FutureAir

Category: air

Air Conditioning Obsession

June 2018

The news site and newsletter wunderkind Quartz recently took a long look at society’s obsession with Air Conditioning, highlighting the technological advances stretching all the way back to 1300 B.C. that paved the way for the halogenated chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) gulping devices we are familiar with today.

While those HCFCs replaced the ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were used until 1995, new advances in AC technology seek to eliminate HCFCs as well, replacing them with possible technologies such as magnetic air conditioners, membrane-based air conditioners using water as a refrigerant, and passive cooling systems that manipulate interior climates through the smart design of wind and water.

Nevertheless, the numbers on our use of modern air conditioning are startling: 10% of the world’s electricity is devoted to air conditioning, with 1.6 billion AC units installed globally. Every year 117 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are released by air conditioners in the US alone, while the AC units expected to be installed in India by 2030 will be the equivalent of adding several new midsize countries to the global grid.

And despite this tremendous energy expenditure, many office workers in the US frequently complain that their office’s AC units are too cold. Much of the blame can be traced to architectural choices driven by the availability of air conditioning, which allowed architects to forgo cooling tricks such as high ceilings and breezeways. The result was a situation in which AC was more and more necessary to cool office buildings, with that AC calibration derived from the metabolism of a 40-year-old, 155-pound man.

Thankfully, the field of bioclimatic architecture and the rise of carbon-neutral “fifth-generation” skyscrapers promises some relief by integrating water catchment and natural ventilation technologies, a refreshing nod to old school cooling systems that were far less harmful to the environment than current solutions.

Click here to read the full article.

How’s the Air in London?

May 2018

Since 2010, toxic air in London has been at illegal levels, and for a brief period last year, air pollution in London was even worse than Beijing, according to statistics from the London mayor’s office. This air has a direct effect on the lives of Londoners, with more than 9,000 dying prematurely each year, and the air itself is no doubt the result from vehicles on the road–including those that use diesel.

Despite the statistics, Londoners seem to be unaware of how severe the problem is. But artist Michael Pinsky set off to change that by setting up an exhibit on the grounds of the Somerset House which included five geodesic domes, or pollution pods, each designed to simulate the atmospheric conditions in Beijing; São Paulo; London; New Delhi; and Norway’s Tautra Island by recreating the local air using safe chemicals.

Pinsky’s hope was that by directly experiencing levels of pollution from around the world, people would be galvanized to act.

“In terms of driving behavioral change, the thing that seemed important was to pick something that affects everyday life,” he said. “I picked London because pollution is something I feel every day.”

A tour through these geodesic pollution pods from least to most polluted would leave one walking from Tautra Island, to London, to Beijing, to New Delhi, and then finally to São Paulo, where the air is so noxious it made guests desperate to get out. Those visitors from rural locations suffered the most, suggesting that it may be possible to grow numb to constant high levels of outdoor air pollution. Londoners shared their own experiences with London’s pollution, reporting discolored mucus, difficult exercising outdoors, and purchasing plants to improve indoor air quality.

In addition to hosting the exhibit, Somerset House also raised a new Union Jack flag for Earth Day that changes color in real time as it reacted to London’s air quality, transforming from red, white, and blue to gray and black as it reacts to levels of radiation exposure.

Click here to read the full article.

Air Purifier to Clear Wildfire Smoke

May 2018

Sadly, wildfires have become common for residents in states such as California and Oregon, prompting them to consider how best to deal with the smoke and ash that lingers afterwards for weeks or even months. Many residents have taken to air purifiers to help reduce the particulate pollution in their homes, and Tim Heffernan, a science writer and editor at Wirecutter, has offered some advice for those looking to purchase such a device.

At a minimum, Heffernan recommends HEPA certified air purifiers, which are rated to remove 99.97 percent of particles that are exactly 0.3 microns in diameter, though he also tested and found positive results with certified models that remove virtually all particles as small as 0.01 micron, one-thirtieth the HEPA standard.

