New technology that reduces current carbon dioxide emissions is to be welcomed; original inventions that produce no CO2 whilst providing heating and cooling power are to be heralded. ClimateWell, a company with headquarters in Sweden and representation in Madrid, Spain, has developed a product that on a 150m2 property, which is the size of a modern four-bedroom house, will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 10 tonnes per year.

The innovative technology is based on storing energy in a salt and then extracting it as cooling or heating by mixing the salt with water. The advantages are a highly efficient storage and high heating and cooling power that is free of CO2 emissions. Moreover, in considering that a third of the global energy consumption is related to heating and cooling of buildings, the energy saving potential of ClimateWell’s technology is vast.

Significantly, says the company, the savings would be made by changing technology and not necessarily people’s behaviour, which is considered to be the single greatest threat to reducing climate change. More than three-quarters of recipients in a recent poll believe that new technology will avert global warming. The same reason was further cited as to why they need not alter their behaviour to reduce CO2 emissions.

ClimateWell 10 (CW10) is a solar air-conditioning unit that can be used domestically as well as in offices. The CW10 can operate in three modes - charging, heating and cooling. Charging mode stores energy through drying a salt (Lithium Chloride - LiCl) that subsequently can be used whenever required. The machine can charge and discharge simultaneously, for example to heat domestic hot water and a swimming pool. A back up energy source may be required in areas with little or no sunshine.

Retail prices are to be announced.