The advantages of evaporative cooling in schools

Over the years, it has become more and more apparent that effective teaching requires more than good quality equipment and resources. In fact, a great deal depends on how comfortable and healthy the learning environments throughout the school are.

If classrooms or other facilities are allowed to become incessantly hot and stuffy, this can dramatically reduce students’ ability to concentrate on what they’re supposed to be learning, as well as increase the risk of dangerous conditions like heatstroke.

Furthermore, beyond the need to control heat levels, it is just as crucial to maintain good air quality at all times. If stale, indoor air is allowed to remain for extended periods, this can cause discomfort, irritate allergies and conditions like asthma, and generally encourage the spread of viruses and bacteria in the atmosphere, leading to widespread illness.

With this in mind, the need for bioclimatic cooling and ventilation solutions, such as Biocool’s range of evaporative coolers, has never been more pressing. In this article, we’ll outline what benefits a powerful bioclimatic solution provides within a school setting, and why Biocool’s sustainable systems have been relied on in schools across Europe for over 20 years.

Advantage #1 – Optimal temperature and humidity levels

Especially during the summer months, it is easy for the heat and humidity in crowded classrooms to rise very quickly. This can cause a lot of problems for students’ comfort, performance and productivity, as high temperatures can result in:

• Reduced concentration levels

• Increased lethargy

• Reduced motor skills

• More opportunity for mistakes

• Worse student behaviour

Simply put, a hot, overly-humid classroom does not provide the comfortable setting that students need to work at their best. Bioclimatisation can make a substantial difference here by controlling the temperature and humidity in classrooms, dining areas, sports halls and other facilities, to provide maximum comfort for everyone inside.

Our units keep temperatures down to provide maximum comfort. At the same time, we provide adequate humidity in a space to prevent an area from becoming too dry, which creates its own problems for the wellbeing of students and staff.

By keeping temperature and humidity levels in an ideal range, this helps students remain focused on their lessons and activities, improving their performance in future exams. Moreover, this greater focus can allow teachers to schedule complex lessons even during hot weather, knowing that the children are more likely to remain attentive throughout.

In addition, by keeping temperature and humidity levels consistent indoors, this prevents students being negatively affected by sudden temperature changes, minimises incidents of skin dryness, and reduces the likelihood of aphonia and pharyngitis.

Advantage #2 – Maintaining optimal air quality

As well as keeping the climate under control, our bioclimatic solutions also can dramatically improve the air quality inside the school in a more effective and efficient way than traditional, conventional air conditioning systems can.

Old-fashioned air-conditioning systems will create a cooling effect within a space by recirculating the air within it repeatedly. This means that the same air, particles, dust, microorganisms and odours within the space are simply moved around, rather than removed and replaced by fresh, clean air. This is problematic for several reasons:

• Airborne viruses and bacteria can remain in the space for several hours, increasing the risk of diseases being spread among students and staff

• Movement of dust and particles could irritate students’ allergies, such as hay fever, and more prominent respiratory conditions

• CO₂ concentrations can grow over time, affecting the memory and reaction times of both students and teachers

Our bioclimatisation solutions therefore never circulate the existing air within a space. Instead, our systems continuously expel stale air to the outside and replace it with 100% clean, filtered air from outside. Depending on the needs of the school, air can be renewed up to 20 times an hour, ensuring that the quality never drops below safe, healthy standards.

This continued quality is maintained by our Smart City Cooler. As well as providing reassurance to staff that all equipment is working correctly and providing immediate notifications if anything fails, the Smart City Cooler supports your indoor environment by:

• Allowing you to set parameters for all variables, so your systems will adapt automatically when it senses change in the environment around it

• Monitoring CO₂ levels at all times to ensure that optimal air quality is maintained

• Remote control means that people can optimise and adjust the system from anywhere inside or outside the school

• Ensuring equipment is working at maximum performance by reporting in real-time the existence of errors and flow temperature

• Optimising the use of water when outdoor conditions are favourable for forced ventilation

• Recording historical data that allows detailed control of your solution

Advantage #3 – Minimising disease spread

Particularly since the outbreak of COVID-19, the importance of minimising the spread of disease in crowded indoor environments such as schools has grown exponentially.

Furthermore, official guidance by REVHA in response to COVID-19 includes recommendation that schools should look to improve ventilation by opening doors and windows where possible. Traditional air-conditioning systems will not function as intended under these conditions, but a bioclimatic system like Biocool works just as effectively when windows and doors are open as when they are closed.

This is very beneficial as it helps schools reduce concentration of COVID and other airborne viruses throughout their facilities, without compromising on the effectiveness of their climate control solution.

Our systems are also adept at meeting several other aspects of REVHA’s guidance:

• By working with 100% natural ventilation with outdoor air, we continuously renew the indoor atmosphere and reduce the possibility of bacteria spreading

• By renewing air up to 20 times an hour, this greatly limits the potential for COVID-19 to be spread via the air indoors

• Biocool systems consume 80% less energy than traditional air-conditioning units, enabling schools to keep the systems on longer without causing costs to spiral

An example of Biocool in action

We were approached by a school in the Madrid Province looking to maintain the temperature across their 1,800m² facilities at a comfortable 25-26ºC for their students and teaching staff. Our approach not only achieved these ideal temperatures, but ensured the school made remarkable energy savings and drastically cut down CO₂ commissions in comparison to a traditional air-conditioning system:

Air conditioner energy cost per year: €33,177

Biocool energy cost per year: €6,220

Total energy cost saving per year: €26,957

Air conditioner CO₂ emissions per year: 124 tonnes

Biocool CO₂ emissions per year: 23 tonnes

Total CO₂ emission reduction per year: 101 tonnes

Through this example, you can clearly see how Biocool’s evaporative cooling solutions not only prove more flexible and health-conscious than the alternatives, but also far more efficient and cost-effective.

Introduce Biocool to your school

We hope this article has clearly demonstrated the advantages of bioclimatisation and evaporative cooling in controlling the humidity, temperature and air quality in a school setting.

It is crucial that the conditions within a school are always managed to give students the ideal environment to learn, grow and develop, while minimising the risks to their health and wellbeing due to excessive heat or poor air quality. By transitioning away from old-fashioned air-conditioning systems for natural, energy-efficient bioclimatic solutions, you can confirm that these conditions are achieved throughout your facilities.

Evaporative cooling ensures:

• Comfortable temperatures across your school

• Greatly reduced energy expenditure

• Improved air quality by removing dust, fumes and unpleasant odours

• Healthier environments throughout your facilities

• Increased productivity and reduced accidents

To learn more about the benefits of Biocool evaporative coolers in all types of school buildings and beyond, get in touch with our team by completing the form below.