Air-conditioned Nation
Singapore has long been dubbed the “Air-conditioned nation,” Singapore is experimenting with cooling alternatives from chilled beams to “passive displacement” to curb its thirst for energy-guzzling air conditioning units. The city-state has the highest per-capita air conditioner ownership rate in Southeast Asia, with about 99 percent of private residences equipped with cooling units. Singapore’s local building sector accounts for one-fifth of the country’s emissions, while cooling itself accounts for 40 to 60 percent of a building’s energy consumption, according to studies. A stroll down renowned thoroughfare Orchard Road highlights that dependence. Shoppers are greeted by blasts of cool air that waft into the street as doors swing open — cool is a major draw given daytime highs hover between 88 and 95 degrees year-round.
But air conditioning can make the heat problem worse. Compressor units belch hot air back out into the environment, and the electricity that powers the systems can contribute to climate change if generated from fossil fuels. Some buildings in Singapore are looking at other options, including active chilled beams, which are perforated panels equipped with cooling coils that are mounted on ceilings.
A chiller plant on the building’s top floor cools water down to 48 degrees, then pumps it into the coils, like your outside heat exchanger. Simultaneously, air is blasted through small nozzles inside the beams. The jets of air create a low-pressure zone that sucks up warmer air from the room below and it passes over the coils and is cooled before recirculating. The technology keeps the offices at the eight-story Paya Lebar Green building in eastern Singapore at a comfortable 75. A visiting AFP team felt noticeably cooler air flowing from the sleek white panels on the ceiling of the building, described as one of Singapore’s “greenest.” The system is also quiet, without the constant hum of air conditioning units.
“The technologies are a step in the right direction and should eventually incorporate more sophisticated controls, including predictive systems that adjust temperatures before rooms become too hot or cold,” said Wan Man Pun, a cooling tech expert at Nanyang Technological University. But “we still haven’t found any alternative cooling methods that have a higher coefficient of performance, or efficiency, than vapor compression,” Wan said.
Humor for the cool folks
I like jokes. But jokes about killing air conditioners?
Not a fan.
I heard about global warming…
So now I leave my air conditioner on all the time. I know just one individual can’t save the planet, but I do my best.
My HVAC guy is pretty unprepared.
I told him that before he comes over, he better get his ducts in a row.
I walked into the kitchen today to find my blonde wife looking very confused while holding a jar of pickles.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
She replied, “This jar of pickle says to store it in a cool, dark location.”
I said, “Okay, how about in the fridge?”
She said, “No, silly, there’s a little light inside.”
November 5th Birthdays
1963 – Tatum O’Neal, 1983 – Alexa Chung, 2001 – Alex Hook, 1940 – Elke Sommer
1982 – Odell Beckham, 1941 – Art Garfunkel, 1994 – Zack Henri, 1952 – Bill Walton