U.K. becoming a net importer of fuel. The impact is that prices are rising to the extent that industry is being encouraged to reduce consumption and help protect continuous availability. This all brings into focus the increasing need to invest in energy efficient technology.

Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide emitted during the burning of fuel for energy are increasingly being seen as key factors in global warming. As a result, from the Kyoto Protocol, EU countries are expected to cut their emissions by 8%. With nearly 50% of the EU’s CO2 emissions coming from buildings, the focus is to develop energy efficiency structures to help protect the environment.

Rising fuel prices are placing an increasing burden on businesses trying to remain competitive in a tough global market as industry is faced with a growing cost burden. Sharper focus is being placed on managing the cost base and in particular energy consumption. The net effect is that industry is becoming increasingly energy conscious in a bid to reduce operating costs.

Forthcoming bans on smoking in public places, health and safety advice on thermal comfort and the demands of building regulations have highlighted the importance of the indoor working environment on the health of employees. Removal of pollutants such as moisture, carbon dioxide and external fumes are all factors, reducing complaints from occupants suffering from fatigue and headaches.

Better health means better productivity as a result of fewer days lost to sickness absence, which is currently costing the U.K. economy £billions per year. Additionally, studies in schools have shown that maintaining lower carbon dioxide levels helps to create a better learning environment, whilst guidelines for office fresh air supply have increased the rates from 8 litres per second per person up to 10 litres.

Through the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the EU is aiming for over 20% saving in building energy consumption by 2010. In the U.K. this has led to changes in Building Regulations Part L and Part F, to provide a cleaner, healthier indoor environment in ‘tighter’, more energy efficient structures. These documents are driving ventilation systems to draw lower and lower specific fan powers.