In this free-wheeling interview to B Surendar of Climate Control Middle East, IDEA President Rob Thornton discusses district cooling vis-à-vis the LEED rating system, the oft-articulated need for leadership in taking the ‘message’ to the authorities, and the challenges involved in doing so.

(The interview was conducted on November 9, 2010, in Doha, Qatar)

You said earlier that IDEA was in talks with the US Green Building Council to look at district energy from a LEED rating system’s point of view. What progress have you made?

Rob Thornton

We have had a high-level discussion on USGBC, district energy and thermal energy. There are two options now for modelling. The first is less onerous for the applicants. It is representative of the energy efficiency and environmental benefits of buildings. It puts district energy on a better footing compared to other options.

The final guideline is due and, in fact, there is a title for it. It is for buildings that use district energy. It clarifies the points available and the process involved. Earlier, the focus was only on the building and not the source energy. In reality, though, buildings can decide whether to buy district energy or put their own chillers, so it is not realistic to look only at buildings. District energy is a choice – for instance, it is not mandatory for a college to adopt district energy. In other words, building owners can decide. The new guidance recognises that district energy provides advantages to a building. The source has environmental benefits. The guidance makes the process more clear. There are more points available for the energy category, but that’s part of a larger move and not just district energy. I think the USGBC now looks to IDEA as a technical advisory resource. LEED is a flat, democratic process.

Here in Abu Dhabi, though, Estidama is taking steps to firmly establish the Pearl ratings system, which means that the district cooling industry will, perhaps, need to work more closely with Estidama than with the USGBC. What are your thoughts on this?

We are aware of different standards. One approach would be to look at the process. In the US, we have engaged the USGBC; as for others, if they don’t equitably treat district cooling, we would endeavour to engage them in dialogue. Our members in the market in Abu Dhabi need to tell us that this is an issue.

In the US, in Manhattan, for instance, 60% of all steam is co-generated. It is recycled heat. That’s not fully being considered. Our discussion with USGBC was that steam is displacing other potentially higher emitting sources.

The challenge in Manhattan is that the LEED rating in buildings directly affects the lease rates. In Manhattan, LEED rating became a value driver for rental rate. It was not district energy, but property owners themselves said, “We like steam.” And IDEA helped the situation. The market liked district energy and did not want to be handicapped. If there is a similar issue here, we want to be mindful of it. We have to submit data. It was a thorough process with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the USGBC. We need to see a similar endeavour in Abu Dhabi.

During a panel discussion, Dr Anwar Hassan (of Johnson Controls) said the industry in the GCC needs to do a better job at documenting data and at articulating its needs to the authorities. What specific steps ought we to take?

The industry had been growing so quickly here that the focus was on construction and not on operations or the customers. As for collecting operations data, it is not as simple as it sounds. They (district cooling providers) are naturally cautious about offering data that could be perceived as confidential. If you are supplying chilled water to buildings and want to know the impact of that, we need the approval from the building owner. Also, people collect data in different metrics. In the US, for example, we collect data per mmbtu, per btu and per square footage. So even squaring the columns is time consuming. We do survey our members, but even here, people manage and collect data to suit their needs. So there is no singular approach.

I think, as well, that some of the systems in the region are still start-ups. They have not had full loads and higher occupancy. We have to factor that in. I agree with Dr Anwar that when you meet the committee chair, you need to be able to articulate what you want. I agree with him that saying that we are not properly recognised is not sufficient. Most of the times, they don’t understand us. It was the same with US EPA and USGBC. They were not aware that LEED was impacting district energy. There was this process of building awareness. We also have to give the authorities a path forward that they can feel comfortable with. In Illinois, for example, there is a real difference between day and night rates. One of the challenges in the region is that electricity rates are not cost-of-service-based rates. So that’s a foundational issue. Fundamentally, if electricity is a subsidised model, we have a challenge there. But there are cases we can reference that show improvement in the electricity grid. We would like to have more consumption in the night and less in the day. Chicago has shifted load.

