The Group > Klima-Therm > News > City office building goes green! City office building goes green! A major city office building Beaufort House St Botolph Street EC3 constructed in the late 1980’s, is replacing the existing CFC based central chilled water plant with the environmentally friendly natural refrigerant R717 Ammonia. Klima-Therm have secured an £800,000 contract to supply 6 off 1,000kw packaged screw machines manufactured by Ramon Viscaino (RVR) for who Klima-Therm are the UK distributor. Ammonia is one of the original refrigerant gases and has been used continually as a coolant in industrial and large scale applications.  The introduction of Cheaper CFC’s and HCFC’s in the 1950/60’s replaced ammonia in many commercial applications.  This has had a serious impact on the environment as has been directly associated with global warming. Ammonia is environmentally friendly and is now making a welcome comeback to air conditioning market. Ammonia is also commonly regarded as one of the most efficient refrigerants. The 6,000Kw Ammonia system was selected by the building owners on the recommendation of the project designers Graham Powell Consultants.  The decision was based in part upon the owners desire to install a system using a refrigerant gas which had a infinite lifespan to avoid duplicating the replacement of the plant within the term of the current occupational leases. The decision was entirely consistent with the UK’s government’s  policy stated in the UK Climate change program 2000.  This policy makes it clear that HFC’s are not sustainable in the long term and that HFC’s should only be used where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and more environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.  This means that the future for HFC’s is uncertain within the expected plant lifetime and the selection of ammonia as the coolant has given both the owners of the building and the occupants the peace of mind over the future of the air conditioning plant.  the UK government have already started to lead the way in the installation of and specification of Ammonia plant for air conditioning in Central London buildings. Concerns regarding the safety of Ammonia based plant, has been addressed by Klima-Therm and their supplier RVR by offering standardised water chiller packages which include a special safety casing designed to contain any major leakage, this is further supported by the unique RVR Ammonia Neutraliser system which absorbs any refrigerant escape and renders it to a safer aqueous solution for later disposal.  These factors in comparison to the carcinogenic and inflammable nature of alternative coolants persuaded the building owners to proceed with ammonia. Klima-Therm offer a full range extending from 10 to 2,000 kw Ammonia based packages all offering the safety casing and Neutraliser system, details of which can be obtain from their Sunbury on Thames HQ on 01932 765621 or direct email to Geoff Lovell geoff@klima-therm.co.uk. Beaufort House is Managed by James Andrew Management Services Ltd. Tel 020 7224 4436 email Jeremy Grey jgrey@jamesandrew.co.uk or Peter Singfield  singfield@beaufort-house.co.uk The consultants are Graham Powell Consultants gpcons@globalnet.co.uk top of page