“Because of the inverter compressor technology, the energy savings you get are unbelievable.”
Criteria for Evaluation: Select-Service Hotel Indoor Air Quality
Demand for fresh air, or makeup air, in hotel guestrooms is driven by several imperatives: the necessity for thermal comfort, improved indoor air quality, and building code compliance. Because hospitality is a service industry and hotel guests spend much of their time indoors, thermal comfort and IAQ are especially consequential.
When done correctly, introducing fresh air into hotel guestrooms results in healthier IAQ, fewer airborne pathogens, and a lower risk of sick building syndrome.
“I would tell you that fresh air has been front-burner for me for years,” explained Terry Smith, VP of Engineering Global Design Strategies at Marriott International, Inc. “When you don’t control outside air in buildings, it leads to significant temperature and humidity control problems for guests and increases the chance of bacterial growth.”
Further, scientific studies have demonstrated that building occupants who work in spaces with adequate levels of properly delivered fresh air are more productive.
Many solutions are available to meet the need for makeup air and improve IAQ. However, some of these solutions come at the cost of increased energy load. Efficiency is vital because, according to Blair Hildahl, Principal with Base4, guestroom energy consumption accounts for approximately 40% to 80% of a hotel’s total building energy use.
PTAC units deliver cost-effective make-up air in select-service hotels.