In the region, part of what we can do is to demonstrate models and cases where district cooling has delivered a verifiable impact on grid. We need to show it to the authorities and see if that’s the behaviour they would like to see. Behaviour follows the rate. In the US, we have done briefings on the Hill (Capitol Hill), and we work closely with energy-efficiency institutions. I think that within, the appropriate people who are driving environmental policies have greater awareness, but the general public has little awareness. For instance, students in the US are not aware of the benefits, though lots of colleges have district energy. At the state level (in the US), we are paying attention. IDEA is working in support of the Department of Energy, and our mission is to help inform and educate the engineering and architectural community on the advantages of district energy and CHP. We do workshops, webinars, outreach. We would like to be a greater resource here and engage with the authorities. We are building our resource base. It’s not so much a shortage of money as it is time. IDEA could do a better job, and we would like to, in supporting the industry here. We have done five conferences, and we have never wavered on our commitments. We have professional and personal relationships. We would like to help, be it leadership or intermediating or clarifying. The last year or two, with all the turbulence and reorgansing, we try to be respectful, as well. Strategic issues get sidelined to handle immediate issues. It’s not easy to be so many miles away to have a finger on the pulse of the market. We would like to be the galvanising entity, because talented individuals are here. It does not have to be Rob. We are very conservative in terms of we don’t lend our name, we stand by what we say. We don’t want people to traffic on our name, because we are only as good as our reputation. One of the things that’s happened within our sector is that Climate Control Middle East has had a role, other companies have done conferences – there has been a dilution. I, for one, find it difficult to attend so many conferences.

Conferences, to us, are a means to an end. We use the income generated by conferences to re-invest in the industry. It funds lobby, communication, white papers and the Best Practice Guide. We have been around for 102 years. We are here for the long haul. Some might say, “Is it in our interest to continue?” Last year was moderately successful, but we have come to Qatar. We are not opportunistic. But with that also comes responsibility. We have to use the web site and webinars to be more functionally available. We are not shortchanging our members here, but some things need attending to, like slab tariff and the LEED issue. We would like to be working closely with IDEA members. We are staff driven, and we also utilise the tremendous expertise available. There is lot of volunteer contribution under the auspices of IDEA.

Do you think the industry here in the UAE needs large dollops of intellectual honesty in its approach to district cooling? Is it about time that consensus emerged that systems were overdesigned to capacity, say?

It’s hard to look at things in isolation. There are so many different scenarios and, hence, it is difficult to draw one over-arching conclusion. Ideal capacity today could be fully utilised two years or five years from now. I cannot speak on timing with any clarity. It’s dangerous to draw our conclusions – in some cases, district cooling development was an outsourcing strategy. At the terminal level, end-users are comparing its merits with other systems, but somewhere capital was avoided or recovered in the value of that home. In this sense, more education is needed. But these are situationally specific. It is unfortunate that there is this disquiet among consumers that they are feeling it (district cooling) is not favourable for them. The investment in infrastructure has preceded the market to some extent, and it will normalise under some normal economic conditions. It is not entirely unusually for capital projects like this to precede the market. In Dubai, so much in the market is residential with occasional residency. But I guess I can agree with those who say, “I own the property. I am not there for three months, why am I paying charges?”

It is not reasonable to compare electricity bill to delivered service. Education has not been done fully, be it to tell them about emission reduction or the impact on the grid. If end users are feeling that they are paying more and that others are benefiting, that’s unfortunate, but some of the benefits need to be articulated on an individual basis. I cannot comment on oversizing.

Will regulation help?

District cooling in the US for 40 years has been wholly unregulated. That is because, historically, in the US, it has been an option. It is a relationship between the supplier and the user.

David Musto’s presentation at the IDEA conference highlights need for a better district cooling billing system

David Musto

David Musto, Principal, Thermo Systems, made a presentation on ‘Integrating billing data for DC networks’ at the 5th International District Cooling Conference and Trade Show, in Doha, Qatar, on November 9.

Responding to an earlier talk, Musto began his presentation with a preamble: “Juan Ontiveros of University of Texas, Austin, talked a lot about delivering chilled water; I’m going to talk about how we are going to get paid for that.”

Taking the audience through the process of information exchange – moving from plant operator to plant manager to regional operations to corporate management – Musto questioned the efficiency of such a data flow system. He endeavoured to drive home his point by showing how a conventional system works:

1. Revenue-grade energy meters collect consumption data
2. Fibre optic networks connect energy meters and PLCs to plant SCADA systems
3. A human being collects the data and e-mails it.
4. Another human being keys the data into another system – we have human intervention, which can lead to error and efficiency

Wondering aloud if the process was a waste of resources, Musto urged his listeners to think about the human efficiency in our operations.