“Most of us spend a lot of time indoors,” Mr. Heffernan said. “And indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. It kind of comes down to what we have in our homes: pets, rugs, furniture that traps dust. And many homes are not terribly well ventilated.”

In addition to the HEPA certification–which Heffernan states should be listed as “true HEPA”–individuals seeking an air purifier will want to make sure the device has a tight seal around the filter to get the full effect of the device. Some models may list a CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) rating, which will indicate how efficiently the model will work depending on the size of the room it’s placed in. Heffernan suggests a CADR of at least 200, which means the unit effectively delivers the equivalent of 200 cubic feet of pure air per minute.

For a more cost-effective solution, it’s also possible to upgrade an existing HVAC system to improve air quality with filters that trap smaller particles. In these instances, filters with a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating between 7 and 13 are likely to be nearly as effective as “true HEPA” filters.

Within the air purifier market, buyers should watch out for dubious additional features, such as models that produce ozone to destroy pathogens (ozone is actually a respiratory system irritant) and ones that claim to reduce VOCS (volatile organic compounds), as very few models truly have such a capability.

Regardless of model, Heffernan recommends checking an air purifier every six months for buildup on the filter. Furthermore, for those in smoke-afflicted areas, Heffernan suggests keeping windows closed when possible, washing sheets and pillowcases, and when able mopping instead of vacuuming to avoid kicking up any dust or smoke that’s settled. Lastly, for those wishing to purchase a face mask, they should seek masks with an N95 or P100 rating, as these are the necessary levels to provide adequate protection from smoke particles.

Click here to read the full article.

Shopping with Air Pollution

May 2018

Indoor air quality has become a major health issue throughout the world as rising levels of outdoor air pollution continue to make the air inside homes and facilities toxic. This indoor air quality epidemic even extends to malls, underscoring the importance for you to understand your mall’s air quality and how it can affect your overall health and well-being.

“The problem occurs when polluted outside air infiltrates the ventilation system of a mall,” stated Camfil’s Charlie Seyffer, Manager of Marketing & Technical Materials and 37-year ASHRAE member and active committee participant. “These are pollutants such as dust, smoke, and pollen, and they can cause a variety of respiratory problems if that mall is not equipped with commercial air filters that can eliminate these harmful particulates from the air.”

In addition to outdoor pollutants, there are also indoor air pollutants found in malls that can contribute to the problem, such as the chemicals and solvents used by dry cleaners, VOCs–or volatile organic compounds– present in the products sold at hardware and home furnishings stores, and the byproduct emissions caused by frying and broiling at fast food kiosks.

A study performed by Hong Kong researchers of nine malls across Hong Kong found significant concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, particulate matter (PM10), as well as various strains of bacteria inside all of the malls examined. The high concentration of PM10 is of special concern, as these pollutants–such as dust, pollen, and mold–can lodge in the lungs and lead to respiratory problems. People with a history of heart disease or lung problems are particularly vulnerable to PM10 as well as PM2.5, a similar pollutant that consists of even smaller particles and which was identified as a pollutant in the study. Both of these pollutants also pose a danger to children and the elderly, because these groups tend to have immune systems that are not fully developed or weak due to aging.

While there’s not much an individual can do to directly counter the pollutants found in malls, they can be more aware of their surroundings and keep an eye out for symptoms that might indicate exposure to high levels of pollutants, such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing.

Click here to read the full article.

Keeping the United Nations cool

September 2017

Among New York’s best mid-century modernist buildings, the United Nations is one of our favorites.

Designed by a team of architects led by Brazilian, Oscar Niemeyer and Swiss-French, Le Corbusier in 1947, the UN’s first headquarters in New York City opened with great fanfare in 1952. Designated international territory under high security, this iconic landmark building was the first skyscraper with a curtain wall.

