Our environmental impact research areas
Controlled Climate Test Facility
We're testing the performance of different air conditioning components under various climatic conditions.This helps us to work with product designers and manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial air conditioning systems.
Come take a virtual tour of our Controlled Climate Test Facility.
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[Image changes to show a blue screen and CSIRO logo and text appears on the screen: Controlled Climate Test Facility]
[Image changes to show a view of the Controlled Climate Test Facility and the camera gradually pans around the facility to show a male seated at a desk]
Narrator: In Australia air conditioning and refrigeration consumes over 20% of all produced electricity and is responsible for around 50% of peak demand on the electricity system.
[Image changes to show the Test Bench area of the Controlled Climate Test Facility with silver ducting throughout the room and the camera zooms gradually in on the ducting and then a male appears on the right-hand side of the room and a sign appears on the left with a heading: Test bench]
Our controlled climate test facility tests the performance of air conditioning components under different climatic conditions to help improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial air conditioning systems.
[Image shows the male looking at equipment on the Test bench and then walking to the back of the room]
This includes testing commercial evaporative coolers, heat exchanges and desiccant wheels to determine how they perform in a range of climatic conditions as well as new break-through components we have developed.
[Music plays and the image changes to show a male walking towards two silver ducts in the centre of a room and a sign appear on the ducts: Hot & Dry air, Hot & Humid air]
These silver ducts are where two separate air streams are created, hot or cold or humid or dry.
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We can set a range from 0 to 90° C and 10 to 95% humidity
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to mimic real conditions from across the globe such as hot and dry like you would find in the Sahara Desert or hot and humid like you would find in Darwin. Why do we do this?
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Because we can push different technologies to the limit to see what works best and how to make improvements to help reduce energy use and costs.
[Image changes to show a view of a male seated at a desk in the Controlled Climate Test Facility]
Our innovation isn’t just happening in a lab.
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It’s in the real world too including an Education Building at Hamilton TAFE in New South Wales and Stockland Shopping Centre in Ballarat Victoria. We’re continuing to work with our partners both locally and globally to help deliver a lower emissions future.
[Music plays and text appears: www.csiro.au/energy]
[CSIRO logo and text appears: Australia’s innovation catalyst]