The specification of heating and cooling systems in aged care and health care settings is about more than just keeping the residents and patients of these facilities comfortable.
Though a universal concern, the simple notion of ‘keeping warm in winter and cool in summer’ has particular resonance in aged care and healthcare settings. As Atesh Mani, National Product Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Australia, points out it has implications for the wellbeing of those who spend time or live in these facilities.
“Heating and cooling systems have a direct impact on infection control measures, medication efficacy, and staff productivity,” he says. “Maintaining optimal temperatures ensures residents feel comfortable, which is essential for their well-being and recovery.”
Asked for examples of heating and cooling done well, Mani nominates the upgrade and refurbishment of Mannacare (a community care and residential aged care facility in Doncaster, Victoria), which included mechanical system upgrades and air conditioning systems to serve new accommodation rooms.
“The facility was to remain operational during the construction work, however, the real challenge was in meeting Australia’s refrigerant concentration standards (AS/NZS 5149), given the small size of the accommodation rooms,” says Mani.
According to Mani, the company’s Hybrid City Multi systems offered a versatile solution and allowed for staged installation that corresponded to the construction program.
“The system uses refrigerant only between the outdoor unit and the Hydro BC Controller (HBC), and water between the HBC Controller and the indoor units,” he says. “Using the Hybrid City Multi system also allowed the air conditioning system to comply with the refrigerant concentration regulation in AS/NZS 5149 without requiring a refrigerant leak detection system.”
Low static ceiling concealed units with 200mm height for low ceilings, met the client’s requirement for discrete system, and in addition, the system provided simultaneous heating and cooling (R2) and used heat recovery between the heating and cooling units to increase system efficiency by reducing the input energy of the system.
Regulatory requirements
As Mani notes, specifiers working in aged and health care settings need to be aware of more than the functional requirements of heating systems, air-conditioning, and so forth.
“There are specific regulatory standards to adhere to with HVAC systems…unique requirements such as stringent infection control demands, reliable temperature control, and continuous operation mean that any HVAC system in these settings is designed to reduce airborne pathogens and ensure patient safety,” he says.
Specifically, these are laid out in ‘The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines’, a document published by the Australasian Health Infrastructure Alliance, as well as separate documents which are published by the various state and territory governments.
According to Joe De Bella, Group Manager Marketing and Engineering, HVAC at Panasonic Australia, when specified thoughtfully and according to these requirements, quality heating and cooling solution have the capacity to transform aged care and healthcare facilities.
“Consistent airflow at regulated temperatures can also expedite recovery in various conditions. Individuals with asthma, compromised immune systems, fevers, flus, and other ailments benefit significantly from controlled heating and cooling solutions,” he says.
“Panasonic’s heating and cooling technologies were recently tested by an aged care provider at their facilities in Albury and Wodonga. The analysis highlighted the significant impact of these solutions on indoor living environments in Australia.”
Caption: PANASONIC Z SERIES 5.0KW PREMIUM R/C INVERTER SPLIT SYSTEM
According to De Bella, the results were positive, and the installation resulted in residents, staff, and visitors experienced true clean air, as a result of the 24-hour purification system, which inhibits harmful indoor pollutants such as VOCs, allergens, bacteria, mould, odours, and so forth.
Australian indoor air quality specialist Bell Laboratories also conducted a study, collecting samples from various locations within each facility before and two months after installing Panasonic's systems.
According to De Bella, the results showed a 45 percent reduction in odours and approximately 50 percent decrease in harmful airborne compounds such as allergens, bacteria, mould, and viruses.
Panasonic’s heating and cooling solutions are suited for the Australian climate and adaptable to the precise needs of health and aged care settings. As an example, the company’s variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are designed to be modular and fit the precise needs of an individual setting, using a variety of wall-mounted, ducted and mini cassette units to provide a bespoke level of comfort.
The company’s units also offer features like the AI-powered ECO Mode, delivering a quiet, efficient, and effective heating and cooling solution. This mode uses a range of sensors to detect space conditions and automatically adjusts settings accordingly.
Architectural approaches
At this point it’s worth examining the role of specifiers in all of this. Beyond the above-mentioned regulatory requirements and the sophistication of the latest products, what can architects do to help ensure healthcare and aged care remain warm in winter and cool in summer?
“Depending on the specific requirements of the healthcare facility, there could be very specific requirements requiring highly technical and specialist HVAC systems,” says Tristan Nicholls, Design Leader, Fisher & Paykel Home Solutions (a subsidiary of Haier).
“But putting aside critical systems like operating theatres, some of the key architectural approaches would be zoning, energy efficiency and passive design strategies, and air purification.”
According to Nicholls, by dividing facilities into zones that can be heated or cooled independently, different areas (like resident rooms, common areas, offices) can have customized temperature settings based on specific needs.
The best systems allow individual temperature control for every room or zone, and different rooms to be heated or cooled simultaneously, ensuring everyone across a varied floorplan is comfortable.
“Further to this, residents often feel a lack of control; by giving them the ability to tailor their room’s temperature to their own preferences, rather than feeling too cold or too warm, this enhances comfort and can support recovery,” says Nicholls.
“Airflow is also an important consideration. When a resident has limited mobility and spends a lot of time in the same location, it is important to have an HVAC system that allows air to be directed away from residents. Cool air blowing directly onto a resident creates discomfort.”
According to Nicholls, while choosing the right products, with high efficiency ratings, energy recovery mechanisms and so on is important, design also needs to be a significant part of the solution.
“We believe more passive design and thermal modelling should be integrated into aged care and healthcare designs at an early stage,” he says.
Caption: Haier’s MRV system is a VRF air conditioner, ideally suited for aged care environments as it has the ability to connect 16 to 64 indoor units and has configurable options to be able to cool and heat simultaneously.
Automation & smart buildings
No discussion of HVAC systems – in any type of setting – would be complete without mentioning automation and the Smart Building phenomenon.
“Smart Building solutions, automated controls, and building management systems (BMS) have significantly evolved in healthcare and aged care settings, particularly in the domains of heating and cooling,” says Kyle Rafter, General Manager, Product & Strategy, Fujitsu General Australia.
“These advancements have brought about numerous benefits, including improved efficiency, comfort, and safety.”
Asked for examples, Rafter points to things like automated smart controls that optimise heating and cooling based on occupancy and usage patterns, and sensors that can be integrated to detect the air quality within facilities.
In addition, he says that one of the biggest changes in heating and cooling for these applications is the integration of building control solutions, which can be used to optimise the operation of the system.
“With building control solutions, system operation can be optimised through integration of reed switches, to detect when windows have been left open for example, and sensors that can detect room occupancy to help achieve energy savings for unoccupied spaces,” says Rafter.
“Air quality sensors can also monitor and provide feedback based on current conditions, which can then be integrated with other equipment on-site such as fresh-air fans to react based on conditions.”
Fujitsu General’s Anywair Io smart building solution is an example. When combined with products from the company’s VRF range, it provides facilities the capacity to control, monitor, and automate comfort control, fans, and lighting as well as integrate utility, space monitoring and other systems for optimum comfort and efficiency.
Caption: The Kagami controller by Fujitsu
In addition, The Anywair Io solution captures data, which can then be utilised to better understand the facility and where further heating and cooling improvements could be made.
In this way, it can help ensure that the residents of the facilities in which it is installed remain warm in winter, cool in summer, healthy all year round.
Main image: The Kagami controller by Fujitsu
Suppliers
Fujitsu
Haier
Panasonic
Mitsubishi Electric
