DaAi Headlines 20100823 Making green HVAC works

Previously, we introduced you to the eco-friendly heating ventilating and air conditioning system, designed by the Harbin Institute of Technology — or HIT — in China’s northern Heilongjiang province, which uses sewage as a heat source and a heat sink. However, the system must have access to large amount of water at any given time. The problem is that sewage contains a lot of solid waste, and if it is not filtered, the system clogs up. Conventional water treatment and filtration are far too costly; thus, HIT has designed their own self-cleaning filtration system. ( Sewage helps heat hotel ) Situated by the Songhua River, in Heilongjiang Province’s capital of Harbin, this four star hotel has a hidden secret. In 2003, it decided to forsake traditional coal-fired boiler heaters and installed a greener HVAC, developed by the Harbin Institute of Technology. Hotel engineering department manager, Wang Shaoqi: “Oh, this heating system can keep room temperatures above 20 some degrees Celsius. It’s worth every penny. Back in 2003, when we had it installed, we estimated a four year return on investment, but now that coal prices have shot up, we can recover the cost of the system within a year.” ( Return on investment in 4 years ) In running a business, every penny counts. Using traditional coal-fired boilers, the 160-roomed hotel would need to purchase 3000 tons of coal a year for heating. With current coal prices at about 100 USD per ton, heating costs would be about 300000 USD …