The Amozone

Environmental hero with a focus on eliminating the emission of ozone-destructive substances.

The National Property Board Sweden (SFV) continuously works to improve the operation of our properties. Our goal is:

• The elimination of ozone-destructive refrigerants in our air conditioning systems.

Sustainable systems last longer

SFV constantly works to get rid of ozone-destructive substances in our cooling devices. Property managers, technical services managers and operation technicians help everyone in this work. We always look for alternative solutions for the cooling of buildings without cooling devices. The reason for the need for extra cooling must always be analysed. For example, if this is due to a building being equipped with heat generating lighting, the solution may be to install lighting that gives off less heat. If the building is situated in a sunny area, diverting the heat from the sun with awnings is an alternative that is often sufficient. Ventilating the buildings with cool outdoor air at night is another way. Sometimes, groundwater or seawater can be utilized for cooling.

Everyone who contributes to the work is an environmental hero. Several examples of efforts that have been carried out are presented below.

Need for cooling in hot countries

Sometimes, cooling is needed in our buildings. SFV Utrikes (SFV operations outside Sweden) is responsible for Sweden´s government-owned foreign properties, Swedish embassies, residences and institutes. The area of responsibility includes approximately 130 properties in 72 districts in 65 countries throughout the world. In many districts, the need for cooling is greater than the need for heating. Therefore, there are currently 208 air-conditioning units in our foreign properties. Different types of refrigerants are used to create cold air. Before the risk for the breakdown of our ozone layer was given attention, the majority of refrigerants were ozone-destructive. Today, SFV is working to replace all refrigerants with substances that are more environmentally friendly. In Sweden, the use of ozone-destructive refrigerants has been forbidden in new facilities since 1995, and since 2002 the refilling of existing facilities has been forbidden. Outside Sweden, ozone-destructive refrigerants are often allowed and environmentally-friendly alternatives can be difficult to find in local markets. SFV also works to adhere to Swedish legislation abroad.

New climate management unit in Beijing, China

The Swedish Embassy in Beijing is located on a wooded lot in the diplomat area, San Li Tun. The embassy buildings were constructed in the 1970s and expanded in 1991 and 1998. The buildings have mechanical intake and outtake exhaust air, which can be used to distribute both heating and cooling. During the summer months it can be extremely hot and extra cooling is needed in the buildings. Therefore, the cooling unit was replaced in 2007 with a more energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly refrigerant. It is very beneficial to the environment to get rid of ozone-destructive refrigerants and to have a facility that reduces energy consumption.

New refrigerants in Teheran, Iran

The Swedish Embassy in Teheran has been located on Nastaran Street since 1994. The embassy building is made of brick and was constructed in 1979. The technical installations were sub-standard according to Swedish standards, which is why SFV has replaced these in stages. When it was time to replace the central cooling unit, a conversion was made to environmentally-friendly refrigerants.

Seawater cooling on Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden

Skeppsholmen is a centrally located island in Stockholm. From the Royal Palace, Sweden´s monarchs had a clear view of the nation´s naval fleet, which was stationed there from the 1640´s. Today there are several museums housed in both old and new buildings on the island. Museum operations often require regulated indoor climate with cooling. We are therefore making use of the cooling effect of the water around the island. From a water inlet 28 metres down, cold seawater is taken, filtered, heat-exchanged and passed through a cooling system for the island. The buildings that require cooling are connected to this system. Compared with a conventional installation of air conditioning systems, the seawater cooling system generates a saving of about 600,000 kWh of electricity per year, and a similar amount of Swedish kronor. The Vasa Museum on Djurgården is also cooled this way using seawater.

Groundwater cooling in the Dekan Building, Uppsala, Sweden

The Dekan Building originated in the 1300s and was owned by the bishop of Skara at that time. The building is believed to have been destroyed in a fire in 1447 and a new building was erected on the same site five years later. During the 1700s and 1800s major renovations were carried out. In the 1960s the building was complemented with a mechanical intake and exhaust air system.

The building was renovated in 2005 and the old ventilation system was replaced with a solution that consumes less energy and also has the possibility to cool the air during the summer. A new intake and exhaust air system with heat recovery was installed. The air is pre-heated in winter and cooled when needed in the summer. With the help of a heat pump, the cooling properties of groundwater are utilised. Cold water is pumped in via a blast hole and after the cooling has been utilized, the warmed water is pumped back into the ground via two other blast holes. Automation is used to carry out so-called night cooling during the warm summer months. The cool night air is stored in the building´s thick brick walls and is used during the next day. With the new solution, energy use has been decreased and the building has obtained a very good indoor climate with cooling when needed.

• Read more about the Dekan building

Night cooling of Gamla gymnasiet, Karlstad, Sweden

Gamla Gymnasiet in Karlstad was completed in 1759, and at that time was one of Sweden´s few high schools. The building has been a Swedish government landmark since 1935 and has been owned by SFV since 1993. In 2005, the building was renovated and the original ventilation system with natural ventilation was renovated. The building was complemented with an automatic window airing system. It functions whereby in every window section, there are upper frames equipped with a motor-controlled arm that can automatically open the window frame as much as is necessary. The opening of the windows -how much and how long -is controlled by a computer that is connected to a weather station on the roof. The weather station has an indicator for wind direction, wind speed, rainfall and indoor and outdoor temperature. During the summer, automatic window airing is carried out at night. The cool night air is stored in the building´s thick brick walls and is used to hold the indoor temperature down during the next day. Due to that, no cooling unit is needed.

• Read more about Gamla gymnasiet in Karlstad

Awnings at Södra Banco, Stockholm, Sweden

The Södra Banco building is not only one of the world´s oldest central bank buildings; it is also possibly Sweden´s oldest and most well-preserved office building, a workplace for civil servants for more than 300 years. The building was first used in 1680. After that, two major additions were made and in 1737 the building got its present appearance. During 2004-2005 an extensive renovation was carried out where the ventilation system was adapted to today´s requirements for good indoor environments. So that the offices do not get too hot in the summer, the windows of the building have been equipped with automatically controlled awnings. They provide effective protection against sunlight, which is why no cooling system is needed.

• Read more about the Banco building, Stockholm