Air-conditioning

Technique

An air-conditioning is primarily a heat pump of a size adapted with use (comparable with a refrigerator to air-condition a car, but much larger for a building)

French regulation

In France, the decree n°2007-363 of March 19th, 2007, Article R. the 131-29, prohibited operation of the air-conditioners when the temperature of the buildings is lower or equal to 26°C. The decree is yet unfortunately only one recommendation whose it not application is not continued by the law. The goal is simply to push the users to moderate their use of this type of equipment.

Labels and certifications

In France, the Promotélec label indexes the apparatuses (and their features) answering certain requirements according to the Eurovent protocol according to the provisions of standard NF INTO 14511.

Disadvantages and polemics

The assisted air-conditioning present of the advantages and the disadvantages Medical S, but also of the health risks and the environment.

For health;

Certains air-conditioners or systems external of cooling produces water where can proliferate of the Organisme S Pathogène S if they are badly maintained. The example more quoted is that of the Légionellose.
L' injection of Disinfecting S in these systems (produced chlorinated in general) can also present health issues, and of appearance of pathogenic chloro-resistant.
Presque all the systems of air-conditioning comprise Filtre S, which must be either cleaned, or changed periodically, which is not always the case.
an air-conditioning has direction only in one space relatively “ closed ”, where various pollutants and biological contaminants (microbes) can concentrate, even if they develop less thanks to one less heat (if air-conditioning refreshes the air).
an excessive air-conditioning exposes to a thermal Choc when one turns over in space not air-conditioned. It is recommended to keep a difference in temperature the lowest possible and in any case moderate (lower than 10 °C, to see with 4°C or less, according to the sources and the context). Moreover consumption of energy also increases with this differential.

For the environment; Air-conditioning is criticized for the following reasons:

It expenditure of energy, increases the energy consumption of the buildings or vehicles which are equipped with it. ADEME estimates at 5% the annual overcost of the air-conditioning of the cars (1 liter/100 km when it is under operation).
energy consumption such as for example electricity consumption in summer is reached and exceeds in France electricity consumption made in winter, in particular since the heat waves of 2003 which actuated the equipment of number to raise hearths out of air-conditioner. Whereas in the same time parks it energy French (In particular Nuclear) cannot provide all energy because having to function mode reduced because of the difficulties of cooling met has.
It often calls upon refrigerating devices using Gaz with greenhouse effect (HFC whose capacity in term of greenhouse effect is 2.000 times stronger than that of CO2), and of which a part inevitably escapes in the atmosphere (accidents, escapes, bad management of the end-of-life of the material). Always according to the ADEME, this effect is equivalent to an increase of 10% of the impact of a vehicle on the greenhouse effect.
Trop of air-conditioners flees. The breaks in the circuit of air-conditioning of houses, hotels and public places are frequent in the very hot countries because of the shocks thermiques.
50% of the sold refrigerants are it to compensate for escapes. The escapes are frequent on the vehicles (two stoppers are intended to compensate for the losses of the circuit), and one finds in the garages of publicities for refills of gas freon or gas-lubricant mixture).
the circuit of recovery/recycling of gases in the apparatuses and vehicles at the end of the lifetime remains opaque.
Lastly, air-conditioning by a gas could often be replaced by a mechanical air-conditioning, better designed buildings or vehicles (insulation, sun visor, and devices more " naturels" used for example by Bioclimatic architecture (thick walls with high thermal inertia, Well of Provence, etc).

For health and the environment ; Certain products such as the Bromure of lithium (LiBr) are at the same time dangerous for health and the environment. Used in the machines with absorption ( air-conditioning using of water, ammonia and natural gas like energy source, in a machine with absorption producing of warm water and frozen usable simultaneously ) at a rate of hundreds of liters (more than 1000 liters often in the industrial air-conditioners), it can flee and must be drained per professionals qualified at the end of the lifetime of the machine. After the bankruptcies or discontinuances of business, it is sometimes difficult to know what became these products.

Legislation

In addition to with standards concerning the apparatuses, their electricity consumption, the légionellose or the recycling of the materials which compose them, the legislation evolves/moves for better applying the protocols of Montreal (protection of the Couche of ozone, which justified the prohibition of certain gases) and of Kyoto, but often by allowing the use of stocks of old products and with a certain slowness.
For example, in France, the government requires mid- 2006 qu ' one does not use air-conditioners in lower part of 26°C (decree come into effect on July 1st) and prepares its refrigeration technicians; The specialists (air-conditioning and/or refrigeration) who are 3 years old to prepare with (starting from July 4th, 2009):

- to present a “certificate of capacity” provided by an approved organization, certifying that its personnel is qualified and that it has the tools adequate.

- to declare in Ademe, annually, quantity of fluids used and recovered (cf statistics and “traceability” of these products subjected to regulation).

Qualiclimafroid, association of professionals stood as a candidate) to be approved organization and to deliver certificates of capacity.

See too

Air-conditioner for car
Well of Provence;
passive Habitat;
Arcologie ;
construction of Environmental High-quality (HQE);
Bioclimatic construction ;
Refrigerant;
Sadi Carnot (physicist);
Heat wave.

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