He then emphasised the need for integration of goals for increased efficiency:

• Connect plant SCADA to accounting system
• Use human interaction for reconciliation, not data entry

How?

• DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange)
• OPC (Ole for Process Control)

Musto thought that automation capital investments are underutilised, and made a plea for the convergence of corporate IT and plant automation.

He concluded his presentation by saying that there was no magic wand to overcome the DC billing problem. “It takes good systems integration engineering to achieve success,” he said. “Enhanced collection, storage, distribution, and analysis of information will increase automation ROI.”

DuPont has announced in a news release that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MECS, from affiliates of American Securities, to be better able to deliver sustainable solutions and further expand its reach in emerging markets.  The acquisition will expand the DuPont clean technologies portfolio with complementary science-based offerings and provide the company with further access to high-growth market segments, particularly in developing regions like Asia Pacific and the Middle East, the announcement claimed. However, it did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

Against the backdrop of the acquisition, James R Weigand, President, DuPont Sustainable Solutions, said: “MECS’ technologies and services will expand and strengthen DuPont Sustainable Solutions [DSS] business’ clean air and clean fuel offerings and provide access to markets beyond those we now serve. We estimate that this acquisition will increase the addressable market for our clean air and clean fuel offerings from approximately $200 million to $1 billion.”

Added MECS CEO, Nick Bhambri, “I believe the union of DuPont and MECS is an excellent fit. Together, we will be able to share and integrate our science, technology and human resources to create an expanded portfolio to enhance the safety, reliability and environmental sustainability of our customers’ facilities.”

It is possible to generate energy using waste heat and waste water and supplying it through large-scale heat pumps running on natural refrigerants. Here is an insight into how the environmentally friendly process has worked in a few major district heating and cooling projects.

THE BACKGROUND

Industrial processes and refrigeration activities always generate heat. Today, many private households use geothermal energy or ambient air efficiently to generate heat. For industrial needs, waste heat and waste water serve as ideal energy sources due to their higher basic temperatures. Large-scale heat pumps can put the energy of this waste heat to good use for heating or for providing hot water for instance in local heating consortiums, thus making a significant contribution to climate protection.

“Furthermore, the heat pump branch makes increasing use of natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide or even water,” explains Monika Witt, Chairwoman of Eurammon, the European initiative for natural refrigerants. “These stand out not only by being environment friendly – ammonia and water have no global warming potential at all and that of carbon dioxide is negligible – but also, above all, through their energy efficiency.”

AMMONIA HEAT PUMPS DEMONSTRABLE SUPERIORITY

Energieverbund Schlieren (Schlieren energy consortium) in Zurich, with two large ammonia heat pumps at its core, is one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe. It was planned, financed and built by ewz – one of Switzerland’s largest energy service providers. SSP Kälteplaner AG was involved in the project as refrigeration specialists, and was responsible for planning the ammonia-equipped heat/refrigeration system.

As a first step in 2006, a central energy installation was fitted in Mülligen letter sorting centre, followed by the commissioning of the central energy installation in Rietbach in 2009. The ammonia heat pumps in both systems have the heating capacity of around 5.5 megawatts each.

By using ammonia as a refrigerant, it is possible to achieve the necessary high flow temperatures of around 80°C. When completed, the energy consortium will produce annual savings of around 48,700 megawatt-hours’ worth of fossil fuels, corresponding to a reduction in carbon emissions of 8,100 tonnes per annum.

The ammonia heat pump in Rietbach central energy installation produces its heating and cooling capacity, on the one hand using the energy from the treated wastewater of Werdhölzl sewage plant in Zurich, which was previously discharged into the river Limmat. On the other hand, it also uses the waste heat from a nearby computing centre. Over the entire year, the heat pump, thus, covers 70% of the heat demand.

Additional oil or gas-fired heat generators are available to cover peak demand. The generated heat is transported by a pipeline network to the individual properties, where transfer stations, then, convey it to the building’s internal distribution systems.

The cold or heat needed in Rietbach central installation is generated by two refrigerating machines that work independently on the refrigerating side, coupled with high-pressure heat pump compressors. The two machines are each connected on the cold water side and the heating side. This is followed by cooling down or heating up in two stages with optimised COP for heating and cooling.

The four low-pressure refrigerating machines for generating cold water are equipped with frequency converters for fully variable operation. Eight compressors are installed to operate the heat pumps and can all be switched on and off individually. The two desuperheaters in the low-pressure circuit supply additional heat in cold water operation, which is passed on to the energy consortium via an energy-storage device.

