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US-based evaporative media manufacturer, Kuul, has been acquired by humidity control specialist, Condair.

Kuul is a leading manufacturer of glass fibre and cellulose media used in evaporative cooling systems and adiabatic pre-cooling for chillers and turbines. Rebranding as Condair – Evaporative Technologies, the organisation will be extending its distribution of evaporative media solutions through Condair’s global network of sales and service offices in 23 countries, and its wider distribution partners around the world.

Oliver Zimmermann, CEO of Condair, comments, “Condair’s mission is driven by our customers’ needs and with the combination of Kuul and Condair, we can meet our customers’ needs even better. Kuul has the media expertise, which perfectly complements the evaporative technology expertise of Condair. Together we can provide reliable and sustainable solutions. With Condair’s global reach, it’s a win-win for both organisations and our customers will benefit from advanced media and system competency from a single partner.”

Alongside the acquisition of Kuul, Condair is also investing in a new production facility in Richmond, Virginia, USA, to strengthen its production capabilities and improve its supply chain efficiency for the key regional US data centre market. The new 400,000ft² facility is planned to open in 2025, and is estimated to employ 180 individuals.

Condair already operates production facilities in Europe, North America and China, and manufactures a comprehensive range of humidification systems. This includes the Condair ME, in-duct evaporative cooling and humidification system, that is used extensively around the world in data centres, offices and industrial manufacturing.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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Condair has released a new podcast for HVAC professionals on how to select and size a commercial humidifier. In a 15-minute interview with BusinessNet Explorer, Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, explains what should be considered when setting out on a humidifier project.

Dave comments, “This podcast will be really helpful for any building services consultant, contractor or FM who needs to understand more about humidification of a commercial premises. Humidifiers are essential in many applications, but projects of this type don’t come along very often. So it can be difficult for HVAC engineers to get the experience needed to successfully design a humidification system. In this podcast, I describe the main elements that determine whether a humidifier should be used in an AHU or directly in a room, which type of humidifier fits what type of application and how to correctly size a unit for an area.”

This latest Condair podcast is available at www.condair.co.uk/podcast as well as on Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube. Also, available on this Condair webpage is Condair’s back catalogue of podcasts. The series of bite-sized, informative audio episodes cover topics like how to use humidifiers for evaporative cooling in AHUs, how to combat static with humidity, humidity’s impact on health and how to use dehumidifiers to reduce ice in commercial freezers.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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Condair has appointed Sally Parker as its new Area Sales Manager for the Midlands and South Wales. Sally joins Condair with a wealth of HVAC experience having worked at ACR wholesaler, TF Solutions, and Wolseley Climate Centre.

Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, comments, “We are really delighted to have appointed Sally as Area Sales Manager. She’s a very experienced sales manager with a proven track record in the industry and we feel lucky to have her join us.”

Sally commented, “I’m really looking forward to getting to know Condair’s existing clients and helping new potential customers get to grips their humidity control issues. Condair is well-known as the leading manufacturer in the humidifier sector, with outstanding engineering quality. They operate across so many end-user sectors, it’s really astonishing. I’m keen to get to know all the different industries and start supporting consultants, contractors and FM’s with their humidifier, dehumidifier or evaporative cooling projects.”

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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Condair is launching the new Condair PureHum 1000 Pro, a mobile humidifier that is ideal for areas up to 1,000m³. Advanced features include phone-based app control, UV-water sterilisation, multiple air filtration options and an 8-speed auto-adjusting fan.

Mobile humidifiers are often used in museums and art galleries, where humidity control can be a temporary requirement during an exhibition period. A mobile humidifier is a great solution, as it is easy to set-up, use and then store when not needed. The Condair PureHum 1000 Pro is ideal for this application, due to its subtle but modern design, tamper-proof control system and lockable castor wheels.

A large 50 litre water tank means the humidifier can be used where there is no available plumbing and won’t require frequent re-filling. A UV-water sterilisation system treats the water with ultraviolet light to kill germs and combat microbial growth. The humidifier can also be plumbed-in with a mains water connection and drain. When plumbed-in, a flushing feature ensures water will not remain in the system to stagnate, further enhancing hygienic operation.

With a maximum output of 2.7 litres per hour, the unit is ideal for a small to medium sized room. A top-mounted touchscreen control panel provides data on current room conditions, water level and operating parameters. A safety glass cover prevents tampering, whilst allowing the screen to be viewed. A remote humidistat sends a wireless signal to the PureHum 1000 Pro, to manage output in line with the desired room humidity level. When multiple units are used across an area, control can be centralised via a single humidistat or managed individually with one humidistat per humidifier.

In addition to the integrated controller, a PureHum app allows users to control the humidifier and see all operating parameters from their mobile phone. Available on the App Store or Google Play, this feature is enabled via an optional WLAN/wifi module.

