ACR-APR20-PG21.qxp_Layout 1 27/03/2020 09:53 Page 1


DOMESTIC AIR CONDITIONING


of heating homes alongside cooling. Interest in residential air conditioning is also being stimulated by the rise in home working. The majority of commercial offices today are air conditioned, and people have got used to the comfort and productivity benefits this provides. With significant numbers of people now choosing to work from home, workers’ comfort expectations transfer to their home office environment. A spare bedroom or conservatory converted into a modern office is likely to be decked out with heat-generating equipment. Lap tops, a printer, internet router and perhaps a server, all add to the heat load in that highly insulated space. The default solution for many has been a low-cost mobile air conditioner.


However, depending on the make, these can be noisy and lack control. People are increasingly well informed, and wising-up to the fact that genuine comfort requires a whisper-quiet inverter-driven split unit on the wall. Conveniently out of the way and freeing up floor space, a high-performance


indoor unit will murmur imperceptibly all day and maintain ideal comfort conditions – and without blowing your papers around. The rise in living standards generally is also playing a part, as air conditioning


becomes adopted in almost every area of modern life. A couple of decades ago, air conditioning in cars was confined to premium models. Today, it is pretty much standard on the smallest budget vehicle. And we are all now used to having the benefits of air conditioning in shops, restaurants, hotels and our favourite gyms. Along with warmer weather and warmer buildings, this is all helping to lower the bar on the decision to install air conditioning at home. The rise of the home cinema, complete with high-power projector and swish


audio system, is another area that lends itself to introducing air conditioning into the home. The significant cost of setting up a home cinema, complete


with mood lighting and comfy furniture, puts the relatively small additional cost of adding air conditioning in perspective. Once a system is installed and delivering a chilled environment in the movie room, it is a small step to having air conditioning installed in the lounge and master bedroom. This trend, from installation of a single, relatively low-cost split unit to a more comprehensive distributed system throughout the home, holds particular promise. According to the Building Services Research and Information Association


(BSRIA), demand from developers and homeowners is driving sales of multi- splits, installed as a cheaper alternative to mini-VRF systems and a more comprehensive solution than ad hoc single splits. All of this is incrementally stimulating interest in residential air conditioning. However, the big potential game changer on the horizon is the possible demise of domestic boilers, as part of the national strategic push for decarbonisation. The government has said it is considering introducing a ban on the sale of gas


boilers within two or three years. This would open the way for adoption of heat pumps as mainstream


technologies in homes. It is not a major leap from using a heat pump to produce hot water in a home to harnessing a heat pump’s cooling capabilities for air conditioning. If heat pumps become the default mainstream solution for domestic heating, this could decisively lower the bar for residential air conditioning. With an outdoor heat pump unit tucked discretely in the back garden, a homeowner is 80% there already. The government is currently finalising its proposals for the Future Homes


Standard. We should know in the next few months how quickly it plans to introduce a ban on sales of boilers. It will result in a dramatic shift in technology used in UK homes, and mark the beginning of a new era based on heat pumps.


Munters


www.acr-news.com


April 2020


21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52