Eco-efficient Air Conditioning: DeLonghi Pinguino
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin 
on 05.21.05
Air conditioning is a head-on confrontation for anyone seeking a green lifestyle. Obviously, adjusting yourself to the local climate and not relying on an electrically-powered device is the greenest choice. On the other hand, air conditioning is one of the great advances for productivity and comfort. If your personal conditions and priorities have you leaning in favor of personal climate control, however, at least Treehugger can bring to your attention the DeLonghi line of air conditioners, which are electrically efficient, nicely designed and use cooling agents which are minimally damaging to the environment. Additionally, the DeLonghi Pinguino can be adjusted to deliver only what is needed, which is a primary principle of eco-efficiency.
The DeLonghi range includes a number of air conditioning devices for varying room sizes. They are all portable, allowing you to cool only the room you are occupying. The PAC T 90 ECO, shown with this article, has the highest energy efficiency rating, "A", according to the European standard.
Most of the DeLonghi air conditioning devices also condition the air on all levels: they are fully functional as dehumidifiers, including hydrostat so relative humidity levels can be set by the user. They can be used in the dehumidification mode alone, which is often enough to make a room feel comfortable. They are also outfitted with 3M electrostatic air filtration technology, so they clean the air which they circulate. The fan has an auto-function device to optimize fan speed based on the current room conditions, and there is a timer so that night-time function can be set.
The devices use the coolant R 290, a non-fluorocarbon refrigerant. R 290 is considered a "natural" coolant by the air conditioning professionals, and has a very low global warming potential (GWP) compared to the engineered coolants; it is actually a trade term for propane. It is slightly less efficient than other cooling agents in studies, but given the "A" efficiency rating of the DeLonghi air conditioner, we would say this is not a concern in this application. The chemists out there may recognize R 290's other drawback: propane is flammable. This implies some extra cost for safety engineering in its use. Some studies suggest that with the extra cost of safety calculated in, the Life Cycle performance of some fluorinated chemicals is still better than the R 290. (Of course, these studies usually assume no losses, while the refrigerants industry estimates that 1/3 of aftermarket refrigerant sales cannot be accounted for--presumably lost to the environment.) We suggest you look at the DeLonghi products, which presumably meet the standards of consumer safety laws in Europe and therefore already reflect the safety costs, and decide yourself if it is worth the price. [by © C. Lepisto]
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- The Happiest, Greenest Place on Earth—Seriously!
- Mister Miyagi's Guide to Going Green: 5 Questions to Always Ask to Think Green and Be Green
- Got Guts? Stand Up to Summer Heat Without Air Conditioning
- Improve Air Conditioner Efficiency with 9 Cool Tips
- What is the Cheapest and Greenest Way to Travel?
- Zero Waste—The Newest Eco-Fashion Innovation?
How does this compare to using bottled ice?
The hardest part of portable AC units is getting rid of the condensate, which can easily fill up a reservoir in two house. Best to be next to a drain and put it up on a shelf or chest that can feed a secondary container if you are gone. Otherwise it will auto shut down.
The great news about using straight hydrocarbons for refrigeration fluid is that the heat exchange capacity is very high/unit volume, which means that the fluid volume is very low compared to a flourinated HC type, which means that the fire hazard is intrinsically low. Some only need a few liquid ounces of refrigerant. Also because of of the high exchange capacity, a lower powered compressor will do, which means higher operating efficiency.
As for ice, ice comes from freezer units using similar technology, and that then has to be shipped to your hoom. I can't see how that could be as efficient.
In response to your comment, it may be worth a mention: the PAC T 90 ECO has a built-in condensed water pump, so with access to a drainage point, it can be operated continuously without fear of overflow.
Recent Research Info. On Swamp Coolers & Portable Air Conditioners
Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers) work by
evaporating water through a fan. These units are
cheaper than air conditioners but they have to be
refilled with water as the water evaporates. The
tanks for swamp coolers have to be filled every two to
four hours of operation. People who have swamp
coolers rave about how cheap they are to run and that
they do a good job of cooling, but they are running
around with buckets of water all the time. That is
definitely not for me. There are swamp coolers that
can be hooked up to a water supply. This type is most
often used for industrial purposes but they can also
be installed into a home. For a home installation of
air cooling I would definitely recommend looking into
this option, but only if it can be installed with it’s
own continuous water supply. Be sure to check the
noise rating as this can vary widely as well. Swamp
coolers only work in low humidity. They put a lot of
humidity into the air; that’s how they work. If the
air already has moisture in it then the swamp cooler
doesn’t work. People report that they like having the
moisture in the air and that the swamp cooler makes
pleasant air. The newer swamp coolers come with a UV
light to kill bacteria. Many of the swamp coolers
have air filtration such as HEPA to reduce allergens
and clean the air. Some swamp coolers are also
combined with a heater.