In the summer, the treated wastewater is used directly for cooling via an intermediate circuit. If the temperature level of the wastewater is too high for direct cooling, the refrigerating machine is, then, used. If the waste heat of the refrigerating machine cannot be used in the summer, it is re-cooled by the river Limmat. If the temperature of the river exceeds 25°C, a dry cooler is provided for emergency cooling.

The system permanently monitors the energy efficiency of refrigeration/heat production.

All major parameters are measured so that any energy losses or changes in the system are swiftly detected and remedied.

WASTEWATER – A RENEWABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY

Since early 2009, environment-friendly heat supply has also been installed in the Swiss town of Rheinfelden for more than 1,000 residential dwellings in Augarten and Weiherfeld, along with a nearby commercial estate.

On behalf of AEW Energie AG, and with support from EnergieSchweiz, together with the canton and municipal authorities, Johnson Controls installed a heat pump system that uses treated wastewater from the Abwasserreinigungsanlage Rheinfelden (ARA – Rheinfelden sewage plant) as heat source for the existing local heating consortium. In this way, the refrigeration experts have made a major contribution to linking the ecologically valuable wastewater energy with the energy demand in Rheinfelden.

The heart of the system consists of two heat pumps supplied by Johnson Controls with an output of 1,250 kilowatt each; they were placed at the end of the ARA’s secondary sedimentation tank. These are two-stage pumps that operate with ammonia, thus achieving greater efficiency than with synthetic refrigerants – another plus point in the eco-balance.

Hot water is supplied to the dwellings by the district heat pipes. To this end, an approximately 500-metre-long district heat pipe was installed between the heat pump system in the ARA and Augarten central energy installation, where it was then connected to the existing local heating consortium. Just about 1,500 metres of additional district heat pipes were installed to connect up the new dwellings in Weiherfeld.

Two different operating modes are available, depending on the demand for heat output. In the summer, the heat pumps provide the whole network directly with water at a temperature of 67°C as the hot process water supply. ARA’s heat pump system also has a hot water tank with a volume of 50 m³ to cover peak demand for hot water in the morning.

When the demand for heat increases in winter, three existing natural gas boilers are responsible for controlling and reheating the flow to the heat pumps.

Altogether the new heat pump system produces effective heat of around 14,000 megawatt hours per year, thus covering around two thirds of the annual heat energy demand of the residential estates in Augarten and Weiherfeld, amounting to around 22,000 megawatt hours. This saves 1.25 million m³ natural gas per year, reducing carbon emissions by 2,650 tonnes. There are already plans to expand the district heating system, so that the nearby KUBA leisure centre can be both heated and cooled using the two existing heat pump systems.

Consideration is also being given to using the waste heat generated by the refrigeration plant of the ice skating rink in the vicinity. This waste heat, which is currently discharged into the air, could help cover, in particular, the peak demand during winter.

WORLD’S LARGEST MUNICIPAL AMMONIA HEATING SYSTEM

The town of Drammen with its 60,000 residents is located around 40 kilometres southwest of Oslo. Here, too, the town has opted for the natural refrigerant ammonia for heating in future. At the moment, the British company Star Refrigeration, with its Norwegian partner, Norsk Kulde, is working on the installation of one of the world’s largest municipal ammonia heat pump systems. The core of the complex system is Neatpump – the heat pump developed by Star Refrigeration.

It operates with ammonia, a natural refrigerant, and generates heat from the waste heat of large-scale refrigeration systems, air conditioning plants and industrial processes, and from wastewater. The heat pump generates water at a temperature of up to 90°C, which is then used to heat large buildings. On completion in January 2011, the system will supply heating capacity with a total of up to 15 megawatt and provide environment-friendly heating for more than 6,000 residents and companies in Drammen. The heat pump is operated by environment-friendly hydroelectric power.

NATURAL REFRIGERANTS GAIN PROMINENCE

The examples cited show that manufacturers are increasingly willing to use natural refrigerants. “Today, already, companies are working intensively at implementing sustainable concepts for heat pumps and realising a large number of great role model projects,” says Witt. “This is of increasing significance, particularly in the context of the global climate protection targets.”

