Objectives

Darwin International Airport were looking for the following requirements when considering a cooling solution:• A quiet solution that didn't disrupt the activity below.• Energy efficiency to align with their sustainable efforts and to keep operating costs low.• Effective solution guaranteed to work against the hot climate.

Challenge

With over 2 million passengers travelling throughout the airport each year, it was important for Darwin International Airport to make a good impressions and sense of place. However, the foyer constantly had doors opening, letting warm air in and the cold air out. To compensate for this, they turned the air-conditioning down, using more energy and more air flowing out the front door.

Solution

Darwin International Airport decided to install 10 Essence fans in their foyer. Asa result, they were able to move a huge amount of air with virtually no noise. With the help from the fans they were able to reduce their energy bill by $57,000 over the year, reducing their air conditioning set point by 2°C. This resulted in an energy saving of 203 MWh per year, which is enough energy to run 30 homes or the equivalent of taking 54 cars off the road.Darwin International Airport has now mandated Big Ass Fans as part of the design feature for future hangers and development.