Coolnomix provides commercial air conditioning and refrigeration users with an effective retrofit solution to realise energy savings of 15 to 40 per cent.
Coolnomix was first released in 2012 by Hong Kong based Agile8 Consulting.
Company CEO Kevin Moore said air conditioners do not operate at full capacity all year round, and most of the time the compressor is controlled by thermostat.
“Because thermostats only use a single room temperature sensor, they run compressors for much longer than necessary,” he said.
“Towards the end of these extended runs, little useful work is being achieved.
“Not only is energy being wasted by running too long it also results in hotter condensers, which also reduces system efficiency.”
It was this double whammy that gave Agile8 Consulting the impetus to come up with a smarter way of controlling compressors, and developing Coolnomix.
Coolnomix uses two sensors and an internationally patented algorithm called ORS (“Optimized Refrigerant Supply”) to control the compressor.
Initially, it prioritises comfort before determining whether sufficient cooling capacity is available to give the compressor a break. In most situations, this achieves savings of between 15 and 40 per cent.
“Our team has been working on this for over 10 years,” Moore said.
“The algorithm is quite complex and includes numerous fail-safe measures to prevent issues like short cycling.”
With more than 6,000 installations in 33 countries worldwide, including ongoing trials with the US Department of Defence, Moore is confident the company has developed a unique and effective solution that significantly reduces energy use and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time improving comfort.
Patrick Michel, the CEO of Watt Solutions, the Australian distributor of Coolnomix, said its the right solution for this market.
“It delivers significant savings, can easily be retrofitted to just about any air-conditioning or refrigeration unit, and it provides customers with a very compelling Return on Investment (ROI) without the need for any significant equipment upgrade,” Michel said.
“When we first surveyed the market, we found that prior compressor optimisation products had failed to deliver reliable savings or comfort. When we tested Coolnomix it delivered both consistently.”
Watt Solutions has been working closely with Agile8 for over a year, and initial trials with a select number of large commercial customers has provided extremely encouraging results.
“We have delivered savings in offices, banks, gyms, petrol stations, bottle shops and clubs, and in all cases we have exceeded 20 per cent,” he said.
“In one of our most successful trials, Coolnomix saved more than 45 per cent in a major bank branch. It works and we have the data to prove it.”
Michel said that initially HVAC professionals were sceptical, due in part to previous experiences with other technologies that were disappointing.
“In some cases they thought they were already using the most efficient equipment on the market, but after measuring the savings achieved on client sites with Coolnomix they quickly became converts,” he said.
“This solution doesn't make air-conditioning hardware more efficient, only the way it’s controlled. Effectively, it eliminates periods of inefficient run-times and only operates the compressor when it is being effective.”
Coolnomix works with most direct expansion (DX) air conditioning and refrigeration installations. It is suitable for all DX formats, including split, packaged, multi-split and wall units, it works with both single speed or inverter based compressors, for cool-only or reverse cycle units.
Watt Solutions is looking to establish a network of dedicated resellers around the country and to work closely with large nationwide customers to help them save energy.
For details visit www.wattsolutions.com.au/COOLNOMIX, email info@wattsolutions.net or call 1300 883 625.