The Purehum Pro 1000 can offer the additional benefit of air purification as well as humidity control. As standard the unit come with fine dust and F7 air filters. Optionally a HEPA H10 filter can be chosen, which is capable of captures 85% of particles over 0.5 microns in size. Lastly an activated carbon filter can also be employed to remove odours and gases from the air, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Limited, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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The Condair ME evaporative humidifier is being used by energy recovery specialists, Konvekta, as one of its standard adiabatic cooling solutions. The humidifier is being incorporated into Konvekta’s exhaust air cooling systems to help Konvekta deliver up to 92% annual energy recovery to its clients’ buildings.

A Konvekta exhaust air cooling system pre-cools incoming fresh air to reduce a building’s need for mechanical cooling. The Condair ME humidifier is used in this system to provide very low energy evaporative cooling to the warm air extracted from the rooms. Before the cooled extract air is vented externally, it is run through a heat recovery system and provides up to 10K of cooling to the incoming fresh air supply. A cooling effect from 32°C outside air temperature down to 22-23°C supply air temperature can be reached, without any mechanical cooling.

Amir Ibrahimagic, Group Business Development Manager at Konvekta, comments, “Konvekta has standardised its exhaust air cooling systems on the Condair ME humidifier as its evaporative cooling solution. The reliability of the unit is second-to-none. It incorporates the highest quality components that give utmost longevity and performance to our clients. Alongside the product’s USPs, Condair is also a very solutions-oriented partner. As a Konvekta energy recovery system is always custom designed for a client’s needs, it’s vital for us to have flexible design support from our evaporative cooling supplier.”

Amir continues, “As an example, a recent installation at a clinic in Tyrol, Austria, resulted in a confirmed annual energy recovery across the Konvekta systems of 92% for the building. A single Condair ME humidifier contributed more than 60,000kWh/a of cooling during this period from just 3,800kWh/a of consumed electricity. This low energy cooling significantly improved the building’s overall energy efficiency and helped our client become the most sustainable clinic of its type in all of Austria.”

Konvekta are a leading global supplier of high efficiency run around energy recovery systems, with clients including MIT and Harvard University in the USA, as well as Frankfurt Airport, Germany, and Swarovski Optik in Austria. Its systems offer an average annual ROI of between 3-7 years, depending on energy prices and operating hours. Alongside the highest efficiency systems on the market, the company offers a performance guarantee to clients, covering highly detailed financial and operational outcomes.

The company’s Konvekta-Controller operates within a Digital Twin framework and provides net annual energy-saving calculations to design engineers early in the design phase. Following installation, the Konvekta-Controller presents current and historical performance data, allowing optimisations to be carried out to meet or exceed initial design projections.

The Condair ME in-duct adiabatic humidifier can be used to provide humidification or cooling to an air handling unit. Its evaporative matrix is located inside the duct and has water flowing down its surface. Air passing through the matrix is humidified and cooled without any aerosols being produced inside the AHU. The Condair ME has an innovative hydraulic pump module that can be located either inside the duct or externally, which allows servicing to happen without any AHU downtime. Units are available in sizes ranging from just 60x62cm to over 4x4m, with total outputs from a single unit of up to 1,200kg/h. In terms of cooling, this can equate to 822kW of adiabatic cooling from as little as 1kW of consumed electricity.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair supports its clients from the initial system design advice, through supply and install, with nationwide after-sales service and maintenance. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk

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Leading radiator manufacturer Stelrad Radiators is going green with another UK powerhouse Tata Steel to offer the first 90% green steel radiator range. Tata Steel is supplying UK made 90% Carbon Lite steel exclusively to Stelrad within the radiator market, so that Stelrad customers can choose a Green Compact radiator range that contributes directly to a reduction in atmospheric CO2 today and accelerates decarbonisation in the future.

The new Stelrad Green Series comprises of 60 horizontal models from our Green Compact range. The concept is already being well received by many customers who are keen to see more sustainable products being utilised in their homes and buildings. The steel comes with a certificate from DNV – Det Norske Veritas – to prove the steel has 90% lower embodied CO2 emissions. The process for producing the steel is called Optemis Carbon Lite. As well as the reduction in carbon emissions, no plastic will be used for the outer packaging either further increasing the sustainability claims of the product range – and of course, a radiator is 100% recyclable.

Customers purchasing a green radiator from the new Stelrad Green Series will be saving the equivalent expenditure of driving a small car over 250 miles per radiator purchased.

To find out more about this exciting new range and the new partnership with Tata Steel, head for www.stelrad.com.

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Condair RS steam humidifiers are creating the precise humidity needed in Sporting Edge’s sophisticated environmental training and research chambers. Sporting Edge are a global leader in altitude and environmental facilities, that recreate climates from around the world for sports performance training, research and rehabilitation.

