Improving thermal comfort at Eastbourne Hospital
The Endoscopy office was overheating at Eastbourne General Hospital and staff were complaining. There was insufficient power supply to provide mechanical cooling. We worked with AMA Building Services Engineers to provide a passive shading solution and publish a thermal impact assessment.
An external roller screen on a cable system was installed with a sun and wind sensor. The mesh type
screen fabric has an openness factor of 5%, retaining the view to the outside with a solar
transmittance of 15.5% and visible light transmittance of 13.7%.
The report compared the Endoscopy office with the external blind to an adjacent office of a similar size with internal blinds. Temperatures in the Endoscopy office were 2.5 degrees celsius lower and the frequency of temperatures above 28 degrees celsius only 2% compared to 12% for the office with internal blinds.
Figure 11. Predicted frequency of temperatures (external blind blue, internal blind red)
The matron is happy with the reduction in temperature and would like shading to be extended to the reception area with large west facing windows.
There is a enormous scope for external shading within the NHS to passively reduce solar gain and save energy. We know that patients are vulnerable to extended periods of high temperatures and therefore external shading should be considered. Also blinds on the outside of the window as opposed to inside, protect patients against potential infection.
Please see link below to the full report detailing data based on future climate files and predicted energy cooling savings.