JARGON

Types of Air Conditioning

One of the most significant costs in your new space can be air conditioning, especially if there is nothing provided by the Landlord. It can be hard to understand when most of the equipment is hidden behind the ceiling. However poorly designed air conditioning is often the single biggest complaint about an office space. The Building Code requires all habitable spaces be ventilated, and there are several ways to achieve this. There are basically 4 types of air-conditioning, however not all comply with the Building Code by themselves.

Tempered Air System.

Fresh air from outside is run through a heater bank before being delivered into the space. The delivered air temperature will vary with the outside temperature and there is no cooling option. This is the cheapest ventilation option and in most cases will comply with the minimum requirements of the Building Code.

Hi-Wall Air Conditioning.

Wall mounted units have refrigerated pipe-work run to condenser units outside. Heating and cooling only is provided. As there is no fresh air brought into the system, this option is not compliant with the Building Code by itself.

Cassette Air Conditioning

Similar to ‘Hi-Wall’, however these units are ceiling mounted and have the option of being able to have fresh air ducted through them. In this case they should comply with the Building Code requirements.

Fully Ducted Air Conditioning.

This provides heating, cooling and fresh air. While the most expensive of the 3 options, careful design is still required for optimum performance. The biggest problems occur when the air conditioning units specified are under sized and two few zones are allowed for in the design. A dislike of air conditioning is usually the result of someone’s experience with a badly designed system.

H1 - Energy Efficiency

The Building Code now requires all buildings over 300m2 to have their lighting comply with energy efficiency standards. This means that to achieve acceptable light levels careful selection of fittings is required. While more energy efficient, these fittings may also be more expensive. Calculations showing compliance is often required to be supplied with the Building Consent documentation.

Green

The construction industry is full of bold “green” claims and confusing labeling. ‘Green Star’ is a rating system that is widely recognized in determining the green quality of products and buildings. However to have a Green building requires more than just Green products. The buildings services, design and position in relation to transport etc all play a part in determining the buildings Green Star rating.

There is an increasing number of Green building products coming onto the market. While there is a limited range available at a similar cost to more generic products, most are more expensive. Over time this situation should improve.

The most important thing with any Green product is independent certification. ‘Environmental Choice’ and ‘Enviro-mark’ are two of the more common independent product assessment organizations. Beware of products that don’t have this yet are marked as Green. For example “CFC-free” is a common product claim despite the fact that CFC’s are banned by law.