Case study No. 1 Whitehall, Leeds

No. 1 Whitehall Riverside comprises eight floors of Grade A office space and includes 4-pipe fan coil air conditioning (HVAC), ultra-efficient LED lighting and floor to ceiling glazing provides a light and spacious working environment with stunning riverside views. Built in 2004, totalling 129,514 sq ft, the building was renovated in 2012 and enjoys a 4-star BREEAM energy certification of excellent.

Improving indoor air quality

In August 2020, our engineers deployed 34 Airthings for Business View Plus devices and 5 hubs across the building, to assess ventilation levels and environmental conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The air quality proved to be very good, as is shown in the excerpt of the monthly report shown, and the decision was made to leave them in place to continually monitor indoor air going forward.

Optimising HVAC systems

Using the Airthings for Business industry leading, sensor platform, we are able to provide our customers not only with enhanced indoor environmental surveillance, but, by integrating this technology with the building management system (BMS) using AI technology, we are creating greater end user value through improved building performance and optimisation.

“We are creating greater end user value through improved building performance and optimisation.”

Live monitoring of environmental conditions at No. 1 Whitehall has given Evotech’s operational team real-time insight into on-site HVAC performance and provides our client with the confidence that environmental conditions in their indoor spaces are safe and healthy. By remotely accessing air quality data, using the Airthings Dashboard and API integration, we are able to quickly identify issues with the HVAC system and rectify them, often before they are reported.

Outcomes

Our team has been able to react to indoor environmental changes as they occur, to efficiently improve comfort levels for building occupants and act rapidly to issues that have arisen with the HVAC system.

Low humidity levels fixed quickly

No. 1 Whitehall uses humidifiers designed to condition incoming fresh air and keep indoor humidity at optimal levels. These humidifiers are maintained in line with SFG20 guidelines, and our engineers undertake scheduled quarterly maintenance to ensure building occupants enjoy clean, healthy air.

However, in early December 2020, the Airthings sensors reported low humidity levels throughout the building. Our engineers investigated the problem, and it was found that some of the humidifiers had stopped working due to component failure. The team ordered the necessary parts and replaced them quickly and were able to get the humidifiers back online before the humidity levels dropped even lower.

Without the deployment of the Airthings for Business sensors this HVAC plant failure would have gone unnoticed until our next scheduled planned maintenance visit, which was due many weeks later, or possibly until we received complaints from building occupants.

Alerted to high indoor temperature

In May 2021, the Airthings sensors alerted our team to unusually warm temperature readings of 29 degrees Celsius. As a result, an engineer was instantly deployed who found a pressure issue in the chilled water system, which was rectified immediately, allowing the air temperature to return to a more comfortable level.

Also, in June the same year, high temperatures were registered by the Airthings sensors on a number of floors in the building. Again, an engineer was immediately sent to site to investigate and a small refrigerant leak in one of the chiller circuits was identified and rectified.

Using the air quality data, our team were able to be proactive and return the cooling system back to full use. Acting immediately reduced the amount of refrigerant wasted and prevented the system from expending extra energy trying to cool a building without a fully functioning chiller.

Providing peace of mind

Managing city centre premium office space is complex and time consuming. By offering air quality monitors as an additional resource for building managers, complaints from building tenants are reduced. The Evotech team can monitor environmental conditions remotely and respond to any issues arising, to quickly and efficiently rectify the problem.

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