AIR CONDITIONING Helping businesses
keep their cool Carl Ghinn, managing director at Fixmart talks recycling.
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ccording to the US Government’s National Laboratory, by 2030 it is likely that 700m air conditioning units will have been installed worldwide because of climate change. While the majority of the growth is overseas, the effects are also being felt in the UK. Research carried out by AMA highlighted that by 2019 the UK ventilating and air conditioning market will increase by around 10% compared to 2015, which will bring its market value to approximately £1.2bn.
Ironically, there is no doubt that the increase in air conditioning is having an impact on global warming and the industry needs to look at how it can help its customers reduce their carbon footprint by creating more efficient products. There are also financial implications. A study by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), commissioned by the UK Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, stated that air conditioning units account for as much as 10% of the UK’s electricity consumption, typically using around 40kWh/m2
per year.
As climate change increases outdoor temperatures, it naturally follows that air conditioning will be used more often to maintain comfortable indoor conditions. As a consequence, the amount of electricity businesses use, and the cost of running the units, will continue to rise. Over the past 20 years the cost of electricity has risen dramatically, and as air conditioning units tend to be energy hungry, many organisations have put a renewed focus on energy management in a bid to reduce costs. In addition, there is an added pressure from the government for businesses to reduce their energy consumption following the pledge to reduce emission rates by 57% by 2030 on 1990 levels. As a result, many companies are looking for ways in which they can decrease their energy consumption rates whilst still providing their staff with a comfortable working environment. It is worth noting that there is an increasing expectation from employees to have an air- conditioned workspace. In fact, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations state that ‘an employer must maintain a reasonable temperature where you work’.
54 August 2017
While there is currently no maximum temperature, the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) has campaigned for the introduction of an upper limit. They have stated that if the temperature inside reaches above 24°C, and the employer does nothing to address it, staff have the right to be sent home and their employers should be prosecuted.
The natural solution to the problem is an air conditioning unit. This potential new legislation, combined with the added expectation from employees that offices are air conditioned, is currently driving a steep increase in office energy consumption.
Despite the negativity around climate change, I believe these challenges have forced good change within the HVAC industry as it strives to innovate and develop products which provide solutions to these problems.
A large part of this development has come in the form of new technologies that reduce the emissions produced by the units and improve the carbon footprint for the install and maintenance of the systems.
These advances have resulted in a lot of the older units being replaced with newer, more efficient systems. Therefore, responsibly recycling the old heating, ventilation and air conditioning units to recover the raw materials to make newer models, is one way of reducing their environmental impact. When it comes to supporting products, using recycled products is another way.
This may only play a small part in helping the air conditioning sector become more environmentally friendly, especially when compared to the need to be more energy efficient, but effective recycling and re-use simply requires a small change in thinking when you are approaching maintenance and installation work. When I talk to our clients there is a clear drive from all within the HVAC industry to help reduce the environmental impact of air conditioning. One way is changing the way businesses use the systems.
The BRE study I mentioned earlier also highlighted the fact that air conditioning is frequently used even when buildings are
unoccupied, for example in the evenings and over weekends. Many are calling for businesses to use air conditioning units wisely by turning them off when there are no occupants in the building. Not only would this reduce running costs but could
also significantly decrease the amount of CO2 produced.
Even though there are a lot of contributing factors to the increasing temperature of our planet, the HVAC industry plays a big part in the country’s current CO2
levels. However, in
my opinion the awareness of our contribution and strict environmental legislation is driving innovation within the industry. Indeed, you just need to look at the industry award categories where innovation in environmentally friendly air conditioning units are taking precedent and receiving increasing amounts of nominations.
From tyres to supports
Fixmart supplies a range of roof and mounting supports that are made from recycled tyres. The rubber used in these support systems is graded black Styrene Butadiene Rubber from reclaimed truck and lorry tyres. The tyres are shredded to granular form, milled and sieved, before being bound together in various moulds using an 8% ratio of moisture curing Polyurethane Pre- Polymer.
This process provides a durable UV resistant recycled rubber which, as well as being environmentally friendly, offers both anti-vibration and noise absorption properties. It also makes the supports produced highly suitable for both internal and external applications in working temperatures between -35°C to + 80°C.
www.acr-news.com
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