Energy Efficiency in Ventilation: A Competitive Factor for Spanish Companies

Do you think your company complies with current energy efficiency requirements in ventilation? Do you know the benefits of committing to sustainability? At Magnovent, we understand that fostering sustainable and efficient work habits within companies leads to business growth, positive environmental outcomes, and greater energy savings.

The lack of information about how much energy companies consume, combined with growing concern about climate change, has led to a new scenario for how energy audits are conducted in businesses. Royal Decree 56/2016 was introduced in line with the European Directive 2012/27 EU, which requires companies to carry out energy audits every four years.

Furthermore, committing to energy efficiency is key to becoming a company that is prepared and aligned with European sustainability requirements, and to achieving a competitive industry—always with the main objective of combating climate change.

In December 2015, at the Paris Climate Summit, 55 countries signed an agreement to limit the global average temperature increase to between 2.5 and 3 degrees Celsius. However, according to the report “Scaling up Innovation in Energy Union” by the Industrial Innovation for Competitiveness Initiative (i24c) and Capgemini Consulting, despite significant advances in R&D of low-carbon technologies and ongoing measures, Europe still struggles to implement energy innovations in businesses. As a result, it risks losing its global leadership position and failing to meet its goals.

In this context, Spanish companies are becoming increasingly aware of the need to transform their businesses into fully sustainable and environmentally friendly operations. However, managing energy efficiency in ventilation is not an easy task and remains a challenge for many of them.

All fans covered by Regulation 327/2011 must meet minimum energy efficiency requirements for ventilation. This also includes fans integrated into other products. Only fans that comply with this regulation may carry the CE marking label, which allows them to be sold in Spain or any other country within the European Economic Area. Fans that do not comply may be tested by independent accredited laboratories and public certifying entities to verify their actual performance values.

A building’s thermal demand is determined by the energy required to condition indoor air and maintain comfort levels in terms of temperature and humidity. In Spain, these conditions are defined by the Regulation on Thermal Installations in Buildings (RITE), which takes into account various usage conditions and building types.

At Magnovent, we emphasize the importance of embracing energy efficiency as a competitive factor for companies that are moving toward industrial sustainability. To efficiently and sustainably meet customer needs, we offer solutions such as our large-diameter HVLS industrial fans,which can reduce the energy consumption of climate control systems in large spaces by up to 30%.

Energy is used to compensate for heat losses or gains through the building’s envelope; however, it is also used to condition the outdoor air that is introduced into the building and is not in the required conditions. It is important that the intake of outdoor air is carried out in a controlled manner to ensure indoor air quality, guaranteeing health and safety standards.

In a natural ventilation system, air intake and extraction are driven by pressure differences. As a result, there is no control over the incoming air, meaning we cannot adjust energy consumption or guarantee an optimal amount of ventilation.

This fact can be avoided thanks to the use of a mechanical ventilation system, which allows us to control the air intake through fans that generate the required airflow. To ensure air salubrity, an extraction flow rate must be set, which should be the most unfavorable between the established extraction and supply requirements.

A mechanical ventilation system must have intake and extraction ducts to be able to introduce the exact air required, thanks to indoor air quality measurement and control systems.

In industrial climate control projects, such as logistic warehouses or factories, our HVLS industrial fans combined with controlled mechanical ventilation systems are capable of improving thermal comfort while reducing energy consumption by up to 40% during the warmer months.

Thanks to this type of system, the necessary air can be introduced into each room. This reduces the energy consumption of the system itself (since it works for less time and with less flow) and of the air conditioning system (less need for thermal or electrical energy).

As we have seen, thanks to these ventilation systems it is possible to achieve greater energy savings for the building (with the resulting savings on the bill). However, if we also recover the energy from the air before it is removed, we can increase energy efficiency even more.

The extracted air has required energy consumption to reach the appropriate temperature, and it is eliminated in the same proportion as fresh air is introduced. Mechanical ventilation systems can include a heat or energy recovery system between these two air streams.

These heat recovery systems guarantee maximum efficiency thanks to the recovery of energy from the air and the use of fans that operate at variable flow rates, which are powered by electric motors s, that also have high energy efficiency.

High energy-efficiency ventilation systems are very important in the design of new buildings, but also when renovating existing buildings.

At Magnovent we help you comply with current regulations and reduce energy consumption thanks to our ventilation solutions. Would you like to receive advice on which system best suits your company? Contact our team and we will advise you to meet your company’s needs.