Airconditioning maintenance for energy efficiency

In July 2010, Alice Solar City hosted and subsidised a unique training opportunity for Alice Springs, with the running of AIRAH's "HVAC Maintenance for Energy Efficiency" course. Over 2 days, a range of airconditioning and energy professionals soaked up the industry experience of AIRAH's knowledgable trainer, and left with a fresh eye for the opportunities available through effective system maintenance.

Does your building rely on air conditioning? Do you have a regular maintenance contract to ensure effective and reliable operation? Talk with your maintenance contractor about their understanding of the importance of maintenance for energy efficiency, and to find out what opportunities there may be to improve the operation of your system.

The following local businesses participated in the training course:

TDC Refrigeration
Haden Engineering (Centre Refrigeration)
CBD Maintenance Services
CAT Projects

The benefits of an airconditioning review

A good example of a large scale HVAC system that has recently undergone modifications to reduce carbon emissions and running costs is at the Crowne Plaza Alice Springs, which had new Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) installed in June 2010.

General Manager, Monique Harmer said, “After an audit was carried out of the HVAC system we found that modifications could be made to the existing mechanical plant and control systems to make it more efficient.”

“VSD’s have been installed in the fan motors of the air conditioning cooling towers and the secondary chilled water pumps, resulting in an estimated combined saving of 320,000 kWh and 253 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.”

Stage 2 will involve the installation of CO2 sensors and VSD’s to multiple Air Handling Units, which will result in an estimated energy saving of 200,000 kWh and 158 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.”

Visit our incentives page to learn about funding available for auditing and upgrading of airconditioning equipment in your organisation.