DOMESTIC AIR CONDITIONING
Is the rise of home air con wise?
The Institute of Refrigeration shares observations on trends in domestic air conditioning.
W
ith air conditioning now a common feature in offices, shops, restaurants, hotels and our cars, some homeowners are also considering its use, in spite of our relatively short summers here in the UK. Increased residential (or domestic) air conditioning could place an extra burden on electricity supplies in the summer months, with a consequential rise in carbon emissions. Ideally therefore steps should be taken to avoid the need for domestic cooling in terms of good building design and ventilation but we must accept that avoiding the need for cooling is not always possible. In such cases a reverse cycle heat pump could provide a highly efficient heating and cooling solution overall.
The majority of modern air conditioning (or 44 March 2017
climate control) systems suitable for domestic applications are based on ‘reverse cycle heat pump technology’.
These can be classified as renewable, low to zero carbon technologies. Such equipment provides highly controllable comfort cooling in the summer and heating in the colder months at operating efficiencies in excess of conventional, combustion or fossil fuel based heating systems.
build – are there differences?
A distinction is sometimes drawn between ‘domestic air conditioning’ as applied in existing/ retrofit homes, where the client is the home owner/occupier – and new build.
New build, high-end apartment buildings and
luxury homes are increasingly offering full or partial air conditioning. This market is clearly on the increase, however such projects are generally approached as commercial developments - that is the installations are carried out directly for the developer or main contractor rather than for the homeowner.
‘Residential air conditioning’ covers a wider range application, such as care homes, boarding schools etc.
Although there are many air conditioning systems available on the market which owe their origins to domestic and light commercial applications, it remains relatively unusual in the UK for air conditioning to be applied in existing homes.
This could possibly be because air conditioning
www.acr-news.com
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
