Saving valuable energy
In 2001, NOVENCO Building & Industry installed one of the first jet fan systems in the United Kingdom for an underground car park at a waterfront shopping mall in South East England. The system was built without CO detection and has since operated 24/7 to support the 1,350-space car park.
Even after two decades of continuous operation, the NOVENCO fans still perform flawlessly. However, the absence of CO monitoring meant that many fans ran unnecessarily. This approach no longer meets modern energy-saving requirements.
To increase efficiency, the recommended solution was to upgrade the car park with new control panels and a fully automatic CO monitoring system. This would reduce power consumption and modernise the installation.
Fast upgrade results in major energy reduction
Thanks to the simplicity and robustness of the original and now also the proposed replacement solution, NOVENCO was re-awarded the contract—this time to supply the new control system and an autonomous CO-monitoring setup.
Strategically placed CO-sensors now monitor the entire facility. When CO-levels exceed threshold values, the sensors send signals to the control panels, which activate the fans in the affected area.
Before the upgrade, independent engineering consultants Royal HaskoningDHV measured the CO-levels. After the upgrade, measurements showed similar CO-conditions. The major difference was the fan operation: the new system only switches fans on when CO-levels rise, instead of running them 24/7.
A significant reduction in electricity use was to be expected. The final measurements confirmed an impressive result: 85.5% energy savings.
Intelligent system ensures safe and efficient operation
The NOVENCO control system provides continuous CO-surveillance. When CO increases in a zone, the system activates only the relevant jet fans and increases the extract rate in the nearest shaft to pull in fresh air and dilute pollutants.
The jet fans mix contaminated and fresh air within the affected area, while variable speed extract fans remove harmful gases.
The newly installed control panels ensure that CO-levels remain safely low while keeping energy use to a minimum.
Facts
- Energy savings of 85.5%
- Intelligent CO-controlled operation
- Continuous 24/7 CO-monitoring
