While thermal stratification in buildings sounds complicated it’s actually really simple. We all know that hot air rises, in high-ceilinged spaces this can lead to a concentration of heat far above where it’s of most use.

In effect, this means that to heat the ground level of a building to a comfortable temperature, building managers are often having to heat the ceiling area by as much as 10 to 20°C more.

This is a major issue in sectors where high ceilings are the norm such as warehousing, manufacturing, retail and entertainment venues.

So what’s the answer? In short, destratification. This may sound like a complicated word, but it’s actually a really simple concept. Using specially designed fans, heating ventilation and air conditioning specialists are now able to push the wasted heat energy down towards ground level, reducing heating costs. That’s destratification in a nutshell.

The cost savings are impressive with users saving up to 30 per cent on annual heating bills and reductions in air conditioning requirements of up to 30 per cent as well. With a low up-front cost and simple installation, the return on investment is also really impressive.

If you have high ceilinged spaces the question really is why wouldn’t you use destratification fans to cut the costs of your heating?

Waste not, want not
The latest ZOO Fans create a gentle column of hot air that is directed towards the floor (the area of occupation) rather than empty, unused space. This allows heat you may have previously wasted to be channelled to the area that it’s needed most, thus ticking the all-important efficiency box. Better still, the latest destratification technology uses the same amount of energy as a 40 or 50 watt light bulb.

Why use commercial fans to spread hot air across a large, unoccupied area when you can target the areas that people need it most? And why heat the ceiling in the region of 26 – 31°C when you only need a temperature of 21°C at ground level?

The good news is, you may not have to any more thanks to the power of destratification. A ZOO Fan is a small ceiling fan capable of targeting the zone of occupancy (ZOO), while bringing about a whole host of other benefits. Put simply, it’s the ventilation system you’ll wish your building had installed sooner.

Cut the temperature differential by 95%
Rather than having to factor in a temperature difference of 10-20°C from floor to ceiling, you may just be able to operate with a differential of just 0.5-1°C. That’s a lot more wasted heat energy saved.

Lower bills
Reduced energy wastage plus a much lower temperature differential equals lower bills. It really is as simple as that, as PepsiCo will vouch for, having reduced heating costs at its 1 million sq ft facility in Virginia by 30% within five weeks of having a ZOO Fan installed.

Less wear & tear
Directing heat to where it’s needed allows thermostats to switch off quicker and heating systems to cycle off sooner – which ultimately reduces wear and increases the lifespan of your HVAC equipment.

Easy to install
Installation is a lot less invasive than traditional air movement methods. Using a simple cable and grip method, ZOO Fans can be fitted in minutes, and the self-contained design means that the fan won’t interfere with lighting or sprinkler systems.

Improved comfort & productivity
In an office or warehouse – or any working environment for that matter – productivity is king. By eliminating hot and cold spots, a ZOO fan is able to ensure staff are comfortable enough to perform to their best. In fact, the same installation at PepsiCo boosted productivity by 5%.

Backing from the Carbon Trust
Destratification is recommended as one of the Carbon Trust’s effective energy-saving strategies for heating, meaning you can play your own part in accelerating the UK’s move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

Options to meet your needs
Whether you look after a warehouse in need of an open ceiling system for staff walking its aisles, or an office where you need more subtle, small ceiling fans to blend in with existing features, there’s a ZOO fan out there for you.

Quick payback
Every business wants a return on its investment, and thanks to the savings in energy usage, you can expect your ZOO fan to pay for itself in just one to three years.

The fans were supplied by Elta to Mercedes Benz energy partner Ista Energy Solutions for siting and installation in order to destratify the air in the facilities. This will have the effect of reducing energy costs; greatly improving the overall working environment and making the plant more energy efficient. The fans were also ideally suited to the nature of the operations undertaken in the Mercedes Benz facility; a point made by Matthew Murphy, Head of CRC and Energy Efficiency at Ista – “In considering the options available to us, the Elta ZOO fans allowed us to use the destratification principle which proved a particular advantage in the dusty environment of the vehicle body repair and paint shop.”

