When temperatures hit the 30°C mark in the summer months, we get a little uncomfortable. But high temperatures can be deadly for the elderly who, with their small incomes, cannot afford air conditioning units. Organisations in the UK and US are warning people to take precautions and help out elderly citizens this summer.

In 2003, the heat wave in England and Wales killed 2000 people, most of whom were elderly. A Help the Aged Spokeswomen in the UK says that the threat is highest for the elderly because “older people are less able to feel the heat and don’t sweat as much, so their bodies retain heat without them knowing it”. A Heat-Health warning system was set up just after the 2003 disaster to warn people of an impending heat wave so that relief units are able to provide air conditioning and refuge for the frail.

Phase out dates for HCFC R22 coolant were set according to EU regulations in 2002. Although the coolant has only a moderate Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Ozone Level Depletion Potential (ODP), the EU, set on a strict course of environmentalism, has set down laws to replace it with those that have zero Ozone Level Depletion Potential. The UK is replacing R22 with R417A, which is also up to 50% more energy efficient than the older coolant. Yet these stringent regulations should not cause major concern for people who own a portable air conditioner. Unlike car air conditioners, portable air conditioners don’t have to have their coolant refilled. The only time when more coolant would be necessary is if the air conditioner leaks or needs a major repair.

The heat in an office is inversely proportionate to the worker’s productivity in that office. This statement has been confirmed by several studies in the UK that assert that wall unit and portable air conditioners are actually a necessity more than a luxury. A study done by Daikin UK, two years back found that in excess of 60 percent of workers in the UK felt too hot in summer. A quarter of the 2000 research subjects felt ‘miserable’ when they overheated and another quarter felt more stressed and under pressure when they were too hot. Aside from this, dehydration is caused by overheating and in extreme cases this can lead to death, particularly in the elderly.

The California Academy of Science was rebuilt for energy efficiency and the new building opened to the public in September last year. The building is still winning awards for sustainable development into 2009 and recently earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional Environmental Award and became the sole winner of the international Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction.

ISH Frankfurt 2009, the year’s largest exhibition of industrial achievement in air-conditioning technology and renewable energies for buildings,  will take  place from 10 -14th of March in Germany and is the 50th anniversary of the fair. The trade fair will host 2400 manufacturers who will exhibit  their products. The exhibition centre was already fully booked in January this year. The Air-conditioning forum appears  for the third time at the conference and will touch on current themes in building service engineering and focus on larger industrial air conditioners, rather than home-based portable air conditioners.

Air-conditioning and heating systems were at the centre of a study done by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The study  suggests that operating buildings more energy efficiently could have health and safety benefits, as well as financial and environmental advantages. The researchers on the project, Mark Mendell and Anna Mirer, analysed data from 95 air conditioned offices in the Unites States that was originally collected by the Environmental Protection Agency. The  temperature and humidity in offices were  measured and office workers were asked to fill out a questionnaire to determine the different levels of comfort in summer and winter. The study found that many occupants were too cold in summer and that a proportion of the offices were too warm in winter  owing to the overuse of heating and cooling systems.

Prolitec Inc. has devised a chemical formulation that sanitises the air in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) ducts, as well as office spaces, homes, hospitals, schools and hotels. The system will be unveiled at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Exposition (AHR Expo) in Chicago.

The only catch is that the system, called ARIA™, only works in conjunction with other Prolitec products, for example, their Air/Q ambient-scenting and odour control systems. But it can be used in any size space and can be programmed to sanitise the air on a continuous basis or at regular intervals.

As evaporative coolers have a humidifying effect they work best in dry climates; doing little more in humid climates than moving the air. There are various types of evaporative air conditioners:

• Evaporative portable air conditioners, which are used to cool one room at a time and move around on wheels. They need to be filled with water before each use.
Some portable evaporative coolers have heating elements for warmth in winter.
•    Fixed unit, which are usually mounted through a wall or window. These units have a permanent water connection and so don’t need regular filling. They can be used to cool more than one room at a time.
•    Ducted systems, which are installed on roofs. They can be water intensive and noisy.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (Cibse) conducted an informal survey to determine the level of awareness for mandatory air conditioning inspections among property owners and found it to be “worryingly low”, according to hvnplus.co.uk. Survey results show that 33% of energy assessors place client awareness of inspections between 0% and 10%.

In addition to inspection awareness, the survey undertook to determine the impact of measures implemented under the auspices of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Some of the news was promising, for instance, residential and commercial air conditioner owners are well aware of the importance of Energy Performance Certificates, which were deemed “very important” by over 50% of property professionals. 30% of clients request detailed surveys from Energy Assessors, 25% requested price quotes for recommendations and 21% indicated that they implement recommendations made by Energy Assessors.

LG Electronics, one of the largest producers of consumer electronics, has made a rather ambitious New Year’s Resolution: the company aims to increase its air conditioner sales by 10% in 2009; this despite concerns of a deepening recession. To help them capture a larger share of the air conditioning market, LG have established a brand new Air Conditioner Division under the leadership of Nho Hwan-yong, who says, “Our new organisation is better positioned to compete in the global HVAC market and will allow us to better serve our customers. We expect LG Air Conditioning to be a core growth engine for LG Electronics in the years ahead as we continue to expand the business and capture more market share.”