Controlling the temperature with this stunning curtain wall, it seems, has always been a challenge. From day one, the costs to heat and cool the building were astronomical – estimated at $10 million a year in 1990. By 2008, in an effort to reduce global warming impact and save money, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched “Cool UN”. This initiative raised thermostats by five degrees and shut down HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems on weekends.

In one of the early design schemes, Le Corbusier did design a “brise-soleil” system to shade the two glass facades, but the UN did not approve and instead the glass panels were coated with heat-absorbing Thermopane. Even with operable windows and 4,000 Carrier units, the east and west offices were often baked by exposure from the afternoon sun.

In 2014, the UN completed a major renovation of its building. This process took more than six years, and included an upgrade of the HVAC systems and glass facades, with the main objective to reduce energy waste. The United Nations has plenty of challenges, but architecture was certainly one they did not expect.

We can only imagine the loss of productivity from one other critical issue: cooling the very important people working there. Surprisingly, they are not alone. According to IFMA, the number one complaint from occupants working in buildings in the US is “too cold” and number two is “too hot”.

To be sure, the UN building would have been much better served if Le Corbusier’s suggestion was implemented as designed, or if the glass facades were simply built facing north and south, rather than east and west. Strategic design decisions like these can considerably affect the overall performance of a building. Designing for health, productivity and well-being of the occupants within must be considered as essential as the elegance and sustainability of the architecture.

Photo credit: archdaily

References:
Basile, Salvatore. Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything. Fordham University Press. 2014.
https://www.curbed.com/2017/5/9/15583550/architecture-air-conditioning-skyscraper-wright-lever-house
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27536#.WVVM_hPysUs
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/nyregion/international-symbol-neglect-u-n-building-unimproved-50-years-shows-its-age
http://www.ifma.org/docs/default-source/surveys/hvacsurvey2009.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Mourning the Old Air

September 2017

I grew up in Portland, Oregon and can’t remember a Labor Day as hot as the one that just passed. Now that I live in Los Angeles, I thought I would escape the swelter by going north to visit my family, but it broke a hundred degrees in both cities that week. And in the midst of these heat wave, fires started in both of my homes.

Flying into Portland, I was struck by a showy sunset. I was right in line with the glowing clouds in a way I’d never been, so that they formed another horizon at eye-level. Directly above was the fluorescent orange sun, and below was a hem of bright pink and the city lights under that. The sun hadn’t quite dipped, but night seemed to have settled already.

I didn’t know then that what I was seeing was a thick layer of smoke.

The Eagle Creek fire, around the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, is still only seven percent contained over a week later, covering about 34,000 acres. The main highway is closed for the next week. And, heartbreakingly, many of the trails I hiked as a child will be inaccessible or destroyed. The region is mourning the loss of these sites of shared, natural beauty.

At the same time, the La Tuna fire in Burbank ignited. People in the city had to evacuate their homes. When I landed in Burbank the next week, it was only thirty percent contained, but colder air was sweeping in. As of September 9, it was one-hundred percent contained. 7,194 acres were burned around the Verdugo Mountains.

On my fourth day in Portland, the heat broke and my family and I were excited to finally get outside. We went to Portland’s iconic food carts—until we saw the ash falling into our food. We packed up our dinner and ran to our car—covered in ash by that point—to somewhat better, filtered indoor air back at home. We realized the smoke cover was the reason for the drop in temperature. The air quality there is still poor. The smoke swirls around the Gorge and hangs over Portland.

One main reason these fires grew so large is because of global warming. According to Accuweather, “September usually marks the beginning of the end for wildfire season, when Pacific storms start rolling onshore bringing cooler, wetter weather to the Northwest.” But the heat waves have increased fire danger and created a dryer landscape, prime for more dangerous wild fires.

Michelle Nijhuis writes for the New Yorker, “…wildfires are bigger and more destructive than they used to be, and the fire season now stretches beyond the summer and well into the school year—in some places, even nudging into what we used to think of as winter. Climate change, combined with a century of overenthusiastic fire suppression and the resulting buildup of fuel, has turned the once occasional emergency of wildfire into a chronic condition.”

