Amazon is integrating a new type of ventilation technology into its commercial building portfolio to slash energy consumption. The retail giant recently signed on as a customer for Transaera, a company producing a specialized dehumidification unit designed to lighten the load on existing air conditioning systems.
According to TechCrunch, Amazon has been testing the unit in Houston for several months. The company's purchase agreement reserves capacity for the technology over the next three years.
Transaera's device, known as a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS), focuses on moisture removal rather than just temperature control. The unit can remove 100 pounds of water from the air every hour, allowing air conditioning units to operate more efficiently.
While the concept of DOAS is not new, Transaera claims its specific unit is up to twice as efficient at removing moisture as current market alternatives.
Scaling a design standard
Sorin Grama, co-founder and CEO of Transaera, told TechCrunch that the company's technology addresses a common inefficiency in commercial HVAC use. He noted that many buildings are kept colder than necessary because operators use air conditioning to combat humidity.
“The reason they blast the air conditioner so much is because they’re trying to reduce the humidity,” Grama said. “In some cases in commercial buildings, the air is so cold that they have to reheat it back up.”
For Amazon, the adoption of the technology is part of a broader infrastructural strategy. Grama noted that Amazon views the hardware as a "design solution" and plans to replicate the system across its building stock once the solution is standardized.
Demand for the technology appears to be expanding beyond Amazon. Grama told TechCrunch that Transaera currently has "nine figures" worth of purchasing targets from various customers waiting in the pipeline.
