ErP stands for “Energy Related Products”. ErP is supported by Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC), which is aiming towards significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy consumption by the year 2020. While supporting efficient use of energy and energy related products and phasing out inefficient products, the Ecodesign directive also makes energy information and data about energy-efficient products more transparent and easy accessible for consumers. The implementation of the Ecodesign Directive is split into a number of product areas, called ”lots”, focusing especially on the areas with significant energy consumption. Ventilation units are included in Ecodesign Lot 6, concerning ventilation, heating and air conditioning, an area, which represents about 15% of the total energy consumption in the EU.Lindab air handling units selection made easyThe new energy check will be implemented into our selection software AirCalc++ by the end of 2015, as all air handling units, produced for European Market have to fulfill ErP2016 requirements from 1st January 2016.

The next step is ErP2018, which will be implemented from 1st January 2018.Download our brochure to learn more Adiabatic Coolers: The Sensible Choice for Cooling At ICS Cool Energy we are continually looking at innovative temperature control technologies that can help our customers reduce carbon footprints and save on both energy and operating costs. The adiabatic cooler offers a cost effective alternative to a cooling tower by improving the carbon footprint and providing significant savings on water usage as we have seen within many of our customer’s projects. These cost effective evaporative coolers are designed to operate at optimal efficiency in high ambient temperatures. The units use fans to operate the cooling for a high percentage of the year with a spray system which only activates during periods of high ambient temperatures. The spray activity is tightly monitored using a pulsing mechanism to ensure minimum adiabatic cooling is provided for any given load and ambient condition.

This control reduces water consumption and running costs for a long, fault free lifespan. How do Adiabatic Coolers work? Adiabatic coolers are designed to pre-cool the air inlet stream into the heat exchange coils By increasing the relative air humidity the temperature is lowered to achieve an effective air-on-temperature as low as 5oC above the wet bulb temperature The system operates by taking the heated fluid from a process through the condenser where for 95% of the year fans draw in cool air, reducing the fluid temperature and returning it at the required temperature to the process Where the ambient temperature is high, adiabatic coolers utilise mains cold water (through a filter to kill any bacteria) by spraying a fine mist into the incoming fan-induced airflow.  This creates a reduced air intake temperature, allowing greater efficiency and improved cooling. What are the differences between an Adiabatic Cooler and a Cooling Tower? – Spray cooling kicks in only when the ambient air temperature is too high to use cooled air

– Water is continually sprayed to cool the condenser coils – Only uses mains cold water when high ambients demand higher levels of cooling – Continually using a mains water supply to create a cooling effect – These only introduce water as required meaning that the capital cost of an Adiabatic Cooler and its first 25 years of water consumption is considerably less than the first year of water consumption of a Cooling Tower – Due to the evaporation rates of Cooling Towers (1.6kg water evaporated for every kW of heat removed) the water and chemical costs to maintain the fluid chemical balance can quickly mount up to tens of thousands of poundscentral air conditioner best warranty – These units produce smaller droplets of water; window ac unit sealbetween 50 and 100 microns which cannot support bacteria growth. air handling unit fan types

The system also features a UV disinfection system as a failsafe to kill any traces that may make its way into the system, further minimising the risk to health – These units can facilitate the growth and spread of legionella bacteria; the water droplet size produced and the process temperatures are ideal to breed the bacteria, consequently regular servicing, chemical treatment and strict HSE guidelines need to be followed – These units do not need to registered with the Health and Safety Executive as the risk of legionella is all but removed – These systems need to be registered with the Health and Safety Executive due to the high risk of legionella – ICS Cool Energy adiabatic coolers have an auto drain down function to empty the system of water – Water isn’t drained from the cooling tower, leading to potential bacteria growth The benefits of an Adiabatic Cooling System: Save thousands of pounds in running costs Does not require further chemical treatment

For more information, download the below BrochureHow VAV Boxes Work? A Variable Air Volume box is typically installed in commercial buildings and provide heating and cooling for occupants. There are different types of Variable Air Volume boxes but how a Variable Air Volume box works is fundamentally the same from one Variable Air Volume box type to another. Essentially a Variable Air Volume system allows a design engineer a way to zone large areas in work spaces such as office buildings and other places where there are large spaces that need heating and cooling or simply just cooling in rare cases. The concept is simple but making it energy efficient and keeping everyone comfortable has taken some time from the inception of Variable Air Volume box. Related Link: VAV Air Handlers - HVAC Zoning How VAV Boxes WorkThermostat and ControlsIn many cases, a Variable Air Volume box is nothing but a sheet metal box with a damper and controls inside a control panel. A thermostat connects to the controller while the controller positions the damper based on programmed inputs and variables that include air flow and temperature.

Some Variable Air Volume boxes also have a heat source inside the box. The heat source in many Variable Air Volume box is typically electric but can also be a hot water coil. The thermostat and the controller will also turn on the heat whenever the temperature in the space falls below the set point as determined by the thermostat and pre-programmed temperature limitations in the programming. Usually, the building engineer or maintenance staff controls the temperature limitations in the program. This prevents occupants from running the thermostat above certain settings that are unreasonable and possibly overload the HVAC system. These limited set points are usually within reasonable ranges for most peoples’ comfort factor.How VAV Boxes Work - VAV Air HandlersThe air that is supplied to a Variable Air Volume box comes from a large air handler and central duct work. The air handler must have the ability to supply the Variable Air Volume boxes with a variable amount of air as the dampers in the Variable Air Volume system will modulate to different positions based on set point requirements.

When the box is in cooling mode the damper will modulate to a nearly fully open position as air conditioning or cooling requires more air flow. Heating requires less air flow so the damper will modulate to a minimum position. The air handler blower fan needs to modulate to vary the air flow depending on demand. Typical Variable Air Volume boxes have a flow sensor inside them to measure air flow. The air flow and temperature variables control damper position based on temperature demands and C.F.M. demands. Another air pressure sensor inside the main duct that supplies air to the system measures the pressure inside the duct. There is a pressure set point inside the program of the air handler control. The air handler will ramp up and ramp down the air handler blower to maintain the duct set point requirement in the program.Related Link: Variable Air Volume Systems and DDC Controls (opens in a new window) How VAV Boxes Work - ConclusionFinally, in conclusion, Variable air volume systems provide comfort for many people working in commercial buildings.