Wind-Free solution brings added comfort, efficiency to HVAC market

Since the beginning of time, wind has helped keep people cool.

Sometimes, the wind can be overwhelming and undesirable. But we still seek – and need – comfort.

Samsung’s latest HVAC technology accomplishes just that by using – then enabling the elimination of – traditional airflow.

The tech giant recently showcased its new windless mini-split solution, called Wind-Free, in the Windy City as part of the AHR 2018 Expo.

As an industry, “we’ve kind of forgotten about comfort,” Vic Perez, eastern region senior sales director for Samsung HVAC of America, said at the annual event in Chicago. “So we’ve tried to get that blast of air away from people and give them a more calming effect.”

Wind-Free, provides users in commercial and residential settings with the ideal air condition by maintaining the desired room temperature using wind-free cooling to gently disperse cold air through 21,000 micro air holes on the unit’s front panel when the louver is closed, producing a dispersed and gentle flow of air defined as “still air.” First, the system lowers the room temperature in fast cooling mode and then automatically switches to the wind-free cooling mode once the desired temperature is reached.

“Through those holes, we’re able to dissipate the air in a cool pattern so that draft is taken away,” Perez said. When you’re sleeping, “you don’t need that blast of air.”

Wind-Free drives efficiency by slowing fan speed when the unit switches to a lower setting and the louver closes.

The wind-free system has the added ability to connect to Samsung's Smart Home app, which enables occupants to monitor the wind-free unit and all compatible Samsung appliances from virtually anywhere. The app features include basic control and monitoring of power usage, set temperature, fan speed and louver swing.

The app also features Smart Installation and Smart Check. Smart Installation automatically checks for installation faults to ensure the system is installed properly, while Smart Check detects and diagnoses problems with the system to provide quick and easy troubleshooting solutions.

When Samsung unveiled its Wind-Free product a year ago, it gave 40 systems to contractors. The cost: Only that they provide detailed feedback from themselves and, most importantly, customers, Perez said.

“What we heard was it’s easy, it was very quick to install and it was everything it said it was – quiet, efficient and, on top of that, it gave them the comfort they were looking for,” he said. “This becomes a game-changer because it’s an innovative product. It allows us to show architects and engineers that where comfort in the past may have been a problem, that’s now being addressed.”