Smoky air and poorer air quality may be something we have to get used to, and plan our health around—according to the Accuweather article—taking breaks to go indoors and drinking lots of water.

Coolant Chemicals in the Courts

August 2017

On August 8, ​the​ United States Court of ​Appeals​ ​ruled against restrictions to ​products​ ​that contain​ ​hydrofluorocarbons​ ​(HFCs)​​.​ ​HFCs​ ​are​ ​a​ ​harmful​ ​greenhouse​ ​gas​ ​that​ ​trap​ ​heat​ ​in​ ​the atmosphere.​ According​ ​to​ Inside​ ​Climate​ ​News, ​​the​ ​ruling​ ​was​ ​in​ ​favor​ ​of​ ​two​ ​foreign HFC​ ​manufacturers (Mexichem Fluor and Arkema),​ ​holding​ ​that​ ​the​ ​“EPA​ ​had​ ​no​ ​authority​ ​to​ ​regulate​ ​the​ ​gases​ ​under the​ ​Clean​ ​Air​ ​Act.” This was bad news for Honeywell International and Chemours, companies that have been manufacturing less harmful coolant chemicals called hydrofluoroolefins.

The​ ​court​ ​ruling​ ​“​shows​ ​that​ ​at​ ​least​ ​some​ ​judges​ ​think​ ​the Environmental Protection​ ​Agency​ ​needs​ ​more​ ​specific​ ​authority​ ​from​ ​Congress​ ​to​ ​act​ ​on​ ​HFCs.”​ ​The legal​ ​loophole​ ​in​ ​a​ ​nutshell:​ ​the​ ​EPA​ ​has​ ​authority​ ​to​ ​regulate​ ​ozone-depleting​ ​gases,​ ​but not​ ​other​ ​harmful​ ​substances.​ ​HFCs​ ​were​ ​the​ ​alternative​ ​to​ ​the​ ​older​ ​chemicals​ ​that​ ​were harmful​ ​to​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer.​ ​And​ ​though​ ​HFCs​ ​don’t​ ​deplete​ ​the​ ​ozone,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​still considered​ ​greenhouse​ ​gases​ ​that​ ​are​ ​incredibly​ ​impactful​ ​on​ ​climate​ ​change.​​ ​“Congress has​ ​not​ ​yet​ ​enacted​ ​general​ ​climate​ ​change​ ​legislation,”​ ​Judge​ ​Brett​ ​Kavanaugh​ ​wrote.​ ​In response,​ ​“Judge​ ​Robert​ ​Wilkins,​ ​an​ ​Obama​ ​appointee,​ ​dissented,​ ​saying​ ​that​ ​the​ ​EPA was​ ​due​ ​deference​ ​for​ ​what​ ​he​ ​said​ ​was​ ​a​ ​reasonable​ ​interpretation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​statute.”​ ​

Chemical and Engineering News states that “the EPA rule would have banned the use of HFC-134a as an air conditioner refrigerant in most cars and trucks sold in the U.S. starting with model-year 2021.” All avenues​ ​for​ ​appeals​ ​to​ ​this​ ​ruling​ ​are​ ​being​ ​explored.

The​ ​original​ ​Obama-era​ ​ruling​ ​was​ ​an​ ​important​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​the​ ​puzzle​ ​to​ ​meeting the​ ​Paris​ ​Climate​ ​Accord​ ​goals,​ ​and​ ​would​ ​have​ ​significantly​ ​cut​ ​our​ ​carbon​ ​emissions. This​ ​commitment​ ​to​ ​phasing​ ​out​ ​HFCs​ ​was​ ​furthered​ ​by​ ​meetings​ ​in​ ​Kigali​ ​in​ ​2016, when​ ​the​ ​Montreal​ ​Protocol​ ​was​ ​updated.​ ​The​ ​Montreal​ ​Protocol​ ​was​ ​a​ ​treaty​ ​signed​ ​in 1987​ ​that​ ​successfully​ ​phased​ ​out​ ​an​ ​older​ ​generation​ ​of​ ​refrigerant​ ​gases​ ​that​ ​are harmful​ ​to​ ​the​ ​ozone​ ​layer.

