DOMESTIC AIR CONDITIONING
insulated bedroom turned into an offi ce, kitted out with printers and PCs, can soon become a sweltering nightmare, particularly if it is south- facing and gets the sun all day. The conservatory offi ce is an even more extreme scenario, but increasingly common. Heating and cooling a glass enclosed space with virtually no thermal mass, and making it comfortable for someone to work in all day, poses a serious thermodynamic and technical challenge. Not to mention the energy and running cost issues.
The rise of high effi ciency heat pumps, such as Toshiba’s advanced Daiseikai and Ereba systems, specifi cally addresses this need for heating and cooling in domestic and small commercial settings.
Properly designed and installed, modern heat pump-based air conditioning can be sited unobtrusively and can signifi cantly improve comfort in domestic properties. This is particularly the case in inner city locations, where windows in apartments cannot be opened due to noise or security risk, or vehicle fumes. Planning policies obviously have an important bearing on installations in residential areas. As air conditioning becomes more accepted over time, and units get ever quieter, planners may take a more relaxed view about the siting of outdoor units, with shorter distances to the indoor unit making installation easier, quicker and less expensive.
Today’s modern units, properly installed and maintained, are incredibly quiet, and arguably at least as quiet as a traditional fan-assisted boiler. In terms of installers, there is an opportunity for enterprising companies who are willing to meet the high quality fi nish and service requirements of homeowners. Work obviously has to be done to the highest standards, with respect for the fact that it is a home, with all that that implies. Regarding productivity, installers ideally need to streamline their approach and develop specifi c domestic teams within their businesses to help drive effi ciencies and enable them to remain competitive and still earn good margins. There are some obvious way of streamlining installations on new builds: pipe work and cable can be installed within voids at the time of construction, dramatically speeding up the process compared to installs on existing properties. The key to solving the energy puzzle is to ensure that heat pumps are part of an integrated heating and cooling system based on well- designed and installed equipment, with heat recovery and possibly incorporating solar energy and storage. This could reduce bills rather than increase them. This is the approach we advocate.
If an integrated heat pump, heat recovery and solar system can deliver comfortable conditions overall at less cost than an traditional boiler can deliver heating alone, then it makes absolute sense both economically and environmentally. We shouldn’t forget that domestic air conditioning is not just about heating and cooling, but could provide welcome humidity control, heat recovery and positive ventilation with air fi ltration. This is an aspect the industry has probably under-promoted, but could come to the fore as concerns grow over the health impacts of vehicle pollution in towns and cities. For example, Daiseikai provides high quality
fi ltration for dust control, which is a valuable enhancement in the home. Consumers are increasingly sophisticated about green technology and what it can deliver; our message as an industry should tap into this appetite for technology and smart solutions.
The heating versus cooling issue is something of a false distinction and a distraction in my opinion. For the growing number of people who work from home, productivity is an entirely valid consideration, and deserves to be taken into account. Not having to commute to and from work each day is a major benefi t for the environment, too.
Prestigious apartments – such as in London and other city centres – are increasingly equipped with air conditioning at build stage. It is not a huge market compared with the commercial sector, but it is gradually developing. It seems reasonable to anticipate a gradual trickle-down eff ect, as demand spreads to more average
www.acr-news.com March 2017 49
apartments and dwellings over time. Overall, the appetite for higher standards of comfort at home is likely to increase, and move into the mainstream.
When you add the inexorable upward drift in temperatures as a result of climate change, and ever better-insulated and leak-tight homes, it is not hard to see domestic air conditioning developing over the coming years. For our own part at Toshiba, it is a market that we are ready and well-positioned to serve and support, alongside our well-established presence in the small and large commercial sector.
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