The Linwood Toyota dealership, located on the Phoenix Retail Park in Linwood, is part of the Arnold Clark Group, Europe’s largest independently-owned, family-run car company. The Sales Manager at the branch is Jim McGregor who recognised that the heating within the showroom was resulting in hot and cold spots, a not uncommon occurrence, particularly in buildings characterised by large open spaces. He approached Kevan McKenna at Keets, based in a Glasgow, who recommended the new ZOO range recently launched by manufacturer Elta.

The ZOO or ‘Zone of Occupancy‘ destratification fans have been developed to address the problem of heat rising which can result in the upper area of a given space being warmer than the lower area where it is actually needed. With the ever increasing focus on energy costs, the wasted energy from overheating a space to achieve the desired temperature in the occupied area is becoming more of an issue. By installing two fans in the roof space of the Toyota showroom, columns of air gently force the warmer air down to floor level, ensuring a much more even distribution of the heat and therefore significantly improving the environment for the Arnold Clark customers.

The ZOO approach is designed to prevent the need to overheat an entire space to achieve comfortable temperatures at floor level. The fact that heat rises results in thermal stratification, meaning that the upper areas of a space are typically warmer than the lower areas where it is actually needed i.e. the ‘Zone of Occupancy‘.

Overheating results in significant increases in energy consumption, particularly in buildings with high ceilings where the temperature differential between floor and ceiling is greater. This is also true in the months when cooling of the building is required. Again, thermal stratification causes variations in temperature which can often result in the over-cooling of an area to achieve the required temperature at floor level.

Elta’s new ZOO fans are designed to distribute the heating or cooling evenly throughout the occupied zone, generating columns of air which gently force the stratified air down to the Zone of Occupancy, therefore removing the need for physical ductwork. In cooling situations, the fans can be used in closer proximity to operate as spot coolers, taking advantage of the evaporative cooling sensation.

The fans feature the latest in impeller technology: the FE2owlet sickle bladed aerofoil profile axial impeller powered by the fully speed-controllable Ziehl-Abegg external rotor motor. To reduce noise, the blade has been designed with serrations on the trailing edge of the wing, like the owl, hence the name. These serrations serve to muffle sound, with further noise reduction achieved by the incorporation of winglets, as seen on jet aircraft, on each blade. On an aircraft, the winglets are designed to smooth the airflow across the wing near the tip and reduce the lift-induced drag caused by wingtip vortices. The reduced vortices at the tip of the impeller blade lessen the turbulence and noise generated, as well as easing the path of the following blade, thereby improving efficiency and performance.

With the focus in HVAC increasingly on energy efficiency, the ZOO fan is specifically designed to address this. Not only can it significantly reduce a building’s energy consumption, but the fan itself is energy efficient and quiet in operation. It is fully speed-controllable, allowing the fan speed to be reduced to the minimum necessary to maintain the required temperature differential. De-stratifying an air mass consumes more energy than simply maintaining equilibrium. Once the air is de-stratified, the fan speed can be turned down typically by 30 to 60 percent, providing a major reduction in fan absorbed power.

Alan Macklin, Group Technical Manager at the Elta Group, comments: “The projected energy savings for space heating range from 10 to as much as 40 percent by reducing the energy required to condition the air in an occupied space. Of the estimated 40 percent of the world’s energy that is consumed by buildings, some 85 percent is used for room heating and cooling. It is therefore readily apparent that this is an area where any contribution to improving energy management can have a significant impact. Destratification of occupied areas using ZOO fans will result in energy efficient ventilation and lower the operational costs of the building while maintaining good indoor air quality.”

Elta is part of the £85 million Elta Group, a family of businesses with operations in six countries on four continents which, together with a network of international distributors, provides quality fans and related air movement equipment to customers worldwide.