Evaporative cooling isn’t a new technology – Ancient Egyptians used it, and some sources claim Leonardo da Vinci built the first mechanical air cooler with evaporative cooling. Waterfalls have been providing a cooling mist for all of history! However, this presentation will look at how we can apply this simple concept in today’s buildings with modern HVAC equipment. By using evaporative technology, we can significantly reduce electrical and gas usage for cooling and humidification. In some cases, we can reduce heating energy as well. Finally, we’ll also look at why the humidity we add with evaporative cooling is a good thing, and how we control the humidity levels to avoid “swampy” conditions.
The cold and dry climate makes Denver an ideal candidate for evaporative cooling and humidification – allowing buildings to maintain a comfortable and healthy humidification level while reducing the air conditioning load by up to one third. With the right application, peak air conditioning demand can be significantly reduced as well.

Speaker
Chris Habets holds a degree in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering from Carleton University, a Certified Energy Auditor through AEE and holds his Professional Engineering license and LEED AP BD+C certification. He has worked at Nortec Humidity since 2013, focusing originally on Product Management before moving into his current role in Energy and Sustainability. He focuses on energy analysis for customers on the humidification and cooling side, and works with energy professionals to reduce energy use throughout the world. He is a member of the Ottawa ASHRAE chapter and the AEE Canada East chapter, and has presented to other local ASHRAE chapters as well as an ASHRAE supplier webinar and an ASHRAE new product presentation on the topics of humidification and evaporative cooling.