Air conditioning is more complex than we might think it is. It is always recommended to get professional help for repairs, maintenance and servicing of your air conditioning unit since we just cannot know all about the fans, compressors, thermostats, etc.

Air conditioning experts can help in maintaining the efficiency of your unit as they can repair, replace, and install your air conditioner the right way. Ideally if you have an old air conditioner it is better to replace it with the latest energy saving and high efficiency unit. You can also however repair the unit, which is an inexpensive option but it may cost more in the long run. Your air conditioning contractors will advise you on which alternative to choose depending on the condition of your unit.

In some climates it is better to install an evaporative cooler. It is different from an air conditioner as it consumes less energy. Air conditioning experts would usually suggest using evaporative coolers for hot and dry climatic areas.

Air conditioning experts will also advice you on the right size of unit for your home of office, since an oversized unit is less effective and shortens the service life of a unit. It can also increase the frequency of repairs and thus cost your more money that could have been avoidable.

The advice and information given by air conditioning professionals will help save money and improve the quality of air conditioning in your home or office.

The key natural refrigerant alternatives to HCFCs include ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons that, in turn, contain isobutene and propane.

Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is widely known for having zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and minute direct global warming potential (GWP) if used as a refrigerant within closed cycles. It works more efficiently at the lowest ambient temperatures, and has a GWP of 1 in comparison to 1,430 for R134a refrigerant.

Ammonia: On the other hand, ammonia does not contain any ODP or GWP. It is a toxic and flammable substance, albeit one which can be controlled upon. Ammonia is considered to be an efficient and durable refrigerant that can be used in various large industrial enterprises where adequate measures can be developed.

In fact, in the whole of Europe, and particularly in the UK, ammonia is more widely used in a secondary coolant system which is then cooled by secondary refrigerants such as glycol, carbon dioxide or brine. These secondary refrigerants are then pumped around a secondary circuit to cool rooms.

Airedale close control EasiCool has just become more efficient with the introduction of R410A refrigerant to air or water cooled models. There are also brand new features like eco-friendly hot gas re-heat, EC fan upgrades, fully modulating thyristor electric heating, compact Energy Manager and a suction throttle valve with 50-100% modular capacity for precise control and capacity match.

The EasiCool is quiet, easy to install, and capable of maintaining a controlled air conditioned environment. It offers 6-60kW cooling capacity with 76 DX and 34 chilled water models. Optional EC fans upgrades are available now on both indoor and outdoor units that offer ultimate fan efficiency. R410A optimisation provides greater efficiency and low refrigerant charge.

EasiCool includes tandem compressors and electronic expansion valves that provide up to 30% more efficiency. It also features variable head pressure control ensuring effective operation of the condenser fans, upgradeable condensers and optimised evaporator coils. Its anodised aluminum frame fits into a single piece through a typical door frame, making it full service possible and well as 360 degrees unit maintenance access via removable panels. The useful and dynamic features make EasiCool energy efficient.

Airedale has a range of water chillers that go well with EasiCool chilled water models for complete and flexible cooling solution along with a full range of Airedale air cooled condensers to go with direct expansion models.

Environmentally conscious people are concerned about the effects of modern life on the environment. If we choose not to do something about it, the green house gases would increase to double of pre industrial levels by 2035, and global temperatures will rise further.

Air conditioning has been seen in a bad light when it comes to energy consumption and environment damage. However, heat pumps can help reduce energy consumption without compromising on levels of comfort.

Heat pumps extract free energy from the environment that is a key resource ignored by the world. Heat pumps are therefore a big solution to our global warming problems. With a traditional heat pump 1kW of energy delivers an output in excess of 3kW. This is 300% more energy saving and as technology develops this percentage will grow.

About 80% of energy usage in UK homes is on space and water heating. Heat boilers produce above 30% lesser Carbon Dioxide than gas boilers. Energy can be saved by replacing old heating and cooling machines. Doing so will save nearly half a million tonnes of Carbon dioxide per year by 2016. Businesses will have to phase out old equipment and introduce modern cooling technology that is good for the environment.

Certain factors determine the efficiency of air conditioning and often help in determining which unit is most capable of suiting your needs. We consider two major aspects that are taken into account: namely BTU and EER.

BTU stands for British Thermal Units; they range from 5,000 to 18,000. The higher the BTU that an air conditioning unit has, the more powerful it is at cooling. Usually, the square foot area of the room to be cooled is multiplied by 35 to calculate the required BTU.

EER stands for Energy Efficiency Ratio. It indicates the amount of energy the unit consumes. EER numbers range from 8.2 to 10.5 and higher the EER of an air conditioner, lower is the energy it uses, thus saving you money on electricity bills.

Brand leaders in the air conditioning market are Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Carrier, Daikin and Fujitsu. Most of them come in a wide range of EER and BTU ratings.  Carrier air conditioners are well known for noiseless functioning, quick cooling and long life of condensers and compressors. The company has replaced models with Puron, a less polluting liquid than Freon that has ozone depleting potential.

There is tremendous competition in the air conditioning market. Every brand spends million of pounds in researching and improving with new features every year. To add to the appeal of their units, some companies have added dehumidifiers and fragrances in their air conditioning ducts.