Sporting Edge’s clients include Premier League football clubs, universities, Olympic associations and even high-end residential homes. Its environmental chambers accurately and consistently create conditions from -30 to +50°C, 20 to 95%RH and altitudes up to 9,000m. The company is based in the UK but carries out installations around the world, including Scandinavia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Dave Vincent, Managing Director of Sporting Edge UK Ltd, comments, “Altitude training is now universally recognised as a crucial tool for maximising the fitness of elite athletes in the quest for performance gains. Sporting Edge produce the most advanced environmental chambers in the world and it’s vital all parts of our system offer consistent reliability and performance. This is why we have standardised our humidity control using the Condair RS steam humidifier. It provides us with a dependable, controllable product that will happily work with standard mains water. We also love the self de-scaling feature.”

A recent installation, which incorporated a Condair RS humidifier, was at Newcastle United Football Club. A training chamber was installed that allows the club to recreate any temperature and humidity condition the players will meet at UK and European competitions, allowing the players to refine their preparation for key matches. Alongside advanced training facilities, Sporting Edge also create high altitude environments for bedrooms. Resting and sleeping in a high-altitude condition can provide positive effects for asthma and diabetes sufferers, as well as improved weight loss and cardio performance.

The Condair RS resistive steam humidifier used by Sporting Edge in their installations can control humidity to ±1%RH when used with RO water and ±2%RH when used with mains. It’s patented scale collector system enables limescale to be routinely emptied, thus extending the intervals between service visits. A single unit can provide from 5 to 80kg of steam per hour to a duct via a steam lance and models with fan units can provide up to 40kg of humidity directly to a room’s atmosphere.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Limited, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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Condair has released a new podcast about how manufacturers and commercial businesses can avoid static issues impacting their productivity by proactively managing their indoor humidity.

In this short interview with Business Net Explorer, Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair, explains why static build-up occurs at low humidity, the issues it can cause in industrial and commercial situations, and how best to control it through humidification of the indoor environment.

Dave comments, “Electrostatic build-up is much more prevalent as indoor relative humidity drops. This means it can be seasonal issue for manufacturers. Indoor humidity is lowest in the winter, so manufacturers can experience increased problems of materials sticking together, being repelled by each other, or even sparks resulting from electrostatic discharge, during the colder months. A very effective way of dealing with this is to raise the indoor humidity to around 45%RH.

“Studies have shown that at higher levels of indoor humidity, the static charge caused by activities, such as walking across synthetic carpets, can be reduced by as much as 95-98%. This short podcast explains why and how manufacturers and facility managers can use humidity control as an effective anti-static measure.”

The podcast is available all major podcast channels, including Soundcloud, Spotify and Google Podcast by searching for “Condair” and also on the Condair website at www.condair.co.uk/podcast.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair Ltd, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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Humidity control specialist, Condair, is offering a free 10-point guide to specifying dehumidifiers. The document covers the main issues surrounding planning and installing a commercial dehumidification system. It includes information on system design, product sizing, drying psychrometrics, energy saving and much more.

Dave Marshall-George, Sales Director at Condair explains, “This guide has been produced by experts in the field with experience spanning thousands of drying projects. It gives unbiased advice on both desiccant and condensing dehumidifiers. Written in an easy-to-follow style, the 10-point format makes it a very accessible reference tool for any HVAC consultant, installer or facilities manager.

“Planning a dehumidifier project can be a complex undertaking due to all the parameters than need to be considered. Dehumidifiers don’t just remove moisture from the air but also generate heat during the drying process. Managing an area’s humidity often involves consideration of its temperature control too, and this 10-point guide walks the reader through the psychrometrics of this, as well as strategies to deal with it.” Dave concludes.

Condair’s 10-point guide to specifying dehumidifiers is available free to download from www.condair.co.uk/dehum-guide.

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A town centre shopping mall in Stroud, Gloucestershire, has been given a new lease of life with Crittall playing a significant role in the makeover.

Dransfield Properties opted for a complete transformation of the Five Valleys Shopping Centre to include new retail outlets, as well as enhanced car parking, office space and a community hub with library.

Key to the interior appeal was replacing a jumble of disparate shopfronts and signage with a more ordered, modern appearance. Sheffield-based Dixon Dawson Architects selected Crittall W20 steel profiles for the task.

“The client wanted a particular style of glazing. I was familiar with Crittall and saw it as the best solution,” said Guy Dixon Dawson. “The whole mall was remodelled; frankly it was a bit of a mess beforehand. Now, everything, ceiling to floor, has been upgraded.”

The result is a simplified approach with Crittall’s slender steel profiled windows and doors providing a uniform appearance. All the cold form doors were a mix of hinged and automatic sliders.

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