Boost building performance

Airotech tackles the hidden culprits behind wasted energy and poor performance – helping buildings recover efficiency, reduce costs and improve sustainability.

In commercial or industrial buildings and facilities, the biggest inefficiencies are often invisible. Up to 20–30% of conditioned air is lost through heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) duct leakage before it ever reaches occupied spaces. That’s not just wasted energy; it’s wasted capital, compromised indoor air quality and avoidable carbon emissions.

While HVAC duct losses are one side of the equation, system inefficiency within water-based HVAC loops is another. Even well-designed chilled and hot water systems often underperform due to limitations in heat-transfer efficiency. This results in higher pump energy, reduced chiller efficiency and unstable thermal control.

For a typical HVAC system, this translates into: 10–25% higher energy consumption; increased fan and chiller load; poor temperature consistency across zones; compromised indoor air quality leading to reduced occupant comfort; increased fatigue; lower workforce productivity; and reduced system lifespan due to overwork. For buildings targeting Green Star certification or operational efficiency benchmarks, these losses are a silent barrier to performance.

The fix

Aeroseal addresses duct leakage at the source – internally, without disruption, and the results speak for themselves: leakage reductions of up to 99%, immediate improvement in air delivery efficiency; return on investment (ROI) guaranteed to under two years, verified results via real-time before-and-after leakage reports; and typical project completion in hours, not days. Unlike traditional duct sealing, which often requires ceiling access, labour-intensive repairs and operational downtime, Aeroseal is non-invasive and measurable. Using a patented aerosol-based process, microscopic sealant particles are injected into the duct system. These particles are naturally drawn to pressure-driven leaks, where they accumulate and seal gaps from the inside.

For existing buildings this is critical. It enables rapid efficiency gains without capital-intensive retrofits, improved Green Star performance under Energy and Indoor Environment Quality categories, and reduced HVAC energy intensity almost immediately. In short: you will recover energy you’re already paying for.

Maxwell® is a drop-in heat-transfer fluid enhancement that upgrades the performance of existing systems without replacing equipment. Once introduced into a closed-loop system, Maxwell® improves the thermal conductivity of the fluid, enabling: faster heat transfer across coils and exchangers; reduced chiller lift and improved COP; lower pump energy due to improved system efficiency, and more stable and responsive temperature control. Typically, the impact is a 10–20% reduction in HVAC energy consumption, improved ΔT performance across chilled water systems, and reduced runtime and load on major plant equipment.

From a GBCSA perspective, this directly supports energy performance optimisation, lifecycle cost reduction and lower operational carbon intensity. Unlike major plant upgrades, Maxwell® requires no shutdown or system redesign, is installed while systems remain operational and delivers short payback periods. For facilities under pressure to improve efficiency without capex-heavy interventions, this is a high-impact, low-disruption solution.

Performance without disruption

South Africa’s built environment faces a dual challenge: rising energy costs and grid instability, and increasing pressure to meet sustainability and ESG targets. Yet most buildings cannot afford major retrofits or downtime. That’s where solutions like Aeroseal and Maxwell stand out. They offer immediate, measurable efficiency gains, minimal disruption to operations, strong alignment with Green Star and net-zero pathways, and rapid and guaranteed ROI with long-term operational benefits. Most importantly, they focus on optimising what already exists, which is where the greatest opportunity lies in South Africa.
For building owners, developers, and facility managers aligned with GBCSA, the question is no longer whether efficiency improvements are needed, but how quickly they can be implemented. The fastest way to a high-performance building isn’t always replacing assets – it’s unlocking the efficiency already inside them.

Contact Airotech to arrange a duct leakage assessment or to learn how Maxwell® can improve your HVAC system performance. Visit us at www.airotechsa.co.za or contact us at info@airotechsa.co.za