A detailed article in the Guardian on the growth of A/C around the world and the dangers it poses (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/29/the-air-conditioning-trap-how-cold-air-is-heating-the-world)
Further, recent comments from MP Mary Creagh, chair of the audit committee, said that government failed to acknowledge a number of its core conclusions in response to a report released earlier this year into the potential public health impacts of an increased number of heat waves in the UK up to 2050. She said: “The Government has…
Following the recent IEA report on the potential effects of the growing demand for cooling (see previous News post) Birmingham University have published a report entitled “A Cool World – Defining the Energy Conundrum of Cooling for All” (see https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2018/07/Global-quadrupling-cooling-appliances-14-billion-increase-energy-consumption.aspx). This report raises the prospect that the cooling sector will, on current trajectory, increase its overall…
In a recent report, https://www.iea.org/cooling/, the IEA state that “Growing demand for air conditioners is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate”. Global energy demand from air conditioners is expected to triple by 2050, requiring new electricity capacity the equivalent to the combined electricity capacity of the United States, the EU and…
Image courtesy of DLR Group DLR Group Architects (http://www.dlrgroup.com/home/) have incorporated Bio-PCM ENRG blankets into walls and ceilings of a classroom and its performance will be compared with a similar, non-PCM containing classroom (see http://schoolconstructionnews.com/2018/02/16/thermal-mass-2-0-reinventing-energy-design-user-experience/). The project is based at Canyon View High School in Waddell, Arizona. Both rooms will monitor HVAC energy, overall building energy…
The UK Government’s Environmental Audit Committee will consider risks to health, wellbeing and productivity associated with heatwaves, review the level of UK resilience to them and assess the Government’s actions to date. The Committee will also be examining public health risks associated with higher temperatures as well as heatwaves (see http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news-parliament-2017/heatwaves-launch-17-19/). Globally, 15 of the 16 highest…
Image courtesy of Roland Korner, Filmfabrik, Woessner The new apartment building in Vaduz, Liechtenstein has been designed as an active energy building. Details of the project can be found at http://www.architectour.net/opere/opera.php?id_opera=6869&nome_opera=Marxer%20Haus&architetto=Falkeis%C2%B2architects&language=1 and http://www.puretemp.com/pcmatters/inspired-by-nature-marxer-haus-takes-wing-in-liechtenstein. As well as many other sustainable features, the apartment block utilises movable “wings”. These climate wings contain 1.4 tonnes of Rubitherm PCMs enclosed in aluminium tubes. …
There is considerable evidence to support the fact that overheating of buildings in the UK is becoming an increasing problem. In a recent survey (October 2015), on behalf of WSP:Parsons Brinckerhoff, 83% of the 1,005 London households surveyed stated that they had experienced at least one period of overheating during that summer. Part of the problem…
The recent Committee on Climate Change report, to the UK government (https://www.theccc.org.uk/tackling-climate-change/preparing-for-climate-change/uk-climate-change-risk-assessment-2017/synthesis-report/), highlights the risks and actions required that are arising due to climate change. Both Bloomberg (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-28/u-k-told-to-look-beyond-air-conditioning-as-heat-waves-multiply) and the Financial Times (https://www.ft.com/content/91857d8e-5bf7-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b) highlight the fact that buildings continue to overheat and that large areas of glazing tend to make matters worse. Increased use of air…
On very hot days, the power grids in the USA are under considerable strain to maintain power to all the country’s air conditioners. A new start-up in Chicago, NETenergy, works on the premise “why store electricity to generate cold air when you could store cold instead” (see http://midwestenergynews.com/2017/03/22/chicago-startups-thermal-battery-is-adaptive-solution-to-spikes-in-electricity-demand/). A chemical engineering professor at the University of…