Temperature affects our mood. If it is comfortable, we have energy and the desire to act. If it is too cold or hot, we feel worse, and our mood and concentration fall. It is worth keeping this in mind when arranging an office space. An out-of-control temperature in the office increases heating bills and reduces employee productivity. Controllers help control the temperature in the interiors, which provides people with optimal working conditions. However, it is important which temperature controller one chooses.
A room controller (thermostat) is a device that controls the temperature in rooms. Its purpose is to maintain the so-called set temperature in them, that is, the temperature selected and expected by the user(s). Depending on the model and our heating system, we can connect it directly to the heat source (such as a boiler) or a control strip (in the case of surface heating).
The basic division of controllers is the division into wired and wireless models. Wired controllers are sometimes more difficult to install in buildings that are in use. This may require renovation work (routing and masking of wiring), for which there are no plans or budget at the moment. The wireless controllers, where the transmitter and receiver communicate with each other by radio, come to the rescue. The receiver is mounted at the heating device, so the operating range of such controllers is important, as well as possible architectural obstacles that could interfere with the signal, reducing the effectiveness of the control.
Room controllers can have simple or elaborate schedules. Depending on the model, they either maintain day and night temperatures or provide different temperatures throughout the day – taking into account selected time intervals, as well as days of the week. In simpler terms, in less advanced devices we can set only the temperature for the day and night, while in more advanced ones we can choose a different temperature for the morning, a different one for noon, a different one for the night, and then still program on which days of the week what schedule will apply. Because, after all, on weekends we may need different settings than on weekdays.
It is worth adding at this point that the most modern temperature controllers, in addition to precise control programs, also offer the option of controlling the heating via the Internet. To make this possible, you usually need to download and install a mobile application on your smartphone, which will allow you to remotely control the operation of thermostats.
Which temperature controller we ultimately decide on depends primarily on the function of the building and how it is used. That is, it simply depends on our needs and how much we want to invest in a control system.
The precision of room thermostats depends on the heating control algorithms built into them. These are special programs that manage when the heating device is turned on and off. The simplest algorithm is hysteresis, which works based on the difference in temperature between the switching on and off of the heat source. This mechanism (on/off) is subject to the risk of error (cycles of overheating and underheating). It will not work for a slow-response system such as underfloor heating. More modern algorithms can calculate heating start and stop times with much greater accuracy to minimize thermal fluctuations and maintain the set temperature: PWM, TPI, ITLC. PWM provides pulse control. It takes into account the operating time of the heating – the controller, according to a mathematical formula, calculates how long the heating must turn on to maintain the set temperature. With TPI and ITLC, the situation is similar, but here the program does not work on predetermined formulas. It “learns” the room; how long it takes to reach the set temperature, and how long it stays there.
So, when considering which temperature controller to choose, we must take into account not only its design and type of communication (wired, wireless) but also the control algorithm suitable for our heating system. What is especially important, the controllers not only take care of our thermal comfort but also lower energy consumption. An accurate control algorithm is a fulfilled promise of lower heating charges.
Taking all this into account, it is easy to conclude that controllers with operating schedules that take into account the days of the week will work best in office spaces. This will allow you to program a comfortable temperature between 8:00 and 16:00 on weekdays, while from late afternoon and on weekends the building will be heated economically. It will also be useful to have an online control to adjust the office temperature on an ad hoc basis, depending on weather or other conditions. What kind of temperature controller will provide this? One that we can control from a mobile app. Online control gives convenience and flexibility in decisions. It allows you to make changes in schedules depending on circumstances. And these can surprise even the best schedule.
Office premises often undergo renovations, are modernized, and change decor, layout, and owners. For this reason, the controllers used in them should also be as mobile as possible, i.e. wireless. It’s hard to predict how a new manager will want to organize his or her workspace, so it’s better not to opt for fixed wiring, which can introduce a lot of restrictions in this regard. Unless, of course, you are building an office where you don’t foresee changes in the layout of the rooms or furniture, and you want stable, permanent wired control.
Zone control does not directly depend on the model of the controller. It is more about the method of control itself – individual in each room (separate in each zone). The simplest types of controllers (for example, with hysteresis, and on the knob) can also provide us with this. The reason to consider more modern controllers is that they additionally offer many useful functions. Such as setting the minimum and maximum set temperature, as well as PIN code locking. This will reduce the number of people who have access to settings or service modes. This makes it easier to keep energy bills in check. Other amenities of more expensive controllers include:
Knowing all the possibilities makes it easier to decide what temperature controller is needed in our office.
It is a mistake to control the temperature of the entire building with only one controller, mounted in the so-called representative room, that is, the room where we spend the most time. In a private home, this will usually be the living room, but in an office, it is hard to find such a room. This method – popular because it is based on the purchase of only one control device – will not work in the long run, either in terms of savings or thermal comfort for employees. First of all, in all rooms, except the one with the current controller, the temperature will be random. We have no control over it. How do we determine who should be warm and who not necessarily? This control scheme is neither efficient nor pleasant and healthy for those using the building. We won’t adjust the thermal atmosphere of the office this way to fit the daily rhythm of work. We won’t save money either, because constantly someone frozen will turn up the heating parameters and bump up the energy consumption.
This will only be achieved by zone control, allowing you to manage the heat of each room separately. In office spaces, therefore, zone control is a must. You just have to decide which temperature controller – which model or models (we don’t have to choose the same one), will best meet office needs.