Everything you need to know about MEP design and its role in sustainability
You can always rely on the services provided by MEP engineering in order to solve any problems related to the design of a new or old building or to revamp operational procedures at your present house. Nowadays, more and more importance is given to the sustainability concept implied in the building design. Construction companies are required to make us an eco-friendly system that contributes to the wellbeing of the environment and cuts down the costs.
Is there a way to intersect sustainability with MEP design?
The materials used in all the systems and their installation are practically the most important part of designing a building. This condition must be fulfilled in order to create new buildings that are sustainable with the emergence of MEP BIM services. Creating sustainable buildings should be the main priority of all MEP design engineers, regardless of the wants and needs of their clients.
MEP sustainability and the technologies behind it
In order to use resources efficiently and control the wastage of materials, certain techniques are used in MEP design. For example, energy efficiency is optimized and wastes are reduced with the help of artificial intelligence implied in air conditioners. This technology helps engineers to automate and adjust all the tasks performed by HVAC units. IoT data can be included in these systems in order to make any task possible with as much precision as possible, such as predicting weather conditions. Human activity can be tracked through certain types of tasks, such as measuring floor temperatures and heating levels, but there are only a couple of technologies that can perform these tasks.
The sustainability of a building can be improved by installing the right ventilation system, as air-circulation is a critical aspect. In order to reduce heat loss and provide an efficient airflow, existing heating methods can be used by the natural environmental impacted ventilation systems installed in your home. If you want to learn more about these systems, you can always search for MEP engineers near me in the major search engines online.
The method through which these systems manage to optimize airflow and ensure sustainable circulation of air depends entirely on the heat from machines and human activity.
Monitoring and controlling the energy in a house can be done with the help of smart control units and sensors. Electronic devices can be used in order to monitor energy consumption and control HVAC.
In order to boost the efficiency of solar panels, many changes have been made in recent years. One of these changes consists of installing collectors in combination with boiler and thermostats. The solar-thermal system is near to becoming a reality as a consequence.
Due to the high versatility and cost-saving measures involved in the construction industry, high-efficiency heat pumps are becoming more and more popular. Since they are more efficient compared to gas pumps, you can opt to install them in your home in order to make the most out of the sustainable energy source.
Transforming sustainability into a value-added asset
Both clients and the environment can profit from sustainable buildings. Future homeowners and facility managers are encouraged to use modern materials and renewable resources that can make the buildings durable in their purpose of discovering the new strategies for sustainability into the design model.
To improve sustainability operations and maintenance management levels, designers can depend on MEP systems when fully functional. Besides reducing the carbon footprints in the projects, other advantages of using the technology in the MEP design would be protecting the environment and increase profitability.
Creating sustainable buildings with the help of MEP design
One of the main advantages would be lowering the costs and consumption of energy in HVAC systems and lighting.
While lighting is responsible for more than 20% of energy usage in commercial buildings, HVAC systems take over 30% of the costs. Increasing the energy efficiency in these two major sources of energy consumption will not only reduce costs in the long term, but it will also have a positive impact from an environmental point of view. Modern technology can be used to create designs that can control the lighting expenditures which allow natural light flow into occupied spaces. Indoor temperature can be optimized with the help of sensors and lighting fixtures.
Optimizing water consumption
Water consumption can be easily optimized by having the right designs in both commercial and private homes. Standard faucets can be replaced by low lighting fixtures which can regulate water flow and lower water waste.
Water usage in all buildings can be conserved with the help of Greywater systems. Even though irrigation and toilet flushing do not require drinking water, all current buildings are wasting large amounts of drinking water without any alternatives. Washing and other applications can use Greywater.
Next on the list is electricity
The first step would be to discover the right practices and use them for saving energy costs when it comes to electricity. Lighting, computers, kitchen machines, heating and much more can raise electricity consumption. Simply by maximizing the connections between the power source and special system and programming the sizes and location of occupied space, the electrical system can be improved and made more effective.
Final thoughts
Simply by reducing the negative impacts on the environment and cutting down prices, construction companies that provide MEP services can gain a major competitive advantage in front of traditional companies. The lifespan of future buildings can be prolonged and the health of their occupants can be protected through MEP systems, and this is a major aspect that all construction companies should take into consideration. Waste of materials can also be cut down if MEP engineers understand that they need to use sustainable goods and materials that will ultimately boost sustainability in the end product.
More and more designers and engineers are trying to adapt to these changes and respect sustainability standards and codes due to the fact that the concept of sustainability in MEP BIM services is becoming more popular on the market.