JCI-Hitachi focus on IAQ with new air conditioner
21st April 2022
JAPAN: Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning has announced the global launch of a new domestic air conditioner series focused on energy efficiency and improved indoor air quality.
Named AirHome, it is said to be equipped with a variety of smart and intuitive functions that will help users maintain a comfortable indoor environment. The first model of the series will first be available throughout Europe starting with France this month and later becoming available in Asia.
AirHome is equipped with FrostWash, an automatic self-cleaning feature that freezes the heat exchanger down to -15°C to trap pollutants and dust in ice, which then melts to flush them away. According to the manufacturer, this leaves the unit cleaner and dramatically reduces the possibility of pollutants being spread from the AC unit across the room.
Tests are said to have shown that systems with FrostWash are three times better at maintaining airflow performance than those without the technology. Before and after airflow performance comparison tests on identical dust-laden units, with and without FrostWash, showed an 18% drop in airflow performance for the unit without FrostWash, compared to only a 6% drop in performance for the unit with FrostWatch.
Smart
AirHome also includes a Smart Eco function, which detects the human presence and adjusts the operation accordingly. Customers can also set their room to a cooler temperature while sleeping knowing that SleepSense will detect their sleep and automatically adjust the temperature to prevent the room from getting too cold.
Use of the AirCloud Home smartphone app allows customers to set up location awareness and temperature profiles to detect when users are on their way home to automatically adjust the temperature before their arrival.
Air purification
Four different air purification technologies are deployed against pollutants, viruses, allergens, bacteria, and odours depending on the model. Lab tests are said to have shown a 99.9% reduction in covid virus particles, up to 99% control on bacteria, up to 86% elimination of odours, and up to 97.1% control of allergens. While switched off, AirHome’s mould guard function automatically blows air through internal components to prevent the build-up of odour-causing moulds.
