ABSTRACT
Much energy is wasted in buildings through the use of inappropriate air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems. This situation has arisen because building designers are often ignorant of the issues associated with air conditioning and also because designers of air conditioning systems are more interested in minimizing first costs rather than reducing overall energy consumption. There are, however, a number of new and innovative technologies, which have the potential to reduce energy consumption greatly. This chapter discusses the issues associated with the design of air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems, and introduces some of these new low energy technologies.
