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Can an Evaporative Air Cooler Be Used in a Café?
Written by xicowner   

The hot days of summer are coming and many are thinking on how to save on electric bills especially those kilowatt-hours that an owner spends in cooling his cafe. During these days of stiff competition and rising cost of energy it is just proper to economize on power usage in order to bring a few more pesos to the bottom line of a cafe’s financial statement.

During the cooler rainy days, using electric to drive the heat away may do. But how about this coming summer, will low-wattage evaporative air coolers do the trick? Above are the pictures of some similar models of evaporative air coolers that are available in the local market but do not take your pick yet. Take time to read what has been written about the product especially about its applicability to Philippine weather conditions.

According to Wikipedia, evaporative coolers (also called swamp, desert, or air coolers) are devices that cool air through the simple evaporation of water. They differ from refrigeration or absorption air conditioning, which use vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycles. Evaporative cooling is especially well suited for climates where the air is hot and humidity is low. The installation and operating cost of an evaporative air cooler can be much lower than refrigerative air conditioning, often by as much eighty (80%) or so.

With the apparent ease of installation (simply by plugging into an electrical outlet), lower first cost than air-conditioning unit and smaller power consumption, a café owner can be easily tempted to buy this equipment; however, the simple truth is that evaporative are coolers are not usable in the Philippines. Specifications by the manufacturers say that evaporative air coolers work best in hot and dry low-humidity areas (around 30% humidity or less), but they also work fairly well in moderate humidity (around 40–50%). Sad to say the Philippine weather during summer months is hot and humid with an average 80% humidity anywhere in the country.

About the Author:
The author had personally engaged in the lanshop business and had observed the industry from its infancy up to its current status. He also experienced organizing an internet café association in an urban city and as such have had many dealings with the regulators of the industry. Visit Author Page

 

Comments

avatar milo01
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xicowner, thanks for the article. I'm also looking at evaporative coolers for this summer to help with the cooling. Ok, you said that the country has an average of 80% humidity but i'm assuming that this is outside. is it possible that humidity situation inside a shop is different from outside and that evaporative coolers can be used.
Saturday 04 April 2009, 12:53
avatar ChieLlige
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Has anybody researched on Dehumidifier instead of Air cooler. High humidity is the one causing too much heat.
Monday 11 May 2009, 18:33
avatar mschatter
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i think meron ako nakita nyan, surplus.. i will let you know kung mgkano then order kayo sa akin...
Monday 18 May 2009, 20:31
avatar xicowner
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@milo01 - Humidity is higher in an enclosed non-aircon area. You might notice that evaporative coolers are being used in some big establishment's air-conditioned space. This is possible because air-conditioner s lower the humidity in the area. Evaporative cooler for an enclosed non-aircon area is a big no. Sorry for the late reply.
Friday 29 May 2009, 03:05
avatar kingr2rpascual
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mas mahal pa yata yan sa aircon..
Tuesday 16 June 2009, 04:39
avatar herickprime
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meron po ako nyan sa shop 2 sila gamit ko unless na may back up ka ng aircon sure lalamig pwesto mo.. btw yung isa for dispatch na kung sino may gusto pm nyo lang ako.. :)
Tuesday 28 July 2009, 15:33
avatar Bien
0
 
 
humidity is an electronic component's enemy. the name of the device itself should make a lanshop owner stay away fro this.

as xicowner said, do your research before purchasing. these things are ok for open areas. for indoors, you may end up turning your rooms into a sauna. you can read more about this discussion inside our forums. just search for "Evaporative Coolers".
Wednesday 29 July 2009, 08:55
avatar steve
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Right, electronic devices' contacts corrode when exposed to high humidity, magloloko ang operation ng pc because of corrosion resulting in poor contact sa memory, videocard etc.
Sunday 15 November 2009, 17:09
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