Space tech optimises air conditioning
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The convenient add-on can cut AC energy consumption by at least half
Spotted: Air conditioning generates around 3.2 per cent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. But because of the significant role they play in protecting public health, simply getting rid of cooling technologies isn’t an option – despite their sizeable carbon footprint. In fact, it’s estimated that ACs prevented almost 200,000 premature deaths related to extreme heat in 2019. Now, Helix Earth Technologies has developed an innovative add-on that can help to cut the carbon cost of air conditioning.
At the heart of the technology is a filtration system, which was initially created by Helix CEO Rawand Rasheed and his team when they were at NASA developing ways to filter air on spacecraft. The device, called a Helix MICRA, is made up of the company’s proprietary MICRA filters and liquid desiccants to dehumidify the air coming into an air conditioning unit, helping them to cool more efficiently with much lower energy consumption.
According to the company, in humid environments, up to 80 per cent of the energy used by ACs goes directly to dehumidifying air. The Helix MICRA add-on takes on this task using the same amount of energy as a hairdryer. In doing so, it eases the pressure on the rest of the AC unit and helps to lower the power demands of cooling technologies by half – and potentially even more.
The technology is designed to be easily integrated into virtually any existing AC rooftop unit (RTU) or dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) by a single technician in just a few hours. Plus, the MICRA is also a tenth of the size of the AC unit it’s attached to, and is easily maintained. Helix claims that its technology starts paying for itself in just three years.
Last month, Helix Earth Technologies raised $5.6 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by Veriten, with participation from other key investors in Silicon Valley, Boston, Houston, and Europe.
Written By: Duncan Whitmore and Matilda Cox