Energy performance
The importance of reducing the energy consumption of buildings.
Energy
The energy consumption of buildings is an important factor in a number of different regulations. Heating and ventilation are a major source of energy expenditure.
France Air is developing a vast array of solutions offering increasingly high levels of performance, and considerably reducing the energy consumption of HVAC installations whilst maintaining good air quality inside of the buildings.
Widespread introduction of ECMs
We have adopted the widespread introduction of ECMs in all our ranges to offer:
– Energy consumption savings in excess of 60% compared to traditional AC motor fans. The electronically commutated motor (ECM) offers high efficiency at any speed.
– Compliance with European regulations : the Energy-Related Products (ERP) directive 2009/125/EC defines the minimum requirements that the fans must fulfil in terms of performance.
Energy recovery
We are continuing to develop energy recovery solutions:
France Air has developed the widest range of high-performance ventilation with energy recovery and a wide range of backups: hot water coils, electric heaters, direct expansion, changeover. Energy recovery is a key element which enables consumption to be optimised whilst ensuring the best possible setting for the comfort and health parameters (preventing the introduction of contaminated and fresh air).
Energy recovery in all sectors, including the markets, in professional kitchens, where this technology did not previously exist. In a professional kitchen, the costs related to heating and ventilation equate to 33% of the overall expenses of a kitchen. Reducing this energy consumption which has a direct impact on operating costs is crucial.
France Air has developed an energy recovery hood, with integrated compensation. This hood enables the calories in the extracted air to be recovered in order to heat the supply air in the kitchen. Thanks to this energy recovery, the France Air Actinys® hood enables reductions of 70% to 100% on the electricity bill incurred for heating the kitchen (which is around a 10% reduction on the kitchen’s overall electricity bill).
Management of installations
Integration of embedded control systems in the air handling units to enable built-in timer programming, control of the freecooling function, or night-time monitoring.
Development of supervision tools with equipment communicating via Modbus RTU or BacNet (damper, unit) or with connected machine standby tools (France Air connect), enabling a machine fault to be reported directly (filter fouling, CO2 level, fan shutdown, etc.), guaranteeing that the ventilation continues to run smoothly.
Integration of flow rate modulation
Flow rate modulation consists of varying the air introduced into each room from a single air handling unit. A sensor, installed in the room, communicates with a damper which closes or opens to adjust the air flow according to demand, whilst maintaining a constant pressure at the unit’s outlet to ensure the air diffusion is not disrupted in other rooms not affected by the change in flow rate.
- Flow rate modulation allows ventilation which matches requirements very closely in rooms with intermittent occupation rates, and prevents unneeded ventilation (an empty meeting room does not need the same ventilation as a full meeting room).
- France Air has developed the very first modulated ventilation ranges.
Maintenance of installations
Maintenance of installations to guarantee operation under optimal conditions, with:
- The addition of a pressure switch to monitoring the fouling of the filters in all the ventilation systems, thereby ensuring that the equipment is in good working order.
- The development of the France Air Connect service which ensures continuity of operation thanks to the real-time detection of faults.
- The development of maintenance guidelines in its technical documents.
- Facilitated maintenance with simple, user-friendly control units (displaying alarms and operating parameters).