Despite a slight delay to ensure use during the 2023 summer season, Caeli Energie has just announced, on the France Bleu radio, the specifications of a revolutionary air conditioner. This innovation, the new modern and economical AC, will challenge conventional principles, known for their high energy consumption and their harmful impact on the planet as well as on our budget.
A development that took 4 years
Founded in 2020 and located near Grenoble, where it will produce and assemble its products, Caeli Energie seeks to demonstrate that acquiring an air conditioner no longer rhymes with a considerable increase in the electricity bill or with a contribution to environmental problems, thanks to a totally different approach that may well create a sensation… and bring freshness. To do this, it is no longer necessary to settle for a simple fan.
For the past four years, the company has been dedicated to the development of a brand new ultra-modern system, both aesthetic and energy-efficient, allowing homes to benefit from air conditioning that consumes five times less electricity than conventional systems. Confident in its production capacity, this young French company is now opening its doors to private customers.
A basic observation and an innovation
It all starts with an observation related to the principle of air conditioning, derived from the operation of a refrigerator: to obtain fresh air inside, it is necessary to reject hot air outside.
However, thanks to its revolutionary air conditioning system, the startup claims that it will be able to reject cooler air, even outside, while consuming considerably less energy than a conventional system, only 60 watts per hour compared to up to more than 2500 watts per hour. The startup is thus taking a step ahead, anticipating the ban on HydroFluoroCarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration systems by 2030.
The sleek design of this system is a testament to its ease of installation, which differs significantly from a traditional system with its unsightly hose directed outwards, often requiring the condemnation of a window, or an outdoor evaporator. This air conditioning only requires air and water, with a consumption estimated between 0.2 and 0.5 liters per hour.
A bypass that might seem impossible
To overcome the limitations and drawbacks of conventional refrigeration systems, Caeli Energie’s French air conditioning adopts another thermodynamic principle, that of indirect adiabatic air conditioners. Its engine is made of recycled bottles and paper, and the company holds a patent for this innovative system.
Such systems have existed for several years, but until now they were the result of experiments and installations in spaces that could accommodate large-sized equipment to compensate for their low cooling capacity. Now the only requirement is to be able to connect the air conditioner to a water source and to drill two holes for the intake and exhaust of air. It does not need refrigerant, a substance once harmful to the ozone layer and today more harmful than CO2 to global warming.
Price and eligibility conditions
Throughout the summer, Remi Pérony of Caeli Energie indicated that fifty air conditioners had been installed for testing purposes, both in retirement homes and communities. For this fall, the startup plans to offer its product to individuals. To benefit from the installation of a Caeli Energie air conditioner, it will be necessary to pass an eligibility test via their website, for a fee of 3000 euros. Currently, it is already possible to submit a request for information.
According to the startup, the unit cools a room of 40 square meters, no larger. It is important to note that this technology remains relatively expensive, and it is worth considering the additional water consumption required to save electricity and avoid the use of air conditioning that expels hot air outside.
Caeli Energie is optimistic about its production capacity, foreseeing an increase of fifty units, and claims that its current competitors, based in Australia and China, still have a long way to go to develop in France and Europe.
