SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

BACHELOR OF QUANTITY SURVEYING (HONOURS)

BUILDING SERVICES 2 (BLD60503)

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT- ESSAY

NAME: KOK KA SHING

STUDENT ID: 0323553

LECTURER: DR.KAM KENN JHUN

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Enhancement of green technology through air conditioning

In this modern times, the world is heating up which is a global problem better known

to us and scientist as global warming which is a gradual increase in the overall temperature

of the earth's atmosphere. Global warming is certainty not a hoax but poses a serious threat

to our environment as just a 1CO is enough to throw our climate into chaos. Global warming

is the cause of current climate and natural erosion, for example the melting of the polar ice

caps in the Arctic and Antarctic which causes the rise in sea level, coral bleaching and etc. As

a result, many governments all around the world spent many billions of dollars into

researching on green technology in order to curb the drastic climate changes in recent

decades. Global warming is generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by

increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbon, and other pollutants in the earth’s

atmosphere. The reason we are facing this problem is because of our lifestyle and also

because of industrialization.

As we all know, Malaysia is a relatively hot and humid country but turning the hot air

into cold air is basically magic and with the press of a button we are gifted with cooler air

from the air conditioner that we have almost everywhere nowadays. It is because of the

weather that prompts many people to find relief in the cool, crisp breeze of an air

conditioner. However, there are also major drawbacks in using air conditioning as it’s very

power hungry and by using it for long hours it makes up for a big part in our electricity bill.

For example, a typical air conditioning unit uses 10-20 times as much electricity as a regular

celling fan. As a result of this power stations will need to generate more power by burning

more fossil fuel to supply to our homes to cool ourselves and doing so produces more

pollutants that gets discharged into the air which could seriously hurt not just our health but

the environment as well. Over the years, as technology continues to improve we are slowly

improving efficiency of air conditioning tech and as a result the air conditioning units only

use about half as much electricity compare to those made decades earlier. Recent

technology inverter tech built into air conditioning units helps reduce the power

consumption by controlling the amount of power supplied to the compressor. Besides

reducing power consumption, inverter tech also provides more comfort compared to those

air conditioning units without it as it adjusts its coolant flow constantly and also reduce the

start-up time of the compressor where the desired temperature can be achieved more

quickly and efficiently. When the desired temperature is achieved, the compressor will

lower its fan speed or even shutting it off and lower the coolant circulation rate thus

reducing power consumption. Likewise, the continued development of renewables in the

power sector like solar, wind and other low-carbon sources could mitigate the increase of

carbon dioxide emissions while generating enough energy to supply the households.

Another major drawback is the use of chlorofluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbons

which an important chemical compound needed to run an air conditioning unit for older

models and in some cheaper modern units. This chemical represent a small portion of the

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total greenhouse gas emissions but is able to trap many times more heat in the atmosphere

compared to carbon dioxide and it’s harmful to the ozone layer as well. Although it is

harmful, as long as the air conditioning unit or refrigeration unit is working in pristine

condition, the chemical would not leak into the atmosphere. It is only during the

manufacturing process, a coolant leak or if it is disposed improperly where some of the

molecules escape. Even though the chance of a coolant leak is rare, we should use other

more eco-friendly alternatives like R410 coolant for the time being until future further

improved coolant is made available1.

An alternative to the regular air conditioner is to use an ice powered air conditioner

which is also able to work in conjunction with a regular air conditioner. This kind of air

conditioner has two ways of functioning, first is the use of ice where there is a tank that

stores water overnight turning it into ice and is used for cooling the next day and the second

where after all the ice has melted it would revert back to a traditional air conditioner. This

system can eliminate the need of a compressor as the coolant circulates from the tank to

the evaporative coil of the air conditioning unit. This system is also considered a renewable

tech because the ice can be refrozen time after time.

