Heat recovery units: a necessity for the gastro segment

Properly organised ventilation allows you to create the right microclimate and a pleasant atmosphere in any catering space. This is responsible for the absence of unpleasant kitchen odours and excessive steam, which can then cause other unpleasant problems. The heat recovery units thus remove the waste air and replace it with clean and fresh air. But is it necessary for every catering space to have a heat recovery unit?

It is advisable to deal with heat recovery units in the gastro segment from several points of view. First of all, they ensure a comfortable stay of people in the room for a long time. It is also easier to comply with health and safety standards, to avoid the presence of unpleasant cooking smoke and to eliminate odours from bathrooms, smoking or technical rooms.

To maintain an optimal microclimate at all times, it is often simply necessary to purchase heat recovery units and install them according to the requirements of the relevant services. Each room of the catering segment has its own specific characteristics that must be taken into account when installing the entire ventilation system.

Air quality matters. It is the air that has a direct impact on our physical and mental well-being and productivity. To ensure consistently healthy air, heat recovery can help.

What is recuperation

Heat recovery is controlled ventilation with heat recovery from the exhaust air. It is an activity in which fresh cold air is brought in and warmed by warm waste air leaving the room. Heat recovery units therefore extract heat from air that you would otherwise just vent out of the windows.

The heat recovery coil ensures that the waste air transfers much of its energy to the fresh incoming air. However, ventilation is generally very important, no matter what the space is. A healthy and hygienic workplace also means ensuring optimum humidity levels to prevent, for example, the formation of mould.

The entire heat recovery system brings with it built-in adjustable air inlets in the walls or ceilings. Air is extracted from rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms. Waste air with a higher temperature flows from these rooms into the ventilation system, where a heat exchanger removes some of the heat energy and transfers it to the fresh air. This is a system that is very efficient in terms of energy saving.

How heat recovery units work

The principle of operation of heat recovery is based on the fact that waste air is extracted from the living space by means of a fan in the heat recovery unit. This is then heated to the desired temperature by another heat source. At the same time, fresh air from the outside is brought into the living space via a second fan. The indoor waste air and the outdoor fresh air flow through the heat recovery coil by means of fans, in which the heated waste air transfers energy, i.e. heat, to the fresh supply air. This process is called ventilation heat recovery. As part of this process, both waste and supply air are also filtered at the same time.

Basically, heat recovery means that we can use the heat that would otherwise be released through the window to heat the fresh incoming air, replacing the natural ventilation through the windows with heat that would otherwise be irretrievably removed. However, there are relatively high losses under normal ventilation. For this reason too, controlled ventilation systems have been developed to help optimise air exchange in any space. Among other things, heat recovery units allow heat to be recovered, thereby reducing heat energy loss and saving operating costs.

How to choose a heat recovery unit

Heat recovery units have many advantages, so if you choose them, you will definitely not go wrong. The question is which heat recovery unit to choose. Basically, you can choose between central and decentral. What is the difference between them?

Central recuperation

In a central system, the heat recovery unit is located in the utility room and the air is distributed via ductwork to all rooms. However, such a recuperation system is a bit more complicated, it needs ductwork for its inlets and outlets.

But this system brings many advantages, such as quiet operation, saving heating costs. For allergy sufferers, it is also quite ideal to use filters for fine dust or other harmful particles commonly found in the air. In addition, the heat exchanger with aluminium surface allows for extremely hygienic and quick cleaning.

Decentral recuperation

Decentral heat recovery is the second option of heat recovery without piping. The individual heat recovery units are installed in the perimeter wall. This recuperation serves only one room. Its advantages are almost identical to those of a central system. It also ensures quiet operation, saves costs and can be combined with many filters.

How to use heat recovery units in the gastro segment

For the supply and exhaust air systems commonly used in the gastro segment, the purchase of a heat recovery unit is really a matter of higher quality standards. There are so many to choose from on the market today that individual parameters are not uncommon. Purchasing a recuperation unit is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment in the future of the company itself. Of course, one must also take into account the fact that the installation of a heat recovery unit in the catering segment has its own peculiarities. This type of ventilation requires proper installation and maintenance, only in this way will it serve reliably and for a long time.

Conclusion

Sealed rooms require a regular supply of fresh air. There are variables that determine the required extraction rate, such as the size of the living space, the number of extraction points and the number of people in the space. However, buildings used as restaurants and bars have slightly more demanding requirements. Don’t hesitate to seek advice when deciding on heat recovery units. You can also direct any questions to the team of experts from Slovklima.sk.