Seeley International has become the first air-conditioning manufacturer to join one of Australia’s largest ever clean energy focused collaborative research centres – RACE for 2030 CRC (RACE).
Seeley this week formalised a partnership with other industry, research and technology partners to incorporate innovative air-conditioning solutions into projects aimed at boosting energy productivity and demand flexibility, cutting energy costs and reducing emissions, for Australian homes, businesses and industries.
Headquartered in South Australia with manufacturing facilities both here and in the United States, Seeley exports hyper-efficient cooling and heating technologies to over 100 countries.
Seeley is renowned for its strong R&D investment, focused on energy efficiency and peak demand, health and biological control and extreme climate performance capability.
The company’s executive director of Imagineering, Rob Gilbert, said HVAC technology will play an increasingly critical role in the clean energy transition and that Seeley’s next generation products were a natural fit with the RACE mission to drive innovation for a secure, affordable, clean energy future.
“We know that cooling is a huge component of a building’s energy demand, which multiplies during peak demand, especially during the hot, Australian summers,” Gilbert said. “The major challenge in our clean energy transition will be to shape the energy load so that it aligns with the demand.
“As global demand grows for air-conditioning and well-ventilated buildings, we cannot overstate the importance of clean, efficient HVAC technology.”
RACE partner, Professor Frank Bruno of UniSA’s Future Industries Institute, said the university has had a strong partnership with Seeley for more than 20 years and this initiative will allow them to collaborate on exciting new projects.
“Since cooling and heating in buildings represents a significant portion of energy use and peak power demand, Seeley, as the only air conditioning and heating manufacturer in the CRC, will play an important role in ensuring the latest innovations are used for a secure, affordable, clean energy future”.
In its 2018 Future of Cooling Report, the International Energy Agency described the growing demand for air conditioning as one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate which, if left unchecked, will see energy demand from air conditioners more than triple by 2050.
With COVID-19 forcing industry and governments to consider efficiency policies through the lens of health, Seeley noted that additional challenges and opportunities will be explored through RACE.
“The demand for air-conditioning will continue to grow strongly, as will the emphasis for healthier buildings,” Gilbert said.
“Homes and businesses will be wanting to heat and cool 100 per cent outside air efficiently, rather than recirculating rebreathed.”
“This is central to Seeley’s technology and our growth, and we are delighted to now be partnering with RACE and its network participants, ultimately to deliver social, environmental and economic benefits on a far broader scale.”