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AUGUST 05 - GET FRESH WITH YOUR AIR CONDITIONING

Passivent and Mitsubishi Electric introduce the best of both worlds



Leading air conditioning manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric has joined forces with natural ventilation experts Passivent to develop a revolutionary mixed mode system that delivers accurate environmental control using as much fresh air and as little energy as possible.

The two companies, both market-leaders in their respective industries, come from sectors that are normally thought of as competing but they have taken the innovative step of joining forces to launch a major new initiative in energy efficient, environmental control which is designed to ensure the most effective air conditioning and ventilation system for any building, old or new.

"With new building regulations on the energy efficiency and air tightness of buildings it has never been more important to introduce fresh air into the occupiable spaces, "explained Neil Rideout, Technical Director, Passivent. The Mitsubishi Electric and Passivent initiative has created a system that will satisfy both the building regulation requirements on ventilation, whilst helping conform to Government emissions targets through the sensible use of minimum energy.

The result is an innovative new system that provides the best of both worlds - fresh air and total environmental control - and meets the demand for low energy building comfort. This is achieved by only using the air conditioning to heat or cool when required and operating it mainly at partial load to reduce emissions and achieve the highest COP possible.

"Natural ventilation is well known for using less energy than fully air conditioned systems, but it can be prone to overheating," said Donald Daw, Deputy Divisional Manager of Mitsubishi Electric's air conditioning systems division. "By adding comfort cooling to passive ventilation, we can allow designers, architects and contractors to create comfortable and productive working environments whilst meeting the demand to reduce the energy consumption."

Buildings are currently estimated to account for 40 per cent of the energy consumed in Europe and the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aims to highlight inefficient buildings and promote a 'greener' agenda leading to a 22 per cent saving in energy by 2010, just by focusing attention on this area.

The new system has been named "Mixed Mode" by the companies as it takes the best natural ventilation technology and perfectly compliments it with the most advanced air conditioning control. The air conditioning provides a convenient and controllable indoor climate, whilst the natural ventilation allows for reduced carbon emissions and decreased running costs. The result is an overall increase in efficiency - and much more contented building occupants.

The system has already been tested and monitored in Passivent's own offices in Manchester, which suffered from uncomfortable indoor temperatures during summer months. Mitsubishi Electric is also installing the system into its Hatfield headquarters this summer, in a major refurbishment which will allow the company to use the building as a test centre for this and other innovative environmental control systems.

In essence the comfort control provided by the air conditioning is ready to turn on when natural ventilation alone is not enough. This increases the use of natural, fresh air in a building and decreases the energy consumption and running costs. The use of inverter-driven compressors also ensures that the air conditioning runs as efficiently as possible, regardless of the operating requirements.

At the heart of the new system is a programmable logic controller (PLC), which combines natural ventilation and mechanical air conditioning using the latest software jointly developed by Passivent and Mitsubishi Electric.

The system is simple to use, yet provides some of the most advanced control and monitoring available in the industry today. The highly advanced PLC ensures that all of the system elements work in complete harmony to bring the utmost control and the most cost-effective comfort ever.

Energy consumption is reduced because fresh air is supplied to the indoor environment via the natural ventilation system without the need for mechanical power consumption.

This provides the building with free cooling from outdoors when required. In addition to this, a special 'night cooling' mode removes unwanted heat and can reduce the need for energy consumption by almost 40 per cent on the following day. The overall effect for the occupant is a vastly improved air quality and comfort level, with minimum energy consumption.

Brunel University research of the test site found that the Annual Energy Consumption of the system was reduced by an astonishing 41%, when compared to a full mechanical system.

As well as removing any indoor pollutants, the system will also provide accurate control of CO 2 levels, keeping them well within the recommended CIBSE guidelines.

The application is also ideal for schools and lecture theatres as it can purge a space with fresh air when it is known to be unoccupied so that a new group entering the room comes into a fresh and natural space.

The system has been designed specifically for the UK climate with the air conditioning providing heating on colder days coupled with continuous fresh air.

Mitsubishi Electric's air conditioning has one of the lowest maintenance requirements in the air conditioning industry today and combining this with virtually maintenance-free ventilation means that cost and disruption are kept to a minimum.

Passivent and Mitsubishi Electric have produced a guide to mixed mode cooling systems. For a free copy contact Passivent on 0161 962 7113.



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