One year on from the launch of Airedale International’s Azure range of R32 products, DeltaChill R32 air cooled chillers are now eligible for 3 BREEAM credits, highlighting the range’s energy efficient qualities and helping contractors achieve environmental targets on new build projects.

BREEAM aims to reduce the life cycle impact of new buildings on the environment by awarding credits for products used within the building’s design which reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

DeltaChill R32 is now eligible for 2 credits due to the direct effect life cycle CO2 equivalent emissions (DELC) of ≤ 100 kgCO2e/kW and 1 credit due to all systems being hermetically sealed, with a tested leakage rate of less than 3g/year.

The increase comes as great news for Airedale, who take pride in the efficiency of their high quality, high efficiency products and is due to Airedale using their own annual refrigerant leakage rate, which specifically relates to Airedale products, as opposed using to the generic leakage value stated in BREEAM guidelines for DELC calculations.

At Airedale, all units undergo a leak test using a device which would detect any escaping gas on a brazed joint that would equate to more than 1g / year. Using these results, Airedale is able to calculate a more accurate estimate for the annual leakage rate of their units.

This calculated value was significantly lower than the default value provided by BREEAM and means the DELC calculated value for R32 DeltaChill units is under 100kgCO2e/kW , thus making it eligible for 2 credits, which is added to the 1 credit given for systems being hermetically sealed.

DeltaChill R32 was launched last year as part of the Azure R32 range. R32 is widely considered to be a preferable alternative to the existing refrigerant R410A due to its lower GWP.