Air cooling technology takes a new turn with an evaporative cooler. Over the last decade, the advances in evaporative cooling have led to a new revolution in cooling solutions. The evaporative cooler offers low running costs, coupled with eco-friendly operation making it the ideal choice for any business or homeowner that is looking for an alternative to traditional air-conditioning systems.
Evaporative cooling works on the principle of evaporation. Have you ever been lying next to a lake, or relaxing on the beach on a hot day, when a cool breeze wanders in from the water and washes over you with its refreshing, cool wave? That is the principle in effect in nature. As water evaporates, it changes phase from liquid to gas.
This phase change provides a latent heat exchange between the water and the air around it as the water becomes gas in a high-energy state. The cool air left behind provides a natural means of air-cooling and it is this very principle that is the foundation of how an evaporative cooler works.
The cooler consists of a housing that contains a water reservoir and a pump which pumps the water over a set of cooling pads. A fan then draws in the hot, dry air from outside and draws it through the pad where the evaporative process takes place. After which, the cool air is then pushed into the room by the fan.
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Evaporative coolers have shown to be a much more cost-effective solution than traditional air-cons, with savings on electricity consumption of up to 70%, allowing for the unit to pay for itself in just a few seasons. There is also no refrigeration system, therefore there are no harmful gasses such as CFC’s released into the atmosphere, making them the ideal choice for homeowners and businesses that are concerned with reducing their environmental impact and reducing their carbon footprint
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Evaporative coolers work best in hot climates with low humidity. As evaporative coolers work on a principle of water evaporation, areas with high humidity will decrease the efficacy of the cooler and reduce its cooling effect. If you live or work in a humid environment, such as the coastline, then traditional air-con systems will be the better choice.
Air-cooling is used in every commercial business and evaporative cooling is fast becoming the industry standard for new installations. Evaporative cooling can handle almost any cooling application where traditional air-cons were used in the past, let’s look at 10 uses of residential and commercial evaporative air coolers.
1. Everywhere in your home
With the rise in average summer temperatures and the baking heat of long summer days, many homes are moving toward a fixed unit air-conditioning system as a means of providing cool, clean air and escaping the heat. Evaporative cooling systems are now available for the same function.
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A fixed unit evaporative cooler system will provide better cooling efficiency and lower running costs than a ducted air-conditioning system, making them an ideal choice for homeowners that live in hot, dry climates.
2. Any room in the home
Evaporative cooling has had leaps and bounds in its technology and today there are even portable units, with varying capacities, that you can transfer between rooms in the house or the office, allowing you to take your cooling system with you anywhere you decide to go. If you need your lounge to be cool during the day and your bedroom to be cool at night, then a portable system is the ideal solution for your cooling needs.
3. Outdoor patios and marquees
Outdoor events in the summer can be a sweltering affair. Even with a white marquee, the sun rays will beat down on the venue and cause an unpleasant build-up of heat that hangs in the air. Mounting an evaporative cooling solution to the marquee will resolve this problem and provide a cool breeze that everyone will enjoy.
4. Retail centres
Most shopping centers, especially large ones, will be using some form of air-conditioning system. The expense of running a system this large is astronomical and changing to an evaporative cooling solution will save up to 80% of the cooling costs related to the system, allowing building managers to appropriate these savings to other areas of their budget.
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5. Commercial kitchens
Commercial kitchens in restaurants, office parks or retail centers currently use air-conditioning to cool down the excessive heat produced by the working environment. This can easily be replaced with an evaporative cooling solution which will provide the same cooling effectiveness while saving a bundle on costs.
6. Factories
Factories are another example of a working environment that produces a large amount of heat. Being that factories generally have windows and doors open at most times, they are another prime candidate for evaporative coolers as they can greatly benefit from the cool work environment while using less electricity and reducing the businesses carbon footprint, allowing for tax exemptions and other environmental incentives that are in place to help businesses that are interested in becoming eco-friendly and reducing their carbon footprint in their operations.
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7. Transportation
Everything from refrigeration trucks to public transport can benefit from the use of evaporative cooling solutions. Transportation is one of the primary costs of doing business and any savings made in operations through lowered electricity consumption will add to the businesses profitability and the client's satisfaction.
8. Greenhouses
Greenhouses are another fantastic example of using evaporative cooling to take advantage of nature and the natural air-flow she produces. Greenhouses can become overly-warm in the summer, causing crops to fail due to excessive heat. Installing an evaporative cooler will keep the temperature in the environment under control and boost production and yield of the harvest.
9. Garages and parking facilities
Garages can become very hot places, with hot pockets developing in certain areas and large volumes of exhaust gasses collecting due to poor airflow in the buildings structure. This issue is eliminated with the use of an evaporative cooling system, keeping the parkade or garage filled with flowing, clean air.
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10. New construction
Any new building complex that is under construction should seriously consider using an evaporative cooling system that services the building instead of relying on a traditional air-con. Installing the right system from the start will make sure that your building is consuming less electricity, saving your tenants on their levies.
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