The main advantage of swamp coolers is that they are
very cheap to run compared to air conditioners. They
use much less energy to operate and they work well in
this climate or anywhere where there is low humidity.
I didn’t look into regular air conditioners that fit
into a window. I decided that the windows in my
apartment are not conducive to that arrangement for a
variety of reasons. Window type air conditioners are
much cheaper than the portable ones, but there are
some nice advantages to the portable air conditioners
if that type is suitable for you.
There are no Energy Star rated portable air
conditioners on the market, but that may be coming as
these units become more popular. New designs are
coming out every year. The new 2005 models are much
more energy efficient that their predecessors and
there is a new design that has a high Energy
Efficiency Rating (EER). Anything over EER 10 is
considered to be energy efficient for these models.
Some of the new ones are 13.5. My main source of
information was Google searching. I did searches on
“portable air conditioners”, “energy star portable air
conditioners” and “energy efficient portable air
conditioners” and got a lot of good information. Some
of the sellers’ web sites have really good FAQs and
answered all of my questions.
The older type of portable air conditioners have water
tanks that need to be emptied frequently. All of
these units work as dehumidifiers as well as coolers.
They collect a lot of water from the air and also
produce a lot of condensation. There is a new design
that uses the water collected and has an evaporative
cooling system for cooling itself, making it much more
energy efficient and it evaporates the water
collected, depending on the humidity of the area.
They can also be set up with a continuous drain line
so that it drains itself through a vent up to 10 feet
away. I found a seller in Texas who tested these
units and never had to empty them after a month of
operation.
The portable air conditioners come in different sizes.
The cooling output is measured in BTUs. Anything
less than 10,000 BTUs is only suitable for cooling the
room it is in and the size of unit varies in
suitability for the size of the room. The units that
are 12-13,000 BTUs are suitable for cooling multiple
rooms. I picked a 12,000 BTU unit that I hope will
cool my whole 2-bedroom apartment.
All of the portable air conditioners I found available
in stores here are 9,000 BTUs. The cheapest one I
found was $379 at CostCo. I read a customer report on
that unit that it squeals in the night and that they
hate it but don't want to spend the money on a
different one. It is no longer covered by warranty so
now they are looking into a costly repair. They
recommended that no one ever buy the portable air
conditioner that is currently for sale at CostCo. I
looked at the one for sale at Sear’s and it is not one
of the new designs so it will need to be emptied or
drained continuously and has a low EER. I didn’t find
the brand of the one for sale at Yardbird’s but I
suspect that it is a similar one to the other ones I
found for sale. They are all the same type but
different brands. There is also one for sale at Home
Depot. The one I found and decided to buy is only
available online, as far as I know. It’s $445 with
free shipping. It has a high BTU and EER, doesn’t
need to be emptied and costs about the same as the
ones I found for sale locally.
The portable air conditioners I looked at all have one
year warranties except for one that has a two year
warranty. Some of them will warranty the condenser
for up to five years. If you find a seller with a
satisfaction guarantee that might cover you if
something goes wrong after a year. I didn’t look into
that yet.
All of the portable air conditioners have to be air
vented and have a 4-5 foot vent hose. They can be
vented to a sliding door, a window, a hole in the
wall, or through the dryer vent. Some have two hoses
and some have one. I read conflicting information on
which one provides cleaner air. I decided against the
dual hose type. When I read how they work I thought
that the single hose type would provide cleaner air
and they are cheaper. The portable air conditioners
are easy to move; they all come on casters, and the
window installation kit is easy to take out and move
to another room. They range in weight from about
65-98 pounds. Most window kits are foam and some are
plastic. Some people reported that they preferred to
make their own with wood. Most of the vent hoses are
5 inches in diameter.
