Lighting
Take advantage of the benefits offered by a simple electronic lighting control system. The system works on timers to control light levels, energy costs and enhance building security. About 15% of your electricity is used by your lights. Properly planning the right combination of fixtures and sources can improve energy efficiency and save you money. Most people know that wattage is the amount of electricity used by a bulb, but did you know that a lower-watt bulb does not necessarily mean less brightness. A 20-watt compact fluorescent bulb produces the same light as a standard 75-watt incandescent for about a quarter of the energy costs. A table candle produces about 12 lumens. Lumens measure the amount of light a bulb produces. A standard 60-watt incandescent bulb shines at 855 lumens. Foot-candles measure the amount of light that reaches an object. To ensure the proper lighting coverage, convert your bulb wattage to foot-candles. Voltage is the pressure of electrical power supplied to light a source. You can determine your required amperage by taking your total watts and divide by your voltage. HVAC Systems
Let's face it. The formula for a successful business is bringing in more than you spend. Modular Building Associates will assist you to maximize the dollars you spend to ensure you get a return from your building investment. Make no mistake about it, purchasing or leasing a modular building is an investment. More so than any other form of construction because the future resale value of your building is a direct reflection of the specifications you choose in the planning and design phase. As a general rule of thumb, divide your overall square footage by 275 to calculate the approximate tons of air required to cool a building. This will put you in the ballpark, but remember that a complete evaluation is required to determine your heat/cool loss based upon your building materials. Heat naturally flows from a warmer area to a cooler space. This basic fact is why it is so important to minimize the loss of heat and cooling by increasing your R-values and incorporate a vapor barrier into your building specifications. R-value refers to the thermal resistance of a material to heat flow. In a typical stud wall with R-11 insulation, you have heat loss between the studs, in voids without insulation and the actual stud serves as a thermal short-circuit to conduct heat. Your actual R-Value of the wall is not equal to the insulation R-value because of the conductive nature of the wall stud. Both wood and steel studs conduct heat, but metal framing has a much greater thermal short-circuit. As a matter of fact, a steel stud wall reduces the R-value of the wall by as much as half the insulation's R-value. Five physical attributes affect the thermal
performance of any wall system: 1) Whole wall R-value, 2)
Thermal mass, 3) Air tightness, 4) Moisture tolerance and 5)
Longevity. The whole wall R-value is a better criteria then the clear-wall
and much better than the center-of-cavity R-value methods used to compare
most types of wall systems. The value includes the effect of the wall interface
details used to connect the wall to other walls, windows, doors, ceilings
and foundations. Wall systems with significant thermal mass have,
depending on the climate, the potential to reduce building annual heating
and cooling energy requirements below that of a standard wood frame construction
with similar steady-state R-value. Air leakage and heat loss through
wall assemblies can reach as high as 40% due to infiltration. Quality
workmanship and proper specifications are the only safeguard to increase
air tightness. Moisture tolerance of a wall system is critical to
the long-lasting service life of a building. Moisture accumulation
is normal due to vapor diffusion and airflow, but the key is having a wall
that can dry itself out naturally. Longevity of any wall system is
directly impacted by a wide variety of variables, but the most important
element for long-lasting service is normal maintenance.
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