Construction World January 2019

HEATING & COOLING

HOWA DROUGHT GAVE RISE TO A UNIQUE RETAIL SOLUTION W hen spring arrives in South Africa, the streets are awash in a purple haze. With that said, it may become more difficult

By Dale Snyders, Air Conditioning General Manager, LG Electronics South Africa

to see jacaranda tree blossoms in the near future due to a law put in place by the South African government banning the planting of new jacaranda trees, which absorb large amounts of water from the ground, as parts of the country recently experienced the worst drought in 100 years. Everyone pitched in to help Everyone in South Africa, from individual citizens to businesses, government departments and retail outlets were affected by the drought and were called on to curb water usage in whatever ways they could. So, when the opportunity arose for Cresta Shopping Mall to revamp the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system used in the mall, they reassessed the entire system with the idea to be more energy and water-efficient. When considering the operation of a shopping mall with many people coming and going on a daily basis, providing a comfortable environment for customers is directly related to sales and profits of the centre. Cresta Shopping Mall previously had a water-cooled chiller HVAC system installed. Water-cooled chiller systems use water to cool the indoor space by pumping it to the Fan Coil Units installed inside the building. Therefore, water-cooled HVAC systems require additional cooling towers and a continuous supply of water to cool the system. Because this type of set-up requires large volumes of water, they are less efficient in locations where the water supply isn’t guaranteed. A highly energy efficient system that saves water After considering how to use water resources more efficiently and how to curtail the expensive operation fees of the HVAC system,Cresta proceeded with an extensive overhaul of the system. In a large-scale shopping mall, an HVAC system needs to be specialised for many diverse spaces such as open atriums, many small shops, offices, movie theatres and food courts. There are also

many other internal requirements for an HVAC system. Accordingly, a flexible system design capable of simultaneously supplying heating and cooling to individual spaces, and central HVAC functionality is required. Shopping malls also require HVAC systems that fluctuate in supplying heating and cooling depending on expansion of the facility or renovations to spaces. Cresta selected the high-efficiency air-cooled VRF system, LG Multi V, along with powerful LG AHUs (Air Handling Unit) from the wide range of LG HVAC solutions. This all-in-one Eco Package combination is providing drastically improved energy efficiency over the existing water-cooled system and is reducing operation and maintenance fees without consuming even a single drop of water. Cresta was able to greatly reduce operation fees by 32% and resolve the excess use of water as well as other costs caused by the existing water-cooled HVAC system. Cresta is the first mall in South Africa to implement this high efficiency system, which allows them to deliver the most comfortable environment for customers while also relieving the burden of excess energy costs and, of course, saving water too. 

PARTNERSHIP TESTAMENT TO THE SUCCESS OF DISTRIBUTOR NETWORK Industrial filtration and ventilation specialist Filvent of eMalahleni, which has a Level 2 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rating, has had a relationship with Fleetguard ® since the company was established in the early 1990s.

T his not only makes it one of Cummins Filtration’s longest- standing Fleetguard ® distributors, but is also testament to the success of its independent distributor model to date. Filvent offers a full range of products, including air filters, fuel filters, oil filters and hydraulic filters. “The reason we offer Fleetguard® products is because these have been designed to meet the highest demands and requirements of the heavy-duty engines used particularly in the mining industry,” owner Chris Vos comments. The company currently has a broad footprint in the Mpumalanga

coalfields area, and has contracts with many of the major mining houses in the region. In 2001, Filvent achieved ISO 9001-2008 accreditation, and in 2010 was accredited by TÜV Rheinland. Vos says that quality components are critical when it comes to the maintenance and repair of modern diesel engines, given the rapid pace of technological development, combined with the increasing demand for improved performance, fuel efficiency, and reduced emissions in order to comply with local and international regulations.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2019