The heat is on

Forgot to take your vitamin this morning? Not to worry, just turn on the air conditioner. A new air filter for some air conditioners distributes vitamin C into the air, according to Amit Vardhan, assistant general manager of Nikai.

"Today's ACs are built to provide better and cleaner air along with their basic function of cooling. New ACs come with multi-step evaporators to give better cooling, electrostatic filters to reduce dust levels, active carbon filters to absorb smoke and dust and anti- bacterial filters to eliminate viruses. There is a new filter that generates Vitamin C in the air stream, which can then get absorbed into the body through the skin. There are other new filters like the catechin filter, heap filter and the photic catalyst filter which helps to eliminate bad odour, pollen and even disease-causing germs," says Vardhan.

Cool technologies

The air- conditioning industry is developing rapidly around the world, but especially in the Middle East. And the technology keeps getting cooler. The latest sleek-looking room air-conditioners sport digital displays, timers, 'smart' fans that automatically adjust speeds to maintain desired temperatures and remote controls. Today's air-conditioners are also quieter, more energy-efficient and easier to install and maintain than units made only a few years ago.

Ashrae is a major contributor to technological innovation in the AC industry. The company develops standards and engineering manuals that address indoor air quality, system performance, design guidelines, and many other technical details. Designers, consultants, contractors, and end users refer to Ashrae for guidelines to design and build systems utilising the latest industry developments.

According to Bassel Anbari, President, Ashrae (American Society of Air Conditioning Engineers) Emirates Falcon Chapter, and Vice President (Gulf), Energy International, "The UAE has seen major changes in the air conditioning industry for the past 40 years. In the early 60s and 70s most buildings were only three to 10 storeys high. Window and small split ACs were commonly used for these types of buildings. Today's buildings are much larger, higher and are designed in the form of communities. This has naturally increased the cooling load and AC demand for much larger systems. District cooling has become the answer to cater to larger developments. The UAE is now building the largest district cooling systems in the world which puts a major pressure on the AC industry to provide required technologies in the form of large capacity equipment, special material, sophisticated control to maximise efficiencies, and execution for such large systems."

Samsung Electronics is a pioneer in the air-conditioning field. Robin Kadyan, manager of sales and marketing Samsung Gulf Electronics, says, "As far as innovations go we tend to focus on the health of the consumer who spends most of their time in air-conditioned environments, especially in the UAE. Our products are aimed to promote health and awareness for wall-mounted splits. We use silver to ward off the evaporator where hot air is released and cool air comes in. We are one of the few companies that offer this feature guaranteeing air that's 99.9 per cent fresh." Since cooling systems account for more than half of utility bills in the UAE, it pays to make energy efficiency a priority says K.J. Jawa, Senior Vice President operations for Voltas. "The introduction of the ten and 13-seer concept which focuses on the maximum cooling output for a given input of power has left a positive mark on the industry."

Kadyan says, "With continuous research and development we have created Ultra Tropical Rotary compressors, which can work in temperatures of more than 60 degrees centigrade. In the AC, the compressor functions much like the heart of human being. We have spent time and money to develop this special compressor which can sustain high temperatures particularly for places like the UAE." Panasonic joins the rest in developing cutting edge technology. Abby Thomas, Marketing Executive, says, "We have pioneered automatic deodorising filters in the cooling industry that preclude the need for consumers to remove and recharge them in bright sunlight. Panasonic's next generation of deodorising filters rely on inbuilt LED light sources that have effects similar to solar irradiation, and keeps the filters performing at optimal effectiveness."

Panasonic has also introduced new long lasting blue fin condensers in its new range of air conditioners to resist high humidity and corrosion, increasing condenser lifetimes and consumer satisfaction.

Design aspect

Apart from technical innovation, air conditioning manufacturers have made great steps in design in recent years as well. "Eco-friendly features and colourful designs are popular with consumers and these are areas in which LG has unrivalled leadership. We have maintained the number one position in more than 40 countries including important markets like USA, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia," says C.H. Lee, President, LG Electronics.

Responding to the growing demand for household appliances to blend with interior decor, LG's 'Artcool' picture series features a choice of popular images and paintings from world-renowned artists. Owners can insert their family picture, a child's drawing or any type of printed image under the transparent front panel and enjoy the cool or warm air flowing from the back of the frame. They can change the image any time they want by simply opening the panel and replacing the picture. The company's replaceable front panel is considered to be the first of its kind.

"There has been a change in consumer perception. ACs are now looked as part of the interior décor rather than mere cooling products," says Atul Verma, the company's Marketing Manager.

LG recently showcased the world's first Swarovski Artcool AC in Korea, which was decorated with crystals from the famous crystal manufacturer, Swarovski.

According to Vardhan, "The growth of this industry is reflected not only in volumes or quantity but also in quality. Environmental friendly ACs and ACs with ionisers that give healthy air are popular. People are ready to spend more money to reap additional benefits of newer AC models."