JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 23 May 2018 – Since the recording of global temperatures began in 1951, the 17 warmest years were within the past 18 years^[i]. Natural resources are continually under pressure and the global temperature is rising. South Africa’s natural resources are strained as the main electricity grid needs coal and water to generate power. One power station alone burns 50 000 tons of coal every day^[ii], while a study showed that the average suburban resident uses up to 300 litres of water a day^[iii].

In an effort to be kinder to the planet and preserve natural resources, the South African National Standard (SANS) 10400-XA was established in 2011. This regulation dictates that the energy usage of buildings needs to be considered by architects and builders. In the past, harmful materials such as asbestos and lead paint were used, with no thought given to optimising design and structure for increased efficiency or reduced energy usage. Essentially, this means that all homes and businesses that were subsequently designed and built needed to make use of innovative technology to be energy efficient.

With this in mind, Samsung designed air conditioner technology that not only keeps the room at a constant, comfortable temperature, but is light on electricity.

Mike van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa, says, “Samsung’s Wind-Free technology offers a highly energy efficient solution because not only does it ensure that the temperature is constant, the digital inverter 8-pole consumes only 32% of the energy used by conventional air conditioners.”

“We also make the most of our own components and devices within Samsung, allowing us to keep up-to-date with the latest industry standards. Energy efficiency is no exception, which is why Samsung’s Wind-Free technology is the perfect solution for being kinder to the planet.”

Samsung’s Smart Home app can monitor not only the Wind-Free unit, but all compatible Samsung appliances, and allows users to control their systems from virtually anywhere.

“The App features include basic control and monitoring of power usage, temperature settings, fan speed and louver swing, as well as exclusive features such as Smart Installation and Smart Check. The Smart Installation feature automatically checks for installation faults to ensure the system is installed properly – keeping the office or home compliant – while the Smart Check feature detects and diagnoses problems with the system to provide quick and easy troubleshooting solutions.”

“Samsung innovates today to create a better tomorrow, not only for businesses, but for residential areas too. As we innovate, we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Every sector is different and has different requirements. We keep evolving, in every product category and in every region, trying to offer people the products and services that are just right for them. By combining Wind-Free technology as well our future innovations with talented designers and architects, Samsung can assist in making future buildings and homes energy efficient,” concludes van Lier.

^{[i] https://climate.nasa.gov/}

^{[ii]http://www.eskom.co.za/AboutElectricity/FactsFigures/Documents/CO0002HowElecProduced
CoalFiredRev11.pdf}

^{[iii] https://www.purerain.co.za/saving-water2}

Modern air conditioning relies on the process of evaporation to cool and humidify the air at the same time. While this concept is constantly being improved upon, its roots extend back to ancient *Egypt, where reeds were hung in windows and moistened with trickling water. When wind blew through the window, the water evaporated and helped to bring down the searing Saharan heat. Later, in ancient Rome, water from aqueducts were circulated through the walls of some homes to cool them. In medieval Persia cisterns and wind towers were used to cool buildings during the hot season.  

The first air conditioner resembling the system we know today was installed in a home in the United States of America in 1914. Inventors’ understanding of scientific principles had grown in leaps and bounds between ancient Egypt and early 20th century US. The principle of evaporation remained intact, but the process was now achieved by driving air through water-cooled coils.  

A little over a century after this invention, air conditioners are widely in use across the globe, in homes, businesses and cars. Most of the air conditioning systems in use today still rely on these methods.   Samsung’s new Wind-Free Cooling technology represents a revolutionary shift in the way air conditioners work to make our lives more bearable. It has been designed to optimise airflow to bring new levels of comfort to our daily climate control requirements.

Samsung’s new air conditioners, which feature Wind-Free Cooling technology provides consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.  

“Samsung uses its global network and innovation to create positive change for people across the world. We use design and innovation to provide people with new experiences and aspirational products such as Wind-Free technology,” says Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics.  

In its vision of Wind-Free Cooling technology, Samsung aimed to create an air conditioning system that does not rely on strong blasts to cool a whole room. This required new ways of thinking about how the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze. The result: an air conditioning system that maintains consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all day and all night, while also keeping its cool with the environment through a serious cut in energy expenditure.  

* Bahadori, M. N. (1978). Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture. Scientific American, 238(2), 144-155.

The latest product of a decades-long history of air conditioning innovations, Samsung’s Wind-Free Cooling technology optimizes airflow to bring new levels of comfort to home climate control.

Samsung’s new AR9500M, the first wall-mounted air conditioner to feature Wind-Free Cooling technology, follows the successful launch of a floor-standing model last year. Both appliances provide consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.

Inspired by Speakers

Developing an air conditioning system that doesn’t rely on strong blasts to cool a room was no simple task, and required Samsung to rework the way in which the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze.

Rather than simply design a conventional system, which would attempt to minimize users’ exposure to cold blasts by adjusting the breeze’s strength, Samsung’s team experimented with several innovative approaches to try to identify a more effective solution.

In the early stages of the development process, in their quest to find an efficient air dispersal method, the team examined a variety of fabrics. Having analyzed several different cloths under microscopes, they concluded that a system that featured thousands of tiny holes that were, according to their research, smaller than 1mm and spaced to achieve an aperture ratio of 40 percent would provide optimum air circulation. However, the team decided that although a fabric-based ‘micro hole’ air conditioner would be cost-efficient and relatively easy to produce, durability would inevitably be a concern.

The designers next turned their attention to other materials that would allow them to explore their hypothesis further. Though the results were promising, they had yet to fully address the issue of dew condensation, which commonly occurs in air conditioners crafted from metal or plastic whose designs don’t allow cool blasts to flow completely unobstructed.

Samsung’s breakthrough ultimately came from a rather unlikely source: speakers. Having observed that their designs, which feature ‘air holes’ much like the ones they were exploring with their research, generally facilitate continuous airflow, the team concluded that a similarly constructed, sturdy air conditioner that featured thousands of holes and allowed air to flow freely would solve the condensation issue.

The AR9500M: 21,000 Micro Holes Create ‘Still Air’

The fruit of the team’s extensive efforts is an air conditioner design that allows users to comfortably manage the strength of cold air.

To resolve the condensation concern, Samsung carefully calculated the ideal aperture ratio for the Wind-Free Cooling system’s micro-perforated panel that would reduce dew accumulation and ensure that air flowed constantly and equally in uniform ‘curtains’.

This means that when the new AR9500M is turned on, a strong breeze emits from its main outlets in curves. When placed in Wind-Free Cooling mode, it gently disperses air through the 21,000 micro holes dotting its front panel, creating a ‘still air’ environment* with a breeze so soft that it cannot be felt unless the user touches the device.

More Efficiency with Wind-Free Cooling Mode

In addition to an efficient design, Wind-Free Cooling technology features a streamlined, two-step operation that allows the air conditioners to quickly and effectively cool each corner of a room.

When activated, Fast Cooling mode first lowers the room’s temperature to reach the user’s desired setting. Wind-Free Cooling mode then maintains a still and ideal climate with no temperature fluctuation. By restricting the systems compressors to operate at minimum frequency and slowing the indoor fan to its minimum speed, Wind-Free Cooling mode cuts the device’s energy expenditure by a full 72 percent**.

When it’s time to get a good night’s sleep, users can enjoy consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all night long, allowing them to sleep soundly and wake up fully refreshed.

* ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) defines “still air” as air currents at speeds below 0.15m/s which lack the presence of cold drafts.

** Tested on AR07M5170HA, based on the accumulated power consumption of Fast Cooling mode vs. Wind-Free Cooling mode.