1.1 An ice powered air conditioner 2

Besides the ice powered air conditioner, there are also thermally driven air

conditioners that could potentially be adopted into our households and businesses. Theses

thermally driven air conditioners is a lower cost alternative to electrically driven air

conditioners. They function by the use of thermally driven chillers which are powered by

solar panels or natural gas or both instead of a compressor to supply cool air. The advantage 1 Worldaircond.com. (2017). Environment Friendly Refrigerant (R22 To R410) - Air Conditioning | Air Conditioner Malaysia | Air Conditioning Malaysia. [online] Available at: http://www.worldaircond.com/r22-vs-r410a.html [Accessed 25 May 2017]. 2 Ice Energy. (2017). Home - Ice Energy - Ice Bear System Storage Solution. [online] Available at: https://www.ice-energy.com/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].

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of using this type of system is the elimination of using electricity from the local power grid

to power the chiller and with the use of natural gas which is cheaper that electricity and

solar panels it is partially self-sustaining. Furthermore, the combination of the two energy

sources could increase its baseload capability, thus requiring fewer units to fully cool a

building down making it more economic to operate. Thermally driven chillers are also

reliable and quiet as they have very few moving parts and as a result, the chiller is less likely

to break down compared to a traditional compressor.

1.2 A thermally driven chiller3

While there are no stopping people from using or buying air conditioners, there is

the opportunity for the government to impose a carbon tax. By implementing this extra

carbon tax on electricity, it could slow or reduce the use of air conditioning. As a result, it

could spur newer technological innovations in energy efficiency which could help produce

more energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Governments could use the revenue

collected from the carbon tax to give a boost to renewable technologies increasing

deployment of current or newer green tech in the country and phasing out older tech.

Pricing carbon would also lead to broader behavioural changes in our daily lives; for

example our homes and businesses. Furthermore, higher prices of energy would mean

people will pay more attention to the design of buildings. Building materials, insulation,

building orientation and other considerations has a big impact on energy consumption.

Thus, if the design of the building follows the requirements for a green building, it can

efficiently maximise the usage of air conditioners and natural elements.

In conclusion, green technology has many ways and potential to improve the way we

manufacture and use air conditioning systems but there are many obstacles we must

3 Chromasun.com. (2017). Chromasun. [online] Available at: http://chromasun.com/CHW.html [Accessed 26 May 2017].

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overcome first before a truly zero emission, self-sustaining air conditioning system from its

manufacturing to consumption is made available to the general public. Although there are

many improvements in the green technology sector which reduces the cost and carbon

emissions it is still not enough to cope with the massive change in climate that we have

already set in motion. As such, we should continue our efforts into researching and

developing new green technology to be implemented in various other industries and not

just the air conditioning industry in order to help curb our current climate crisis. Matter

would just get worst if we do not find a solution to this problem and it is not just our

country that is affected by it but the entire world.

(1,310 words)

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Bibliography

Chromasun.com. (2017). Chromasun. [online] Available at: http://chromasun.com/CHW.html [Accessed 26 May 2017].

Coulomb, D. (2017). Global Warming: A key issue for refrigeration and air conditioning. [online] Energy-learning.com. Available at: http://www.energy-learning.com/index.php/archive/86-global-warming-a-key-issue-for-refrigeration-and-air-conditioning [Accessed 26 May 2017].

HVAC Classes. (2017). 7 Green Technologies That Are Changing HVAC. [online] Available at: http://www.hvacclasses.org/blog/green-technologies-changing-hvac [Accessed 25 May 2017].

Ice Energy. (2017). Home - Ice Energy - Ice Bear System Storage Solution. [online] Available at: https://www.ice-energy.com/ [Accessed 25 May 2017].

The Economist. (2017). Keeping cool and green. [online] Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/16588677 [Accessed 25 May 2017].

U.S.News. (2017). How Will Growing Global Use of Air Conditioning Effect Carbon

Emissions?. [online] Available at: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2016-07-25/how-will-growing-global-use-of-air-conditioning-

effect-carbon-emissions [Accessed 24 May 2017]. Worldaircond.com. (2017). Environment Friendly Refrigerant (R22 To R410) - Air

Conditioning | Air Conditioner Malaysia | Air Conditioning Malaysia. [online] Available at: http://www.worldaircond.com/r22-vs-r410a.html [Accessed 25 May 2017].