Air Handling Units

Welcome to Air Options. We sell and develop top quality air handling units worldwide. We’ve decided to put together a series of articles that discuss air handling units and their purpose, where they are found, different air handling unit designs, and energy usage and recovery.

Here, we’re going to briefly discuss the purpose of an air handling unit and where you would typically find them.

What are Air Handling Units used for?

Air handling units or A.H.U’s units, do exactly what their name explains – they handle air. Their purpose is to condition and distribute air within a building.

Taking fresh air from outside, Air Handling Units then heat, cool or humidify the air. This air is then distributed through the building’s ductwork to specific areas within the building.

Typically, there are additional ducts that pull the dirty, used air from the areas and back to the A.H.U where it will be discharged back into the atmosphere.

In some cases, the used air is cleaned and safely recirculated back into the fresh air supply. This is often done to conserve energy.

Where this isn’t possible, thermal energy is extracted and supplied back into the fresh air intake. However, we will go into more detail on this in one of our upcoming articles.

Where are Air Handling Units found?

Air handling units are typically found in commercial and industrial buildings. These buildings are usually medium to large in size.

They are often located in either the basement, the roof of the building or on specific floors of the building.

However, it’s not unusual to find A.H.U’s located in different areas as they usually service a specific area or zone. I.e., floors 1-20, one side of the building or simply the toilet block.

In older buildings, air handling units are often found on the roof. These buildings normally only have one unit that supplies the whole building. Instead of a return duct, they rely on air leaking out of the building. This is ineffective and not commonly used anymore.

Latest technology and experience has resulted in multiple smaller units being used to supply different zones in buildings. Newer buildings are also much more airtight and therefore a return duct is necessary to regulate the pressure inside the building.

Air Options – Air Handling Units South Africa

If you would like to find out more about our air handling units, please feel free to contact us or you can view them by visiting our product catalogue.

We can meet both standard and unique design requirements for your air handling needs.

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