According to Sam Ringwaldt, founder and chief executive of Conry Tech, if it’s been 10 years since you last thought about updating your HVAC system, it’s probably time for an upgrade.
But despite these relatively frequent upgrades, the underlying design of HVAC units has been essentially unchanged over the past 100 years.
Old design means old functionality, and with most models consuming about two-thirds of a building’s power, air-conditioning is one of the biggest energy drains in commercial space, Sam says.
Also, airconditioning currently accounts for 15 per cent of global energy-related emissions, which places it higher than aviation or fuel emissions.
And even worse, the current models can’t resolve the all too common “too hot” or “too cold” office debate.
This is where Conry Tech, co-founded by the company’s namesake, Ron Conry, believe they have a great solution.
They are launching a new airconditioning system that is eco-friendly and at the same time lowers costs.
They’ve rethought air-conditioning from the ground up, creating a way to decentralise the system with hyperefficient micro-units. Buildings could be fitted with four or five microsystems per floor, allowing each area of the building to be at a different temperature while still saving energy. All the microsystems are integrated and communicate with each other to provide optimal comfort and energy efficiency.
Installing the new microsystems instead of just a chiller can initially look like coming in at a premium, but Sam says the company anticipates energy savings that pay back that investment in two to three years. However, for a new building, there would actually not be any real premium.
The actual price of the system is very similar to some of the cheapest systems in the market, something the company achieved by vertically integrating and redesigning the system from the ground up, which eliminated unnecessary, expensive parts of the typical systems.
“The reason why we can make such a significant impact on the current system is that we can actually make life better for most people. We can make them more comfortable than they’ve ever been before, and we can make all this more affordable by improving systems and making them simpler to install, service and operate.”
The Melbourne-based tech startup team previously built several of today’s globally leading HVAC businesses. The Canadian government awarded the team $26 million to bring one of its previous products to scale, a compressor technology that now has over 60 per cent of global market share. They are now applying their expertise to develop this next generation system that will create radical AC change right here in Australia.
Thinking ahead and want to explore better options for your buildings? Contact Sam Ringwaldt below to talk about your HVAC needs today!
