Buildings designed for public utility must possess good air quality if the workplace environment is going to be conducive to good health. Workplaces that are hot and stuffy pose a health risk to employees and could result in costly medical bills and other expenses. Therefore, keeping buildings cool and comfortable as possible must become a top priority in public utility buildings. Depending on the size and purpose of the building, business owners and managers must consider a several ways of keeping the building cool.
Human thermal comfort is defined as the state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment (ASHRAE). Maintaining thermal comfort for occupants of buildings or other enclosures is one of the important goals of mechanical (HVAC) system engineers. The HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) refers to technology of indoor environmental comfort. HVAC is important in the design of medium to large industrial and office buildings where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with temperature and humidity, as well as "fresh air" from outdoors.
Thermal comfort of the building occupants is affected by heat conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporative heat loss. Thermal comfort is maintained when the heat generated by human metabolism is allowed to dissipate, thus maintaining thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. Any heat gain or loss beyond this generates a sensation of discomfort. It has been long recognized that the sensation of feeling hot or cold is not just dependent on air temperature alone. Experts like building services designers or mechanical engineers work in collaboration with architects to analyze the needs and specify the HVAC systems. Building permits and code-compliance inspections of the installations are normally given importance in all sizes of buildings.
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