The Bursar - Issue 5

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The Bursar An Insider’s Guide to Australian School Management Issue 5

A Sustainable Solution for Climate Control As one of Perth’s leading private girls’ schools, the AE Smith Perth Services team was proud to be awarded a contract to deliver their services to the prestigious Methodist Ladies’ College. The team is contracted to provide new air-conditioning installations to a number of classrooms and associated areas. The main library is one of these areas, and the team encountered a challenge with this integral building. The two-storey library had a very specific and historic issue with noise, inefficient cooling and poor temperature control. The Design Proposal To overcome the challenge, the team proposed a design to incorporate a number of new Inverter-Under Ceiling split type air-conditioning units. These units were fitted into strategic positions throughout the library, along with a new and mini Direct Digital Control (DDC) system. The noise issues that existed for many years were related to a very old belt driven propeller type fan that was installed high in the top storey roof.

A Unique Fabrication To tackle this, the team removed the old fan and specially manufactured a new correctly sized fan with low noise blades, to be controlled by a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) unit. Along with the new fan, a customised horizontal motorised damper was manufactured and fitted to operate in conjunction with the operation of the new fan. The damper offers a sustainable solution as it automatically opens and closes with the fan, thus keeping out cold air in winter and hot external air in summer. A unique aspect of the fan is the new controls system that uses external and internal sensors to determine the

speed and need of the fan to run. For example, in summer, if the library is too warm, the internal and external sensors would start to fan. This would remove any internal hot air before the air-conditioning units are able to run, resulting in energy savings. Taking Control of the Climate MLC was very pleased with the results of the AE Perth Services team. They can now take control of the climate with this sustainable solution, ensuring students remain comfortable throughout the warmer and cooler seasons.


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