As​ ​the Inside Climate News ​article​ ​states,​ ​“the​ ​Trump​ ​administration​ ​has​ ​given​ ​no​ ​indication​ ​of whether​ ​it​ ​intends​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​the​ ​Kigali​ ​amendment​ ​before​ ​the​ ​Senate​ ​for​ ​ratification.”​ ​But there​ ​was,​ ​and​ ​still​ ​could​ ​be,​ ​hope​ ​to​ ​maintain​ ​the​ ​Obama-era​ ​rulings​ ​during​ ​the​ ​Trump administration.​ ​Chemical​ ​manufacturers​ ​that​ ​have​ ​worked​ ​with​ ​Trump​ ​are​ ​investing​ ​in more​ ​climate-friendly​ ​alternatives​ ​to​ ​HFCs.​ ​Climate​ ​change​ ​ingenuity​ ​and​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​line are​ ​by​ ​no​ ​means​ ​mutually​ ​exclusive.​ ​The​ ​way​ ​we​ ​cool​ ​ourselves​ ​could​ ​be​ ​a​ ​bipartisan issue.​ ​American​ ​companies​ ​have​ ​the​ ​potential​ ​to​ ​act​ ​as​ ​leaders​ ​in coolant technology.​

Our Deep Dependence On A/C

August 2017

Air conditioning has become a convenience that we take for granted across the United States. It is responsible for the comforts of modern living beyond just room temperature. And it is connected to almost every industry in ways that aren’t always visible. But it wasn’t always that way. A recent New York Times article titled “How Air Conditioning Conquered America (Even the Pacific Northwest),” by Emily Badger and Alan Blinder, tracks our dependence on air conditioning since the 1950’s—and it goes much deeper than you might expect.

Air conditioning has made economic growth practical in the hottest regions of the United States. “It made possible industrial work like printing, food processing and electrical manufacturing that would be hard to manage in sweltering heat. And it created the possibility for white-collar jobs in mechanically cooled office buildings.” Imagine production and progress being feasible in the humid south without central air.

Cooling technologies have everything to do with infrastructure and city planning. Sprawl is viable, and traffic is tolerable, because of air conditioning in cars. It made places like Phoenix, which is considered a relatively new city, possible. Types of building designs are also informed by air conditioning in regions like the Southwest, where wood housing is now used instead of just concrete construction.

Of course, these kinds of design decisions are problematic and unsustainable. “‘With the advent of air-conditioning, we lost a lot of the common sense,’ said Kirk Teske, the chief operating officer at HKS Architects, with headquarters in Dallas. He worries that regions like the Northeast may lose it, too, setting up future challenges for office workers and residents when blackouts or other natural disasters come.”

And individual air conditioning use is on the rise as global temperatures increase (which in turn contributes to global warming in that disastrous loop). Even regions that historically never relied on air conditioning are now closer to the consumption of hotter regions like the South. In the Midwest, central air is built into 94% of new single-family homes. And across the US, window units are used in older buildings. In the Pacific Northwest, where there have been record-breaking heat waves this summer, more and more households are purchasing these units. “In 1990, just a third of households there used central air or window units. Now twice as many do.”

Air conditioning is connected to all of our modern conveniences, the infrastructure of our cities, and the economic growth of our country, including our digital lives (cooling is necessary for server farms and data centers). Our reliance on air conditioning isn’t going to shrink, but we can think more conscientiously about our use and design, and create a new kind of common sense.

