Introduction

The current design is as followed:

Air Handling Units provide the pre-cooled outside air to the floors.

On the floors this outside air is mixed with air from the room and cooled by the fan coil
to get the necessary cooling capacity.

On maximum load the average fan coil produces a total air volume of 380 l/s. From
this 45 l/s is fresh outside air.

The basis of our review against the current design is as followed:

We have compared the current design against a hypothetical scenario of AHUs with
VAVs per floor

Many assumptions have been made for this hypothetical scenario which can only be
truly confirmed through a detailed design review

The information within this report has been provided from Royal HaskoningDHV, WSP
Ng and Turner & Townsend.
1

Pros & Cons of Current Design

Pros

Cons

Ductwork for an AHU/VAV system will need to be up to

4 times the current size requiring a redesign of the
central core and potentially impacting ceiling heights
and/or slab design.

The fan coils are installed above the ceiling which will
cause disturbances for the users of the building.

If all air is conditioned centrally with an AHU/VAV

systems then the thermal losses in the ducts may be
higher however this can be limited through insulation.

The ventilator of the fan coil will produce noise. Factory

specifications might look ok, but over time (>7 years)
the ventilators become old and produce more noise.
Precautions must be taken to lower the noise rate to an
acceptable grade A level. This means high grade
diffusers and a special acoustic treatments which will
be approximately 1.5 times more expensive.
A lot of air is re-circulated which is polluted air.
Therefore the filters of the fan coils must be replaced
every 3 to 6 months. Motors should be lubricated at
least once per year. All fan coils need to get regular
inspections and should be recorded in the log for each
unit. If forgotten the air quality goes down fast and the
fan coils will produce more noise. This will take a lot of
effort of the maintenance crew and will cause
disturbances on the work floors.
Thermal comfort with an AHU/VAV system is typically
better with greater flexibility to control the temperature
to suit the requirements/demands.
In general, a FCU system will have a higher energy
consumption compared to an AHU/VAV system.
2

FCU Vs AHU Comparison

Fan Coil Unit

AHU with VAV

Cooling medium

High grade CHW

Primary air

Physical size

Compact

Large system

Sound levels

Medium

Low

Energy Consumption

Higher

Lower

Control

Air volume & water flow rate

Air volume

Response

Fast

Fast

Thermal Comfort

Average

Good

Flexibility

High

High

Dehumidification

yes

yes

Air distribution

Very good via ductwork and

diffusers

Very good via ductwork and

diffusers

Maintenance

High

Low

Local air filtration

Yes

No
3

FCU Estimated Maintenance Costs

Fan Coil Unit Maintenance cost per year
Filter change
Cleaning of condensation system
Maintenance check

40 nos Fan Coil Unit 20 year life cycle

Filter change
Cleaning of condensation system
Maintenance check
Motor Replacement
Fan Coil Replacement

S$50/filter twice a year

labour to change filter
3 times/year
3 times/year

Amount (SGD)
$
100.00
$
60.00
$
90.00
$
60.00

Amount per year per unit

Amount per year 40 units

$
$

S$50/filter twice a year

labour to change filter
3 times/year
3 times/year
S$300/motor
S$1300/unit

Amount (SGD)
$
80,000.00
$
48,000.00
$
72,000.00
$
48,000.00
$
12,000.00
$
52,000.00

Total

310.00
12,400.00

312,000.00
4

AHU Estimated Maintenance Costs

Air Handling Unit Maintenance cost per year
Filter change
S$500/filter twice a year
labour to change filter
Cleaning of condensation system
3 times/year
Maintenance check
3 times/year
Replacement belt
S$250/belt/year
Amount per year per unit
Amount per year 2 units
2 nos Air Handling Units 20 year life cycle
Filter change
S$500/filter twice a year
labour to change filter
Cleaning of condensation system
3 times/year
Maintenance check
3 times/year
Motor Replacement (include belt/pulley) S$3000/motor
Replacement belt
S$250/belt/year
Fan Coil Replacement
S$3000/unit
Total

Amount (SGD)
$
1,000.00
$
300.00
$
90.00
$
180.00
$
250.00
$
$

1,820.00
3,640.00

Amount (SGD)
$
40,000.00
$
12,000.00
$
3,600.00
$
7,200.00
$
6,000.00
$
10,000.00
$
6,000.00
$

84,800.00
5