Staying cool on the hottest of days

With record-breaking temperatures approaching 37°C yesterday, we thought we’d check in on how the recently opened YWCA Elm Centre was performing.

Using the building’s remote Building Automation System (BAS), mechanical engineer Pat Lam was able to take a quick look under the hood.  At 4:30PM yesterday the outside temperature was 36.3°C, while all residential suites inside were a comfortable 23.8°C or lower.  All this happened without the AC kicking in!

How does it all work?

The building is equipped with a hydronic system that connects the geo-thermal well field, radiant heating and cooling tubes in each unit, and the domestic hot water system via a series of heat exchangers.  This system allows heat to be transferred efficiently throughout the building.  Yesterday for example, the excess heat in the suites was used to pre-heat the domestic hot water tanks.  On the hottest day of the year, the YWCA Elm Centre used no gas to heat their hot water and cooled their building at the same time!

Want more information?  Email Paul Kulig to learn how you can do this for your building.