ROSWELL, GA.—Facility and HVAC engineers can now obtain critical operating cost data for HVAC air filters anywhere, any time, thanks to a new mobile smart phone tool from Kimberly-Clark Filtration. The mobile analysis tool works with a variety of smart phones and other mobile devices and is available for free. It allows people to compare the energy costs and environmental impact (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions) of any two similar HVAC systems using different filters simply by entering data into an easy-to-use form. (Online instructions are available to help.) The tool then automatically calculates the energy costs and annual CO2 emissions of each system, showing the impact of filter selection.
The resulting data is available in tabular or graph formats—both of which can be e-mailed directly from the user’s smart phone to any e-mail account. Users can see calculations as well as a summary. The summary data also recommends the filter option that will provide the greatest energy cost savings.
“Filters play a major role in an HVAC system’s energy consumption,” says Lon Edelman, CAFS, market manager, Kimberly-Clark Filtration. “The energy costs to operate an air filter can be up to 80 percent of the filter’s total lifecycle cost, and 10 times the filter’s purchase price. That is why it is so crucial to pay attention to energy consumption, and not just the purchase price of a filter.”
Edelman adds that filters with a lower pressure drop allow the HVAC system motor to overcome less resistance to deliver the required air flow, thus reducing the motor’s energy consumption. Minimizing energy consumption minimizes greenhouse gas emissions—a wise sustainability strategy for commercial and institutional buildings, especially those pursuing LEED credits.
The tool estimates the life cycle cost and environmental impact of filters in systems with variable frequency or variable speed fans. It is not designed for use with fixed speed fan systems. The new mobile tool runs on the following smart phone systems: all versions of iPhone; Blackberry 4.6 and above; Blackberry 4.5 will be supported with limited graphics; all versions of Android; all versions of Windows mobile; and Symbian S60 and above.
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