Page 28 - Climate Control News September 2021

Air Movement, Fans & Ventilation
A NEW HVAC company founded by thermal scientists, engineers and talent from juggernauts like Tesla and Nest has given the humble home air conditioner a radical makeover.
Gradient has replaced the conventional home window air conditioner with a space-saving de- signed solution that keeps homes cool with ad- vanced heat pump technology and a climate- friendly refrigerant.
Air conditioning is essential to quality of life and work productivity, but the basic design of window air conditioners has not changed in 50 years.
Gradient CEO, Vince Romanin, said the com- pany has a mission to cool the world by trans-
LEFT: The stylish, space-saving design.
BELOW LEFT: The Gradient uses heat pump technology.
forming every home to be more comfortable and healthy without compromising the environ- ment.
“We believe we can build a better home air conditioning solution while fighting climate change," he said.
"Air conditioning is one of the most essential amenities to keep people comfortable and pro- ductive in a warming world, but too many people are struggling with antiquated window AC units that are clunky, noisy, heavy, and inefficient.
Gradient offers a beautiful, intuitive design, a more efficient, sleek, quiet air conditioning expe- rience, and climate-friendly refrigerants. Build- ing a better air conditioner is one of the most ef- fective ways to help people stay comfortable at home while helping to slash carbon emissions from HVAC systems."
The Gradient is designed to be easy to in- stall and does not block the view like a tradi- tional window AC unit. It provides the bene- fits of a professional-grade heat pump system at a fraction of the cost. It can provide cooling and heating year-round and is easy to use via mobile app.
Gradient spun out from Otherlab, a private R&D lab in San Francisco that has leveraged over $40MM in government grants to incubate hard tech companies in the manufacturing, energy, and robotics industries.
The Gradient solution will be available for sale in the United States next year.
Guide sets targets for airborne contaminants
THE BUILDING ENGINEERING Services As- sociation (BESA) has produced a good practice guide to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
Entitled ‘Indoor Air Quality for Health & Well- Being’, it is designed to help building owners, managers and engineers interpret IAQ data and turn it into useful strategies for improving the in- door environment.
The new guide sets out target limits for a range of airborne contaminants in a variety of indoor spaces.
It explains how air quality data gathered dur- ing specialist surveys or from the wide range of low cost real-time and continuous IAQ monitor- ing devices, can be interpreted and acted upon. The advice is based on the experience of practi- tioners in the field who see what is possible and achievable in the real world.
Nathan Wood, chair of the BESA Health & Wellbeing in Buildings group, said there is a lot of
interest in IAQ as a result of the global pandemic. “People now need reassurance that buildings are being adequately ventilated, and the air monitored to minimise the threat from contami-
nants and viruses,” he said.
“Rather than purely focusing on preventing in-
fection and death, which is often the approach of academic and regulatory work, it also promotes a positive approach to setting
IAQ standards that will give people a healthier, more comfortable, and more productive experience inside buildings.”
The BESA Guide refers to established guidelines including those provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which are due to be updated later this year.
It also signposts other sources of au-
RIGHT: It explains how air quality data can be interpreted.
thoritative advice on volatile organic com- pounds, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide/oxides, ozone, radon, and airborne micro-organisms.
It also recommends monitoring CO2 and a range of IAQ factors to balance good air quality with reduction of internally and externally sourced contaminants.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
Home air conditioner gets a makeover
28