A new green-friendly air-conditioning system that can be used to refrigerate, heat or cool houses with the added benefit of hot water on tap will be promoted at the Big 5 exhibition.

The system, manufactured by AHB Klimatechnik of Austria, comes with the advantage of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)-free refrigerants.

AHB is a new Vienna-based firm that launched operations last year. Its initials are symbolically derived from the words air-conditioning, heating and buffering, as the system can be used for all these purposes, that is, to heat, cool and act as a buffer in an existing system.

"It is now possible to refrigerate or heat, through a heat-pump, as well as have a supply of warm water at no extra cost, using one single unit," says managing director Bernd Noichl. "The AHB system is ideal for houses, city apartments, shops, offices and restaurants and a single system can be used as the central unit for a house with up to five rooms."

He continues: "The unit's cost price represents extremely good value, and its running costs are sensationally low. It combines maximum efficiency with an almost unlimited range of uses, not only in larger apartments or offices but also where a greater degree of refrigeration is required. It helps protect the environment by an enormous reduction in the emission of harmful CO2 gases as well as by excellent utilisation of energy. The compact unit takes up little space, and when the air-conditioner is in operation it also reduces the problem of condensation."

The units can also be custom-designed for specific installations, he adds.

The AHB system has a power rating of 1.9 to 2.3 kW (230 V/1/50 Hz), a cooling capacity of 7.5 to 11 kW (expandable), and a heating capacity of 9.5 to 13 kW

It uses less than a kilo of R 134a and R 407c CFC-free refrigerant, measures 60 by 55 by 65 cm and weighs around 65 kg.

AHB will be displaying the new units at stand 2A53 at the Big 5, looking for buyers, agents and even businessmen interested in manufacturing ventures in the region.

"We are a first-time exhibitor at the Big 5, and we see enormous potential for our product in the new and retrofit markets of the Arabian Gulf and the Near East," says Noichl. "We will be looking for both agents as well as business partners interested in establishing plants for the manufacture of our systems."