Want Energy Solutions: Fix Air Con

July 2017

The irony that air conditioning contributes to global warming is hard to miss: as temperatures increase, the more we use air conditioning—and the more we use air conditioning, the more we heat the planet. And yet this piece of the puzzle is largely missing from the climate change dialogue. According to this New York Times article by Lisa Friedman, one reason is that coolant chemicals (refrigerants) don’t make for a very sexy dinner party conversation.

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances, namely CFCs, that are responsible for ozone depletion, was signed. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) became the alternative. While HFCs are less directly harmful to the ozone layer, they are still greenhouse gases and, according to the EPA, are designated as having “high global warming potential (GWP).”

An amendment to the Montreal Protocol was reached in Kigali last year, geared to eliminate the use of HFCs. Another NYT article, reporting on the deal, states that HFCs “function as a sort of supercharged greenhouse gas, with 1,000 times the heat-trapping potency of carbon dioxide.” Phasing out HFC’s could mean “avoiding an estimated half degree Celsius of warming by 2100.” The richest countries, including the US, are supposed to freeze HFC consumption by 2018. But the United States’ relationship to this amendment is unclear at this point.

Reimagining cooling is essential to approaching the problem of climate change and one of the major factors that could lead to emission reduction. If we change how we cool ourselves, we could significantly lower our potential warming from the predicted 4 to 5 degree increase.

The Montreal Protocol caused such a shift in the production and science around cooling, motivated by our clear impact on the environment, that it gives this writer hope another agreement like it can be reached. The new amendment is one step of many, but it is a big step.

Factories that manufacture air conditioners are also a large contributor to carbon emissions. Friedman’s article goes on to discuss the efficiency of air conditioning production: demand for air conditioning is increasing, which means the energy needed for production will increase as well. “1.6 billion new air-conditioners by 2050 means thousands of new power plants will have to come on line to support them.”

The demand for air conditioning is growing rapidly. Without innovation, this will only contribute further to global warming, and hence to an even greater demand for cooling technologies—an endless loop. That’s why these issues of cooling chemicals and efficiency are starting to be approached in creative, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive ways, across the interconnected fields of science and design. Innovation and policy changes go hand-in-hand when it comes to air products, which, to me, is a pretty sexy dinner party topic.

How air conditioning shaped architecture

June 2017

Air conditioning and modern architecture are more connected than what you think and the article “How air conditioning shaped modern architecture – and changed our climate” proves it. The writer, Patrick Sisson, provides us with an entertaining and didactic tour around architecture, technology and air. What we found very exciting about this piece is that while Sisson demonstrates how numerous building typologies adapted to the sudden freedom provided by air conditioning, he also emphasizes that artificial cooling has fueled today’s energy and environmental crisis.

In other words: yes, air conditioning allowed architects to design towers without atriums or light wells; yes, air conditioning “meant workers didn’t need to sit near a window and hence “offices could suddenly have larger floorplates, encouraging collaboration and denser construction”; yes, air conditioning made sealed buildings possible –hence, receiving no city dirt and dust through open windows. But of course, all these “advantages” had a flipside: “The adoption of the “windowless wall” created the fluorescent-lit, dull and dim office spaces many workers abhor” and major health implications were derived from the unhealthy air quality inside closed-off buildings. But what’s even worst: “the most damaging part of this shift has been the cost, in energy and carbon emissions, of our cool new world. By 2014, 87 percent of U.S. homes had some form of air conditioning”. The cooling of buildings and vehicles in the United States “contributes to half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. We consume more energy for residential air conditioning than all other countries combined, although, with other countries such as China and India in pursuit of glass-walled visions of modernity, that is going to change, and not in a good way. Due in large part to indoor climate control, buildings utilize half of total U.S. energy consumption”.

All in all, we certainly agree with Sisson when he states: “Air conditioning promised a cooler, more modern environment indoors. But unless architects and designers continue to develop more green, efficient ways to keep our buildings cool, it will be increasingly difficult to escape the warming environment outside”.

For the complete article click here.

Photo Credit: “Curbed”