Now that 2015 is here, it’s an ideal time to consider the regulatory changes and technological advances in the heating and cooling industry. Several factors are driving fundamental changes in the industry; innovation is the name of the game, propelled by the ever present need for efficiency and sustainability.
Whether it’s the smallest circuit board or the biggest HVAC system, the battle of the BTU is being fought on many fronts.
Energy Conservation
According the Department of Energy (DOE), almost 50 percent of the energy consumption in U.S. homes can be attributed to heating and cooling; for industrial applications, this number rises to about 57 percent. As a result, the DOE has many programs and regulatory standards in place to promote more efficient energy use. One such is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).
The SEER standard is a unit of measure for residential and commercial heating and cooling systems. This year, the DOE is revising the SEER standard to provide higher efficiency. For repair and service contractors, this means that they will need to use parts, components, and systems that are compliant with new SEER standards. This includes meeting part-load efficiency requirements for light commercial split, package and rooftop systems as well as residential unitary air conditioning and heat pump systems--all in addition to new chiller standards.
Pulsating Heat Pipes and Microtechnology
For smaller scale heating and cooling applications, the New Year will bring another round of game-changing modernizations. In 2014, researchers from San Diego State University began working on an interesting approach to the thermal management of microelectronics.
Traditionally, these applications use heat pipes to provide the required cooling; however, the rapid rate of miniaturization is highlighting the limitations of this method. The new approach is called pulsating (or oscillating) heat pipes, and it has the potential to provide 100 times the cooling capacity of standard heat pipes. If this technology pans out, it would allow for the development of much smaller and higher powered electronic devices.
As the world of heating and cooling continues to evolve, Pelonis Technologies will be on the pulse of the latest innovations and regulatory requirements of the industry. We will continue to provide our customers with the highest quality components for all your heating and cooling needs.
If you have questions about diverse, custom heating and cooling systems, Pelonis Technologies has several online resources that can provide you with a better understanding of options available to you.
If you need further assistance pertaining to heating and cooling, don’t hesitate to contact us.
