Get up to date with market trends and technical developments in the

air-conditioning market.

Technical competition is joining price as one of the driving forces in the UK air-conditioning market. Ignacio de Alvaro has the details.

With air-conditioning being such an energy-demanding service, achieving and maintaining an efficient system is vital. Gareth Holden gives some pointers to making an immediate impact on the efficiency of chiller plant.

With the threat of a ban on the use of HFCs for stationary air-conditioning equipment having been lifted, responsibility is placed on the industry to prevent leaks, says Andrew Keogh.

For the appropriate air-conditioning installations, evaporative cooling offers much lower life-cycle costs than dry cooling — as well as a host of other benefits. Robert MacLeod-Smith explains.

VRF air-conditioning systems owe their growing popularity to their ability to meet a wide range of requirements, as Tony Nielsen explains.

With the launch of its R410A RZQ inverter series, Daikin claims to the the first manufacturer to offer a full range of R410A inverters — from the smallest split to the largest VRV systems.

Trox’s engineering and technical expertise in air conditioning is being made available to construction professionals by the setting up of the Trox Design Bureau.

Gas-powered air conditioning with all the features of a VRF system is offered by Sanyo in its GHP range. Instead of an electrically driven compressor, a GHP unit has an open-drive compressor driven by a gas-powered engine. Either natural gas or LPG can be used.

Dadanco chilled beams with around three times the output of traditional active beams installed in the James Clerk Maxwell Building of Edinburgh University have enabled a much more conventional ceiling layout to be used — looking very similar to that associated with a fan-coil systems.

Peak summer temperatures in excess of 35°C in a bedding factory and warehouse have been reduced to around 25°C following the installation of Breezair evaporative-cooling equipment.

LG has introduced a range of VRF air-conditioning products that can operate up to 16 indoor units from one outdoor unit. Multi V is initially available in two sizes — 4.5 and 10 hp and can be operated via the Internet, a PC, a deluxe or simple controller.

Air conditioning — including dehumidification, heating and cooling — has been provided for a domestic conservatory in west London housing a range of exercise equipment. The free-standing conservatory is close to the house and thus requires heating in winter and cooling in summer to offset the considerable heat gain through its glazed roof.

Quietness in operation was the key criterion in the selection of air-conditioning plant for the upgrade of a 90-bedroom hotel on a sensitive site on the south side of the River Thames in London and very close to the Tate Modern.

Mitsubishi Electric has radically revamped its range of small air-conditioning systems with the launch of a new R410A M-Series range of inverter-driven heat pumps.

Longcross Refrigeration has installed a Daikin VRV2 heat-recovery air-conditioning system in the control centre of train operator FirstGroup in Manchester, which runs the TransPennine Express trains.

Stulz’s CyberAir precision air-conditioning range incorporates new ventilation technology, new micro-processor and a completely new structure. Electronically commutated fans are used in all models.

CIBSE’s new president Graham Manly is concerned that the building-services industry lacks the resources and competences it needs for a sustainable future.

Without close teamwork and the extensive use of prefabricated services modules, 10 weeks would have been added to the installation time for a new hospital in Coventry and nearly 20% to services installation costs.

Managing risk on construction projects can be a nightmare. The newly developed COMPASSure scheme provides a means of transferring risk to those parts of the supply chain that are best equipped to carry it. Alan Kennedy explains.

Following over 20 years in commissioning, engineer Duncan Selby has developed an electronic commissioning device for piped services that is said to provide the ultimate in accuracy, reliability and convenience.

The Wefatherm pipework system from Durapipe is based on polypropylene-random, so it can be completely recycled or disposed of in landfills, where it behaves in a neutral and non-toxic manner.

Bitzer now offers from stock the most popular models from its range of air-cooled Euroscroll LH condensing units. These popular units are initially available with 2 to 9 kW nominal motor power and include various options to suit customer requirements.

Lockable 13 A socket outlets have been added to the Ultra flat-plate range of wiring accessories from Eaton MEM. They are suitable for commercial premises and public areas where the use of socket outlets needs to be restricted.