Floor cooling: LEOXX-floors make the difference

In the hot summer months employees long to a cool space to work in. Also on different moments of the year the temperature needs to be constant and pleasant. An elegant and sustainable solution is available to realise this: floor cooling. A topic little is known of currently, but which can make the difference in the upcoming years.

LEOXX is not just for floor heating, but also for floor cooling the designated party to discuss the possibilities. Even though the topic, according to Vivian Vugts, marketing manager at LEOXX, is still in its early days, from the perspective of sustainability he expects the topic to gain its ground. "The LEOXX-package is very diverse. We are always able to balance functionality and aesthetics."

Heating and cooling with the same floor

Floor cooling is a comfortable way of climate control - it sometimes is compared with the summery coolness in church buildings. The principle behind floor cooling does not differ that much from floor heating actually. Spaces which can be well heated with floor heating, in general can also be just as well cooled. The success of floor cooling can be explained by looking at the thermal conductivity coefficient or RC-value of the used floor type: "From there installation companies start counting to reach the desired cold range. The lower the RC-value of the carpet, the better the environment responses to the cold being built-up in the floor. In other words, the carpet decides for a big part how much cold is being let through", sketches Vivian.

In general for floors in combination with floor heating a maximum RC-value of 0,10 m2 K/W is being advised. This also acounts for floor cooling. LEOXX has many carpets meeting this demand. Hard floors like vinyl floors score best with floor cooling, followed by thin woven carpets. Carpet tiles have a too high isolation value due to their thick backing.

Floor cooling asks for a professional approach

The cooling of spaces with floor cooling asks for a very professional approach, because you are dealing with several physical phenomena. When warm, humid air cools to the dew point, the water vapour in the air will condensate. Humidity which cannot find a way out in a warm space will descend as drops in that case. Condensations is to be looked out for.

You can unwillingly create moist in a floor, which of course is not good for the preservation of the floor and furthermore obstructs the working of the floor cooling system. It's also a challenge to divide the coolness in a room  equally - warmth rises and coolness descends after all. Vivian: "You don't get the coolness easily to where the warmth is located." Laughing: "When you don't succeed to realise this, at least you are making friends with the downstairs neighbours during the hot summer months."

More consistent temperature with floor cooling

Vivian notices floor cooling is best used in spaces where a constant temperature is asked for during a longer period of time. Condensation is less occurring when you can control the environmental factors and prevent big temperature swings. Floor cooling will according to him be an interesting consideration mainly for newly built and renovation projects, provided that the following four factors are being taken into account:

• the existing insulating shell
• the blinds in front of the windows
• the desired cooling
• the dew point

Different companies,
Different applications

Vivian explains the applicability of floor cooling differs for each floor type. "In server rooms where the desired environmental temperature is the same 365 days per year, you are dealing with a closed environment and the heating sources within the room - factually the heath is only coming from the servers - are the same constantly. From that foundation you can perfectly well cool the floor."

Vivian adds to this that whether floor cooling is successful or not also depends on the user's wishes and the spacious lay-out of the surfaces to be cooled. "If you look at stores where in summer it's standard to have two doors open, floor cooling alone is not enough to keep the warmth outside. Air condition in that case works faster and is more effective. You can adjust it directly for more personal comfort and gives a noticeable difference within a few minutes. If you compare this to rooms in the elderly care or educational institutions where a constant and a very accurately controllable temperature is desired, in that case floor cooling is very interesting."

He continues: "And when talking about spaces with a low frequency of people walking in and out, like call centres, the air flows can be divided more regularly compared to work situations where a lot of consultation is being done, the doors open and close continuously and the warm outdoor air is being walked inside."

AEsthetically a lot is possible with floor cooling

Amongst contractors and project developers in general not a lot is known about the possibilities of floor cooling solutions. "Number one by far is the question: what is the RC-value of your product? But often it's unknown that besides the RC-value there are also many solutions regarding design."

Vivian talks about a big tension between functionality and aesthetics and the application thereof, but LEOXX does not evade a challenge. "The LEOXX-package consist of a variety of floor solutions suitable for floor cooling. Partly thanks to our labels Prints van Oranje and Caracterr we can offer many options in colour and design, making us unique. To put a criterion like floor cooling on top of that - which obviously influences the product choice - does not change this. If a client asks for example for an apple green floor looking like a soft carpet, we can also provide a hard floor with a carpet design. This does not look different from carpet and is also easy in maintenance."

LEOXX is ready for the future

The account manager expects from the sustainability thinking and cost saving point of view something big is about to happen. "A lot of energy is needed to lower the temperature in rooms on tropical days from 31°C to 21°C degrees. You can prevent this by regulate this from the beginning of the year. In that case you only need a little bit of earth warmth to keep the temperature constant. Especially if you keep the sun out in the summer by using blinds and an insulation shell", he tips at the end.

LEOXX is in any case ready for the future. Don't limit yourself in product choice combined with floor cooling systems.

Feel free!