Smartcool Delivers Its First Wireless DCV System to Minnesota Supermarket

System uses battery-powered wireless CO2 sensor

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Smartcool Systems Inc. announced that the company has delivered its first wireless demand control ventilation (DCV) system. The installation was a three-way collaboration between Smartcool Systems, Airtest Technologies Inc., and Total Energy Concepts Inc.

Airtest Technologies provides sensors for commercial applications. A focus of the company has been to provide CO2 sensors for demand control ventilation. Simply stated, demand control ventilation, also known as DCV, is the use of CO2 sensors to determine occupancy of a climate-controlled space to bring in fresh outside air as needed. Without a feedback loop to the HVAC system, building codes require public spaces to provide fresh air based on their maximum occupancy. Generally this means significant over-ventilation and needlessly heating or cooling outside air. By using CO2 sensors, the HVAC systems can better regulate the amount of fresh air required, resulting in a significant reduction in outside air being conditioned. The resultant savings can be significant, with energy reduction in the range of 10 percent to upwards of 50 percent. Until recently, said Airtest, CO2 sensors required a wired connection. However, earlier this year, Airtest developed a battery-powered wireless CO2 sensor. With this development, the cost of retrofitting is significantly reduced, providing a compelling return on investment, said the company.

Based on these developments, Smartcool Systems became distributors for Airtest products in the spring. Working with one of its lead distributors, Total Energy Concepts Inc., Smartcool was involved in the initial installation at a supermarket in Minnesota. Total Energy Concepts noted that, in addition to supermarkets, the best applications for this technology include retailers, auto dealers, movie theaters, and other locations where the occupancy varies during the course of the day.

Smartcool CEO Ted Konyi said, “We are very excited about this installation and the opportunity to leverage our existing dealer and distributor network. Incorporating Airtest’s breakthrough wireless technology will allow us to augment energy efficiency already provided by Smartcool’s proprietary technology. I've been familiar with this protocol for 10 years and believe it is extremely complementary to our own. I expect this will add to our overall sales volume.”

Damian Smith, president of Total Energy Concepts, said, “We have an existing customer base of over 9,000 installations. These are all customers that have incorporated energy efficiency into their operations by way of TEC. We are excited to partner with Smartcool and AirTest to offer this new technology. The implementation is relatively non-invasive and the results are huge. We will be going back to all our past customers to tell them about this product, as well as include it with new customers moving forward.”

Mike Shell, senior vice president at Airtest, said, “This is our first installation of the new RTUiLINK wireless CO2 measurement and control technology incorporating full reporting of CO2 sensor readings and equipment control signals. It is also designed to work with our rooftop fault detection package that can immediately indicate equipment malfunction via text, email, or web interface. While the fault detection package was not included, it can easily be added with very little effort. The RTUiLink technology offers a cost effective way for building owners with rooftop HVAC units to save energy with CO2 DCV while ensuring that any mechanical equipment malfunction can quickly be identified and fixed.”

For more information about Smartcool Systems, visit http://smartcool.net.

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