ICA partners with Chigo to use material, claimed to prevent spread of fungi and improve indoor air quality

Chinese air conditioning manufacturer, Chigo has launched the world’s first antimicrobial copper air conditioner, in Beijing, in association with the International Copper Association (ICA). It is also touted to be the world’s first consumer product to contain antimicrobial copper – claimed to be the most effective antimicrobial touch surface material. The product has a Cu+ mark to indicate that it contains antimicrobial copper.

Dubbing it a ground-breaking product, Chigo said that the air conditioner would harness the antimicrobial properties of copper for a new application, in addition to offering energy-saving performance. Compared to other models of the same capacity with the current highest EER grade (3.6), it could save up to 56% more energy, it claimed.

In this context, Ravinder Bhan, Principal Consultant of TPS Management Consultants, the local representatives for ICA, said: “The antimicrobial properties of copper are fast gaining the attention of policy makers, especially in the healthcare sector. The introduction of the world’s first antimicrobial copper air conditioner will be of great relevance to the Middle East region, where the use of air conditioners is a way of life. It will significantly enhance the quality of the air we breathe, and add to the overall well-being, in addition to enhancing energy use efficiency and reducing power bills. We are confident that the new air conditioner will find wide acceptance in the region.”

According to Chigo, HVAC system components operate in warm, dark, humid environments – ideal breeding grounds for contamination that cause odours and can inhibit system efficiency. Chigo Laboratory tests had shown that copper materials could inhibit the growth of such organisms, it said, and added that after 24 hours of exposure to copper surfaces, total die off was observed in several common mould species, and the commonly used aluminium had no effect on any of the fungi.

The announcement highlighted that the practical implementation was built on laboratory work done by University of Southampton’s researcher, Professor Bill Keevil, who assessed the effectiveness of copper as an antifungal surface for air conditioning systems. It is said to be an advancement for both antimicrobial copper implementation, and for innovation in the HVAC sector.

Headquartered in New York, the ICA is a not-for-profit organisation for promotion of copper worldwide, and is dedicated to advancing copper as the material of choice for current markets and use in new applications based on its reportedly superior attributes. Details can be obtained from www.copperinfo.com.

The latest published research into copper’s efficacy against the spread of fungi in air conditioning systems has appeared in Letters in Applied Microbiology: Potential for Preventing Spread of Fungi in Air Conditioning Systems Constructed Using Copper Instead of Aluminium, L Weaver, H T Michels, C W Keevil.

It’s hard to believe we are five years old as a magazine, but as the mosaic of magazine covers in our archives would testify, that is, indeed, the case.

B Surendar

It was on January 5, 2006 that we formally launched Climate Control Middle East. Since then, it’s been a privilege to be a part of the HVACR industry in the region and to share in all its joys and moments of anxiety, tinged with a resolve to overcome challenges. It’s been an unbelievable half a decade of linking up with developers, manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, contractors, consultants, public authorities, industry bodies and academicians – we have learnt so much from all of you and, hopefully, served as a conduit for the exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, emotions, questions and answers.

We are celebrating the occasion in many ways – through bringing out a commemorative book, titled EnVision (short for engineering vision), through working towards more events than ever before and through redesigning the look of the magazine – the copy you are holding in your hands is the first issue of a new-look Climate Control Middle East; we hope you like what you are seeing. Much thought has gone into making the magazine more functional, easier to navigate and easier to read from a typography point of view; at the same time, we have paid a lot of attention to aesthetics and to infusing it with freshness.

I would like to say that we have revamped all the sections, but that is not the case; we simply did not feel the need to change anything there. That said, three months ago, one of them, Air Mail (letters to the Editor), came to life, thanks to contributions from you. On this occasion, we urge you to continue writing to us, in response to articles appearing in the magazine and for sharing fresh ideas with other readers. Starting this issue, we also have a new section, simply called Book Review. We hope you find it useful.

As for events, of immediate interest over the next few months are The Climate Control Conference (C3). The fourth edition is to take place in Al Khobar. Another event is the Climate Control Summit, in March, which we are co-organising with the producers of the Arabian Construction Week. And in April, we will be conducting, arguably, the region’s first food safety seminar from an HVACR perspective. The events are an extension of the magazine and of what we stand for.

Thank you for supporting us through sharing your knowledge, through your well-meaning suggestions and through choosing us as your marketing platform. It’s been nothing short of a collaborative effort to produce, what we believe, is a voice of the industry.

B Surendar

Airtec Products Corp.

