Honda R&D puts the chill to workers' delight
Remember last week's post on the Ohio-based Honda R&D facility receiving the gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award? One of the environmentally-friendly technologies named is an ice-chilling system used to cool the main facility. The Associated Press wrote a more detailed report on it.The technology is not new. The system creates ice under the power plant which then is used to cool air circulating in the building. According to Honda, the system uses less electricity and water than prior systems. Interestingly, such systems are costly to set up and usually used by convention centers and similar large complexes. Though Honda won't reveal how much it paid, a senior engineer stated the system will pay itself off with three years.
[Source: Associated Press via Washington Post]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 8:46AM (7/19/2006)
As it turns out, I live with one of these systems: The building I work in has one.
Seems to work well - though a few times the maintenance folks went overboard on the nighttime ice-making cycle and managed to shut down the chilled water loops that cool our computer labs. At 2 am, my server room peaked at 116 degrees F; the temperature monitor was paging me every couple of minutes.
These systems aren't really designed to save electricity per se: They simply use cheap electricity at night, to save on expensive electricity during the day. Though widespread use could have lots of benefits (think: Avoiding California brownouts on hot summer days).
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Jake 3:08AM (7/20/2006)
If it were a Chinese system it would be powered by coal!
I appreceiate companys that actually care.
Honda is The Leader!
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Phil L. 6:31AM (7/20/2006)
Given how most electricity in the US is generated, it IS a coal-powered system.
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