Australian HVAC services contractor AE Smith is claiming impressive results over the last six months in Townsville and Cairns with new UV light powered Steril-Aire technology.
The US technology uses the sterilisation properties of the sun to successfully operate inside air conditioning systems.
AE Smith North Queensland General Manager Vic Riella said the product "saves a great amount of energy so the pay back is very quick, it kills 99 per cent of all viruses in the air and it also cleans the evaporator coils thoroughly, which reduces maintenance and does away with chemicals - that is a big plus for the environment.”
Riella said impressive results have been recorded after three months, even on the worst evaporator coils. Results show the cleanliness and efficiency of the unit is reinstated to about 98 per cent.
Powered by Ultra Violet light, Steril-Aire provides a very high output in the UV-C band, which works by destroying DNA, thereby killing the entire food source for any mould and bacteria growing in air-conditioning units units.
AE Smith sites success stories with the Ergon Energy buildings, Base Hospital, Prince Charles Hospital, City Council Chambers, Maroochy Shire Council and Tweed Shire Council.
News Ltd's environment and climate change manager Tony Wilkins recently said the result "exceeded all our expectations" during a trial at the Cairns Post.
He told CE Daily that Steril-Aire's UV-C emitters effectively killed and removed mould and bacteria on the surfaces of HVAC systems.
In the Cairns Post trial, he sited a 17 per cent increase in airflow and a 40 per cent improvement in cooling coil efficiency. Microbial testing of air conditioning system surfaces identified a 99 per cent reduction in fungal and bacterial levels, with News Ltd estimating a payback period of just seven and a half months.
AE Smith say they can also install the UV-C system in water tanks, giving peace of mind to schools and community groups.
“We look after the whole spectrum for any building, so we understand the full picture of how a bacterial outbreak affects water as well as air. Should an animal infiltrate a water tank fitted with Steril-Aire that school can be confident no one would become sick.
“The UV-C light is so strong that nothing lives in it. The bacteria is killed and the water is cleaned so well that you could drink it safely. Actually, one of our installers does drink it to prove a point,” he said.