Calling it a more versatile and a less expensive equipment mounting alternative to ground-level support pads, Airtec Products Corp, manufacturer and importer of HVACR products, has announced the introduction of Airtec WBB-Series Wall Brackets. Airtec claims that the WBB-Series fits most major brands of minisplit condensers up to 500-lbs as well as other equipment needing support. It adds that the new equipment-mounting series is constructed of heavy duty, powder coated, perforated steel or stainless steel, making it suitable for coastal or corrosive environments.

According to Airtec, the product keeps condensers and equipment clear of snow and debris accumulations, enhances serviceability, shortens the lineset run to the evaporatour, protects from vehicles versus ground-level parking area mountings, and potentially limits accessibility to vandals when positioned high on a wall.

Airtec lists the following product features and advantages:

• All brackets are fully-adjustable with mounting ranges of three to 30-inch widths and 10-1/2 to 16-inch depths
• The vertical supports can be moved laterally along the horizontal bracket to fit any condenser width
• A removable spirit level on the crossbar ensures a level installation
• Rubber isolation grommets limit vibration to the supporting structure
• Available in models WBB-300 and WBB-500 that hold 300 and 500 lbs respectively
• Weather-resistant
• Offers flexibility of other styles such as:
  • Wall bracket with an integral cross-bracing for stabilising
  • Under window bracket
  • Hanging bracket for supporting a condenser under a slab, overhang or ceiling
  • Slab stand for raising the condenser up to 12 inches above a flat surface
  • Duplex stand for piggybacking two condensers
  • Slope stand for levelling a condenser on a sloped roof up to 45 degrees or a 12-inch pitch
  • Also included is the big foot-mounting support system for rooftop equipment up to 100 tonnes

Climate Design: Design and planning for the age of climate change – A collection of works from academics and AECOM’s thought leaders

“In these current and impending times of climate change and environmental degradation, our consideration of integrated and holistic approaches to localised production of energy, water and food within the public urban system is critical.” This, and the fact that for us to stop destroying our planet irreversibly, we need to design with Nature and not against it, are the underlying themes of Climate Design: Design and planning for the age of climate change – A collection of works from academics and AECOM’s thought leaders.

The volume goes beyond the mundane principles of how to design for energy efficiency or water conservation, and strikes at the very genesis of sustainable and responsible design principles and the approach to be adopted while creating developments or upgrading them. In this sense, Climate Design is not a book that would help engineers, architects and contractors with engineering guidelines. Rather, it inspires design philosophies, which, perhaps, have a far more over-arching positive impact than specific engineering design principles. These, in fact, sometimes tend to become too constricted, with a visible loss of the big-picture.

Of particular interest to design professionals is the acceptance of the fact that change is the only constant – or flux, as it is referred to here. Nature changes, incessantly. Climate change is not a surprise. It has been changing for thousands of years, and will continue to change. The focus, thus, should not be on how to stop this change or mitigating it. Climate Design, therefore, rightly focuses on designing and planning for this imminent change. The book showcases philosophies driving these designs and their applications – significantly supported by numerous successful case studies.

Design for climate change can only be successful if the focus shifts away from individual building developments to master-planned communities that inspire holistic and integrated development, resulting in socially interactive living. Integrated development must originate with design that is congruent with Nature and its systems, namely, wetlands and their financial benefits in reducing the requirement of artificial stormwater networks, local generation and availability of energy, water and food etc. It is critical to back all design recommendations by demonstrating their successful applications, and the book has done just that.

Above all, perhaps the most important contribution of this publication is to show the shift driver in design from the 20th century to the 21st century. In the 20th century, the consumer was at the receiving end of the type of land-use development decisions, mainly driven by their own desire to have “a large home with my own yard and room for my car”. This desire needs to change to “interested in a home in a community where I can live in a more sustainable way”. This will drive policy makers and governing agencies to align land planning and designing for climate change, resulting in private sector and developers to align their products to more sustainable lifestyles.

Sougata Nandi is Executive Director, Asset Management & Sustainable Development, with TECOM Business Parks Operations.

Available at:
Arif Books Distribution
(www.arifbooks.com, sales@arifbooks.com)
Price: AED 180/-

It can reduce energy bills by minimising heat gain via windows and skylights, claims WFAANZ

Saying that if used incorrectly, skylights can be a major contributor to heat gain within a building, the Window Film Association of Australia and New Zealand (WFAANZ) has said in a news release that solar heat gain can be a primary consideration when incorporating skylights and rooftop atriums into a design. Rising electricity prices, new government regulations and growing environmental concerns have propelled energy efficiency and sustainability to the forefront of criteria for successful design, WFAANZ has added.

