Ways to improve energy use in cold weather

Often, warehouses are not the most comfortable places to be in the middle of winter. By design, the large doors that make them useful also make them drafty as a barn. If you do try to heat the place, all the heat rises to the ceiling where it does little good for the workers at floor level. Bills soar, workers are uncomfortable — what's a manager or building owner to do?

Plug the leaks

There is little you can do to keep the chilly north wind out and the heat in when you regularly open a 200-square-foot hole in the side of your building. Avoid opening doors unless a truck is positioned at the door. Install truck seals that fill the gap between the back of the truck and the edge of the door. Sometimes employees must open a large door just to walk outside or to throw trash into a compactor or dumpster. Consider installing a personnel door or install a trash chute so the big door can remain closed.

Overlapping vinyl strips and fast-acting motorized door operators can also reduce infiltration. Check weather-stripping on exterior doors. Make sure louvers or dampers on wall- and roof-mounted exhaust fans shut and seal tightly. If fans will not be used throughout the winter, they could be sealed shut. However, this should not be done if these fans are part of a smoke control system.

Put the heat where you need it

Unit heaters located near the ceiling heat many warehouses. When the fans on the unit heaters run, they provide some air circulation and throw hot air toward the floor, but once the fans cycle off, hot air rises to the ceiling. Ceiling fans and blowers can be installed to "destratify" the air, pushing the warm air down to the floor where it's needed, maintaining a more uniform temperature. In many cases, the thermostats are located on or next to the heaters near the ceiling. Not only does this make it hard to adjust the temperature but also the thermostat senses the temperature at the ceiling instead of where the people are. Relocating the thermostats can improve comfort and allow more flexible control.

If you are installing new thermostats, consider programmable models. Positioning the thermostats down low can result in more thermostat tampering. Someone gets cold, so they turn the thermostat to 90 degrees F and forget about it. The unit runs all night. Locking covers or locking programs help but nothing works better than getting employees to help monitor and control energy use. Consider what heating setpoint is needed. Are you just trying to keep the pipes from freezing? Are some products temperature sensitive? Are you trying to make it more comfortable for your workers?

In drafty, hard-to heat areas like shipping departments, infrared heaters can also be effective. These heaters quickly warm the people and material under them rather than the air. It's like standing in the sunshine. Heated floor mats are more effective than small space heaters for workers in a fixed location. A separate, well-insulated and heated office or break room can provide a place to take the chill off with less energy use.

Evaluate lighting

For most, the workday doesn't get shorter in winter even though the daylight hours do. Make sure you have adequate exterior lighting for security and to help workers do their jobs effectively. Dock lights and truck loading lights can make tasks more manageable. Check time-clock settings and photocell operation for exterior lighting to make sure it comes on when needed. Some types of lighting are affected by cold weather. You may see fluorescent lights flicker when they are first turned on. Studies have shown that full-spectrum (daylight) lamps can be effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So the next time you have the blahs and are dreaming of a trip to the beach, turn on your sunlamp. Need more bright ideas? Contact your Jackson EMC commercial/industrial marketing representative.