Refrigerant rethink: measuring the environmental impact of HVAC

Specifiers need to start assessing a refrigerant’s embodied carbon as well as its global warming potential, says Klima-Therm’s Tim Mitchell, who is working with bodies such as LETI and CIBSE to calculate the full carbon impact of HVAC systems

Maintaining thermal comfort in a changing climate

In a warming climate, what can be done to maintain thermal comfort and productivity levels in buildings without resorting to excessive cooling? Phil Lattimore reports from a CIBSE Health and Wellbeing Group video debate

Book review: The Architecture of Natural Cooling by Brian Ford

Brian Ford’s The Architecture of Natural Cooling gives guidance on implementing a collaborative approach to design, and explains the creative application of building physics. London South Bank University’s Andy Ford reviews the contents

Zero-GWP cooling using the barocaloric effect

A Cambridge start-up is pioneering a breakthrough technology, based on the barocaloric effect, to develop a radical zero-GWP cooling system. Phil Lattimore reports

Using water as a refrigerant in a commercial chiller

The eChiller is a novel solution that uses water as a refrigerant. Green Thermal Energy’s Garry Broadbent explains how it works and why it’s suitable for applications requiring chilled water flow temperatures of 16°C and above

Showcasing net-zero: Event Complex Aberdeen’s energy strategy

The Event Complex Aberdeen has a sophisticated energy strategy combining anaerobic digestion, hydrogen fuel cells and CHP plant. Andy Pearson talks to HDR | Hurley Palmer Flatt about the system design, which also produces hydrogen for a fleet of local buses

Sponsored roundtable: The benefits of REFCOM Elite

Poorly installed cooling systems can have disastrous consequences for energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. Amanda Birch hears how REFCOM Elite can eliminate the risks, in our latest expert roundtable

Cost model: data centre cooling

In this month’s cost model, Aecom’s engineering services cost-management team explores the options for cooling large data centres – from traditional air cooling with chiller and Crac units, to free cooling and water-based systems