In the mid 1970s, the VAV (Variable Air Volume) air conditioning was the widely used system in commercial buildings in the UK. At the time when the use of these systems was peaking, the UK market bought about 80,000 VAV boxes. However, its popularity has slowed down in the recent years with the growing demand for air-water systems, including multi-service chilled beams. The demand for VAV has not completely died.  VAV with variable cooling loads is still used in meeting rooms and the specialist process air conditioning market, such as in pharmaceuticals and laboratories. At present, about more than a million VAV boxes are still in operation, particularly in comfort air conditioning offices.

The original VAV boxes were known to contain a mechanical damper that consisted of springs and weights in order to keep different ranges of pre-set air volumes under control, regardless of any changes taking place in downstream duct pressure. These mechanical dampers required a high static pressure of 200 Pa to run the springs and damper mechanism. Today, the VAV boxes and valves need quite a low pressure to run them, whilst the valves are ideal for most models of VAV boxes..

With the increasing advances in existing air conditioning systems in the UK, innovation in the mini-split market is the latest trend this season. Mini VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) has been recently introduced in this sector, which offers all kinds of benefits that a standard VRF system provides, with an output of about three to seven horsepower and four to seven indoor units from a single unit.

A Mini VRF is cheaper than the standard VRF system, with a cost difference of 20 percent on average that the former even more competitive. Whatever the standard VRFs and multi-splits cannot provide is provided by the mini VRF.  VRFs are also surpassing chillers in terms of their increasing market share.

With the increasing number of suppliers introducing this range of Mini VRF systems, it is bound to become more popular. In its initial six months, the systems fetched sales revenue of 10 percent of the entire VRF segment.

There is a shift towards mid-sized systems from small systems in the chiller market, with multi-compressor systems sold mainly in modular forms. This results in improved part-load operations, enabling end users to attain cost savings through higher efficiency levels at low outputs. In addition, end users do not seem to be inclined towards spending more in air conditioning systems, which is also a driving force towards using Mini VRF systems.

Free-cooling technology is scoring high in the UK building industry because of its energy-cost savings characteristics. The technology basically helps in achieving energy savings through proper monitoring of external ambient temperature. When the temperature falls below the return-water level, the requirement for mechanical cooling or the speed of the compressor is reduced. If the cooling requirement is fulfilled, the compressor speed is completely switched off. The benefits of such kind of technology can be put to optimised levels to attain constant cooling requirements, such as IT rooms.

With the existing market awareness, the penetration levels of free-cooling technology are also quite low. Even free-cooling chillers are 30 percent more costly on average as compared to standard chillers.

When it comes to the usage of refrigerants, more environmentally-friendly gases are being used by building operators in the UK these days. R22 is being replaced with HFCs, such as R407C used in 60 percent of split systems and all VRF units, and R410A likely to be used as a predominant future refrigerant. R410C is being mostly used in chillers. However, R410A demands more careful handling due to its higher operating pressures, but at the same time it offers a comparatively better Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) to R22 or R407C.

There is a misconception that air conditioning can make you ill. If it is well maintained, air conditioning only contributes to a healthier environment.

Air conditioning controls the levels of humidity. As you might be aware, humid atmosphere is a breeding ground for the dust mites and molds, which cause different types of allergies. Air conditioning maintains humidity to the levels of 40 to 60 % and prevents multiplication of dust mites and molds. This provides relief to people suffering from different allergies

Ventilation is another important factor for good health. Mechanical ventilation is becoming more important because of changing construction technology. Air conditioning ensures supply of fresh air, which in turn prevents sickness and uneasiness.

Taking care of good ventilation is not enough. You also have to make sure that the air which you breathe is also clean. Air conditioning units are equipped with a filter.
There are different types of filters, suitable for different air conditioning systems. The filter catches dust particles, pollen, bacteria and odours. It even filters microbe and smoke. The air is made pure for breathing. However if you neglect cleaning or replacement of air conditioning filter over a long period, you will be inviting bacteria and other pollutants.

Air conditioning provides clean, pure and cool air to take care of your health.

Airedale manufactures and designs a complete range of air conditioners for a global market. Airedale’s £2 million test centre in Leeds, UK, is regarded as a centre of excellence for air conditioning. Recently research and development has started focusing on carbon reduction and increased energy efficiency technologies. This is to ensure that whole life costs and the adverse environmental effects of all Airedale products are reduced.

Airedale’s close control range is particularly suitable for high technological environments. The newly extended EasiCool range is designed to be quiet, easy to install and maintained. It can maintain a precisely controlled air conditioned space within the smallest possible footprint. The AlphaCool range features models available in DX, chilled water and glycol free-cooling versions. It is ideal for hi-tech environments where performance and reliability are essential. The Ecotel Indoor range has been specifically designed for indoor telecom applications. The Mistral range answers the need for a quiet, high precision Close Control unit designed in a neat, low profile, down flow-configured package with slim and ‘plug and play’ simplicity.

Airedale’s ECA approved Ultima range of air-cooled, water cooled chillers offer a wide choice of cooling capabilities with a range of features to suit customer needs. All Ultima chillers have been specifically developed with energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. They have been particularly designed for free-cooling, maximizing cooling and energy performance while keeping vibration levels and noise at an absolute minimum. The unit can also operate on partial free-cooling, topped up with an element of mechanical cooling.