Fourways Airconditioning’s perspective on HVAC+R
African Design Magazine put three questions to Morne Meyer, Business developer for
systems and DVM at Fourways Airconditioning
How are government regulations affecting your industry?
Current introductions such as the R410A gas enforcement, gas licenses in order
to be able to work with refrigerant gases, and the recent Certificate of Compliance
introduction have had some impact on the HVAC industry. The introduction of R410A
gas means that imports of all R22 machines HAVE now been prohibited. In terms
of gas licenses and certificates of compliance, this generally means that in order for
individuals to attain these they would need to attend courses, which all costs more
money, yet these Government regulations will definitely have a positive impact on our
industry if regulated. It would ensure a more qualified work force and a safer working
environment, however, even though government has introduced more regulations, it
is very seldom policed and this is where problems arise.
From a design point-of-view,
what should architects keep
in mind when it comes to
incorporating HVAC + R?
The first thing to keep in mind
would be to ensure that all
heat generated should be kept
inside the building. Glass, as
beautiful as it is from an aesthetic
perspective, allows for massive
heat penetration. Double glazed
glass minimises the penetration,
but in Africa we very seldom
find double glazing. Secondly,
every building needs some kind
of airconditioning and ventilation and it is important to make provision for indoors
and outdoors with regards to their draining points and pipe shafts when designing
a building. Planning for these will avoid a lot of wastage when it comes to time
and resources, and also make one’s life that much easier. You can hide the outdoor
installation of the Samsung DVMS up to 90m away and still have individual control of
up to 80 indoors. A little planning goes a very long way.
What challenges does your side of the business present?
Our biggest challenge today in the HVAC industry specifically, still remains a lack of
education. Apprenticeships are always the perfect platform for skills transfer, yet now
we are in a situation where suppliers such as Fourways Airconditioning are needing
to take training into their own hands. Although we have institutions such as ACRA,
often individuals do not have the funds and means available to attend these courses
and this is where problems arise when it comes to HVAC installations. Products are
more often than not blamed for being defective, but a lot of the time it all comes down
to an ineffective installation.