- Gama Aviation
- Farnborough Airport, UK
- Aviation
- Air Pear 45/PS-4
Gama Aviation wanted to reduce energy consumption in its main engineering hangar at Farnborough Airport. The large space required significant heating throughout the colder months, yet the existing system struggled to maintain the desired indoor temperature. After installing an Airius destratification system, the facility reduced heating costs by more than 48% while maintaining more consistent conditions.
Gama Aviation’s main engineering hangar was heated by two large heating units that operated continuously throughout the day. Despite both units running, the system was unable to reach the thermostat set point of 14°C.
The combination of the hangar’s large open volume and thermal stratification meant valuable heat was accumulating near the ceiling instead of remaining within the occupied area. Gama Aviation needed a way to improve heat distribution, reduce heating demand, and lower energy consumption without compromising working conditions.Airius installed 14 Air Pear Model 45/PS-4 destratification fans throughout the engineering hangar. By continuously circulating warm air from the ceiling back toward floor level, the Airius system created a more balanced temperature throughout the space and allowed the existing heating system to operate more efficiently.
Following installation, Gama Aviation was able to reach the 14°C thermostat set point using only one of its two heating units. Once the required temperature was reached, the remaining heater only needed to operate intermittently to maintain comfortable conditions.The installation produced a significant reduction in heating energy consumption. Before installation, heating gas consumption during September and October 2012 totaled 2,356 m³. During the same period in 2013, after installation of the Airius system, consumption fell to 1,042.3 m³.
After adjusting the figures to account for differences in outdoor temperatures between the two years, Gama Aviation achieved:
- 48.22% reduction in heating costs
- 1,136 m³ reduction in natural gas consumption
- Only one of two heating units required to reach the desired temperature
- Reduced heater runtime once the thermostat set point was achieved
- More efficient and consistent temperature control throughout the hangar
The Gama Aviation project demonstrates the impact destratification can have on heating efficiency in large aviation hangars. By redistributing heat already being produced by the existing HVAC system, 14 Airius fans allowed the facility to maintain its target temperature with substantially less heating demand. The result was a weather-adjusted 48.22% reduction in heating energy consumption while maintaining the conditions required within the engineering hangar.