Most of the portable air conditioners use refrigerant
inside coils the same as refrigerators. There is one
brand that uses a natural refrigerant such as propane
in its coils. The unit sold at Real Goods/Gaiam is
that type. This unit boasts to be highest in
efficiency but there are new portable air conditioners
with much higher EER. The one in the Gaiam catalog is
10.1 but I found several new models that are 12-13.5
EER. The one at Gaiam does use an evaporative cooling
design so it does not have water tanks to empty. The
portable air conditioners in the Gaiam catalog are
twice the cost of all of the ones I found. If you
want to buy a unit that uses a more natural coolant
and can spend $900-1,200 then look into these units.
Now that the new designs have come along they might
make a new design that is bigger and more efficient to
compete. They were the first to come up with an
energy efficient design and one that doesn’t need to
be emptied.
Another factor that I prioritized was the noise level.
Noise is measured in decibels and portable air
conditioners vary widely in this category. The lowest
I found is 50 Db. Comparing other features (EER was a
high criteria) I chose one with 51 Db. I don’t know
how that compares to a fan, for example, but I read a
report on one with a higher Db that compared it to a
dishwasher, and I sure wouldn’t want to hear my
dishwasher running all the time. I hope I picked one
that will be quiet.
Some of the new large models require a special type of
outlet. It’s a safety outlet. The models requiring
this type of outlet are some of the best ones but not
for me because I just have regular three prong
outlets.
Here are some of the web sites I went to:
http://www.portableairshop.com/
http://www.air-conditioner-home.com/
http://store.yahoo.com/air-n-water/poraircon.html
http://www.convaircooler.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=1
http://www.epinions.com/search/mem_search_~0/search_vertical_~offers?search_string=energy+efficient+portable+air+conditioner
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-air-conditioners.html
http://www.allergybegone.com/air-conditioner-info.html
http://adwordsregional.air-conditioners-america.com/ed_AC_comparisons-10000.asp
http://adwordsregional.air-conditioners-america.com/?source=adwords-portable-air-conditioner
http://store.portableairshop.com/shop-all-portable-air-conditioners.html
http://www.compactappliance.com/index.jsp
http://www.coolyourroom.com/
http://www.brilliantcooler.com/
http://store.yahoo.com/deals2all/portableac.html
http://www.factorywarehouseusa.com/
http://www.etopp.com/
http://www.qualitymatters.com/Search.bok?category=Home+%26+Garden%3AHeating%2C+Cooling+%26+Air
http://store.everythinghome.org/everythinghome/aircoheandhu.html?page=viewall
And here’s the unit that I decided to buy:
http://www.qualitymatters.com/Search.bok?category=Home+%26+Garden%3AHeating%2C+Cooling+%26+Air
Now I’m looking around for the best price. Including
shipping it will cost me around $450.
I hope that all this information helps someone.
Feel free
to pass this around.
Ensuring that I will always remain eternally cool,
Pati
pmicd@yahoo.com
Santa Rosa, CA
Pati, thanks for the informative comment.
One thing I think I disagree with you on: the dual-hose models. The deal with dual hose models (I think) is to have 2 completely separate air circulation loops: One for the air in your room which goes in room-temp and comes out cool, and the other that goes in the vent from outside, cools the hot internal components of the unit, and then goes back out the other vent hot (and moisture-laden).
I'm trying to find a 10k BTU unit with dual-venting, but the only one I can find is the SoleusAir Mac 10k. I've emailed and called Soleus, but they haven't gotten back to me. They're documentation says something about allowing outside air to get in, so I don't know if their dual-vent is really done the way it's supposed to be (?).
I'd really like to learn about their product but unfortunately their website is b-a-d with an endless animation and no info.
Molee,
You are correct about the De Longhi website. I gave them the link to this site out of courtesy, I hope they check in to see your comment, or maybe you can help them out with a comment direct to their webmaster. Too bad a company with great product design doesn't understand that pushing the limit of programming capability on a website is often not the best design. Back to HTML 101 for their webtechs.
Update: I bought the dual-hose Danby DPAC9031 from http://www.ecovantageenergy.com/ and am very happy with it. Great warranty, pretty good web site, sturdy unit (heavy though -- get some help if you need to take it up stairs). Highly recommended.