Warehouse Cooling Systems: How to Stay Cool and Decrease Your Carbon Footprint
Excessive heat in warehouses not only affects the comfort of warehouse workers and the integrity of goods, it also increases energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with cooling.
Many older warehouses were not originally designed considering cooling needs or lack adequate insulation, ventilation, and thermal mass. Unlike new construction projects where cooling solutions can be seamlessly integrated by design, retrofitting existing warehouse infrastructure that relies on energy-intensive air conditioning systems is complex and time-consuming, requiring careful planning, modifications, and often significant capital investments.
The best warehouse cooling methods combine readily available passive cooling and alternative cooling solutions. Passive cooling solutions can function without energy input to cool a space by harnessing natural-occurring phenomena and getting inspiration from adaptations seen in nature (i.e. biomimicry).
Convection cooling, shading, and cool roofs are just a few of a handful passive cooling solutions for warehouses that reduce surface heat gain and promote thermal comfort.
Convection cooling is based on the principle that warm air rises and cool air falls. They rely on the buoyancy of warm air to escape through high-level outlets, drawing in cooler air from shaded external areas. Openings like clerestory windows, roof ventilators, wind scoops, wind towers, and wind catchers are particularly effective in capturing outdoor cool breezes and venting indoor warm air.
Shading a warehouse can preventing excessive heat from entering indoor spaces. A well-designed shading system consisting of carefully designed roof overhangs and external blinds or louvres can offer both ample daylight and privacy while also preventing overheating and glare.
Cool roofs use specially designed materials that reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than traditional roofs. They reduce heat transfer to the built infrastructure, keeping indoor temperatures cooler.
Energy-efficient active cooling approaches can also be a way to decrease emissions and temperatures. Often, these systems do away with electric mechanical compressors but require some energy to function and can include evaporative cooling, high-volume low-speed industrial fans, and heat-powered absorption chillers.
Evaporative cooling systems draw hot air from outside through wet filter pads supplied with water from a tank at the unit's base. Water from these pads evaporates, drawing heat out of the air and humidifying it, blowing cooled, moist air through the warehouse.
High-volume, low-speed industrial fans are extremely efficient and cost almost nothing to operate. Excellent for equalizing temperatures, they circulating large volumes of air to maintain consistent temperatures throughout the warehouse while improving the overall effectiveness of all other cooling systems.
Heat-powered absorption chillers use the collection of waste heat from other processes or equipment to drive a thermodynamic process that allows water to be chilled and distributed for cooling needs. Although not viable in all warehouses, absorption chillers are especially adequate if the heat removed is harnessed to chill water used for other cooling purposes.
As warehouses seek to balance operational efficiency with environmental responsibility, embracing passive cooling techniques like Pirta Paint can pave the way toward a more sustainable future for the industry. Affordable, non-toxic, and VOC-free, Pirta paint stands out among these innovative solutions, as it combines a high reflectivity and a strong thermal emittance, releasing energy back to the cooler sky and, with an SRI of 118, it significantly outperforms other cooling paints.
Offering a simple, sustainable, and cost-effective way to combat rising temperatures in warehouses, Pirta helps create a more comfortable working environment for employees while protecting valuable inventory and products, reducing energy consumption, and slashing CO2 emissions. As the demand for sustainable and energy-efficient cooling solutions continues to grow, adopting technologies such as Pirta’s passive cooling solutions can help warehouses operate more efficiently and responsibly in the face of rising temperatures and energy costs while protecting workers, products, and the environment.