In this context, window film applied to existing glass makes it easier, less expensive and more environmentally friendly than buying new windows or skylights, the news release has advised.

Against this backdrop, Aaron McCarthy of Sydney-based window film installer and WFAANZ member, TintFX, has commented: “Solar heat gain is even more of a problem on horizontal or sloped roofs than it is on windows, due to direct exposure to the sun. Over the last six months, we have been asked by a number of shopping centres, buildings and homes to tender for rooftop jobs.”

One such project was for the Centro shopping centre at Warriewood in NSW, said the news release. According to TintFX, it installed over 200m2 of solar control window film on to a 40m skylight and two pyramid atriums within the centre. Over nine nights when the centre closed, McCarthy and his team used a boom lift to reach the atriums and apply the film.

“The film used at Centro will block up to 80% total solar energy, up to 99% UV radiation and 90% glare, but will still allow the light to pass through. You couldn’t tell by looking at them that film has even been applied,” McCarthy said.

Tim O’Sullivan, Operations Manager for Centro Warriewood, added: “Our large rooftop atriums fill the centre with bright natural light. The downside used to be the heat and UV that would also pass through. Our air conditioner had to compensate for the heat gain, which increased energy usage. Instead of letting in heat and then paying to cool it down, we wanted to block the heat at the source.”

O’Sullivan, believed that the results were noticeable in other ways: “Patrons say the food court is far more comfortable now,” he said. “Plus, we already had a 10% reduction in our energy bill for the winter quarter. That saving will increase as we head into summer. At this rate, the window film will have paid for itself within five years.

“Sustainability has become a focal point of our work,” O’Sullivan continued. “This positive step Centro Warriewood has taken will help reverse the effects a centre such as ours can have on the environment.”

According to WFAANZ, window film can be used on any glass surface to control heat gain, increase safety, security and privacy and protect interiors from UV damage. It has, therefore, set a strict code of practice for its members, it claimed. To learn more about window film, you can visit the WFAANZ website www.wfaanz.org.au.

Güntner

Claiming that it has further developed the existing unit series, GVHX/GVVX flat-bed condenser, which was launched in 2008, Güntner has announced in a news release that it has now combined the GVH/GVV condenser series, with the benefits of microox technology. It will be presenting the GVHX/GVVX as the first flat-bed condenser incorporating the new technology at Chillventa, the announcement said, and added that the GVHX/GVVX had a high power density in relation to its footprint.

Güntner lists the following product features and advantages:

• The brazed microox heat exchangers are made from high-quality aluminium alloy, which protects the unit against galvanic corrosion. Since aluminium has a very low specific weight, the heat exchangers are up to 50% lighter than conventional fin-tube heat exchangers. In addition, the amount of refrigerant can be reduced by up to 75%, which under certain circumstances, can reduce the number of leak test that have to be carried out.
• The performance data of the GVHX/GVVX have been checked and confirmed according to the specifications of Eurovent Certify All.
• To guarantee long-term operation of the axial condensers, every GVHX/GVVX is subject to a comprehensive quality test before it leaves the factory. The heat exchangers are inspected for leaks with burst tests (alternating pressure tests) with a bursting pressure of more than 100 bar.
• Extensive endurance tests are performed on the microox heat exchangers in different transport situations.
• Precisely adapted casing dimensions for truck and container transport ensure that up to three units can be stacked on top of each other to save space during storage and make optimum use of the loading area during transportation.
• The resistant aluminium heat exchangers have a self-supporting casing design with a minimum number of feet, considerably reducing the effort with regards to substructures on the building site.
• GVHX/GVVX is equipped with copper connections to allow simple installation.
• As installation variants, the GVHX can be delivered with a horizontal coil position and the GVVX with a vertical coil position; they can also be retrofitted.
• GVHX/GVVX can be used for all conventional refrigerants up to 41 bar operating pressure.
• A wide range of accessories is available, such as receivers, empty casings and subcoolers.
• AC and EC fans can be used for the GVHX/GVVX.

The manufacturer added that Güntner Controls offered a range of controllers and control cabinets coordinated to be used with the heat exchangers, and the GMM EC and the Güntner Motor Management for EC fans, offered optimum integration into building management.