Overview Summary
- Spot cooling helps facilities keep workers comfortable without cooling the entire building.
- Hawkins Tire Center used a Unico spot-cooling system to overcome Mississippi’s extreme summer heat.
- The system delivers 30°F colder air directly to workstations, even when garage doors stay open.
- Flexible supply tubing targets airflow exactly where technicians need it, improving comfort and productivity.
- Air Solutions provided system design, engineering, drawings, equipment selection, and startup support.
- Spot cooling is an energy-smart, OSHA-friendly way to improve workplace conditions in hot industrial spaces.
Background
When temperatures climb into the triple digits, even well-run facilities can struggle to keep their teams safe, comfortable, and productive. This was exactly the challenge facing an automotive service center in Mississippi, where technicians were working in an open-bay garage exposed to intense summer heat. With garage doors constantly open, traditional HVAC simply wasn’t practical or efficient.
Hawkins Tire Center needed a solution that could deliver real relief to their team without requiring a major renovation or soaring utility costs. The result was a targeted, engineered spot-cooling system that delivers cool air exactly where technicians need it most.
The Challenge: Cooling an Open, High-Heat Workspace
Shops that operate with open bays face a unique set of airflow issues. Conventional HVAC systems lose conditioned air almost instantly. Large fans help with air movement, but they don’t lower the temperature. Workers continue to experience heat stress, and productivity naturally drops.
According to the case study, the shop’s owner needed a cooling strategy that could:
- Improve working conditions without fully conditioning the building
- Keep bay doors open for workflow and ventilation
- Target relief to specific technician work areas
- Avoid interference with lifts, tools, or overhead equipment
The Solution: Deliver Cooling Directly to the Worker
A Unico spot-cooling system was designed to meet the facility’s needs. This system uses 100% outside air to deliver 30⁰ F colder temperatures to the exact locations where mechanics spend the most time.
How the system works
- A 5-ton Unico air handler paired with a 14-SEER condenser serves eight individual workstations.
- A 10-inch insulated plenum distributes air overhead throughout the garage.
- Flexible 2.5-inch outlets deliver targeted airflow at 3000 FPM, allowing each technician to direct cooling precisely where they need it.
- Unico’s 6-row deep coil uses 100% outside air, enabling consistent 70°F air output even when outside temperatures reach 100°F.
This “cool the worker, not the space” approach drastically reduces wasted cooling while maximizing comfort at the point of need.
The Results: Cooler Technicians, Better Workflow
The installed system now provides conditioned air across the entire series of mechanic workstations without obstructing tools, lifts, or overhead lines. The ceiling-mounted air handler and rigid trunk ductwork maintain clear workspace access while delivering direct cooling right where technicians work.
The benefits include:
- Significant improvement in worker comfort and safety
- Lower energy usage compared to cooling the full shop
- Flexible air direction, ideal for varied tasks and vehicle positions
- Consistent performance even in extreme outdoor conditions
For facilities balancing budget, energy efficiency, and labor productivity, spot cooling can be a high-ROI alternative to conventional HVAC upgrades.
Air Solutions Engineers Spot Cooling Systems in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee
Air Solutions provides turnkey support for industrial spot-cooling projects, including:
- Detailed system drawings for streamlined installation
- Application engineering using advanced airflow modeling tools
- Equipment sizing, layout, and performance optimization
- Factory startup and customer training to ensure long-term system reliability
This combination of engineering expertise and dedicated field support offers manufacturers confidence in both performance and execution, which is critical for operations leaders who cannot afford downtime or misalignment.
If you’re exploring ways to improve airflow, cooling, or ventilation in a challenging workspace, Air Solutions can help engineer an approach tailored to your facility. Contact us today!
