An innovative cooling system developed in response to the global climate emergency has gained national recognition for its impact on energy efficiency solutions and sustainability. Optimum Air Con, an advanced cooling solution engineered by researchers at Northumbria University, won Innovation of the Year – Thermal Comfort at the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Building Performance Awards 2025.
The award highlights Optimum Air Con’s potential to transform cooling technology. It recognizes its role in tackling rising global temperatures and increasing energy demands.
Addressing a Growing Challenge
Air-conditioning energy demand is expected to triple by 2050. Conventional systems rely on Mechanical Vapor Compression (MVC) technology, which consumes high energy, has costly maintenance, and uses hazardous refrigerants. Optimum Air Con overcomes these issues.
Created by EcoTechX, an academic start-up from Northumbria University, the system is a Novel Indirect Evaporative Cooler (NIEC). It harnesses water’s evaporative potential, significantly reducing energy use while improving efficiency.
Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Associate Professor at Northumbria University and Founder of EcoTechX, led the research. He explained: “Our Optimum Air Con system addresses the constraints of current IEC systems through simplified design and optimised airflow.”
Energy Efficiency Solutions for Sustainability Impact
Optimum Air Con consumes up to 65% less energy than conventional units. It creates a stable indoor temperature of around 23°C, ensuring comfort and reducing carbon emissions. “By using a natural process to cool the air, the NIEC avoids the dryness often associated with conventional air conditioning, creating a more comfortable and healthier indoor environment,” added Dr. Shahzad.
The system’s simple design minimizes maintenance, reducing long-term costs. It can also integrate with existing air conditioning setups as a pre-cooler, improving efficiency by up to 45%.
Industry Recognition and Energy Efficiency Solutions
The judges at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards praised Optimum Air Con for its outstanding performance and adaptability. They described it as “genuine innovation with broad applicability across property types and use cases.”
Dr. Shahzad secured multiple funding grants to develop the technology. These include internal university funding, a Northern Accelerator Proof-of-Concept grant, and a place in Innovate UK’s ICURe programme. These initiatives enabled further refinement and market evaluation, paving the way for commercial scalability.
Recognizing the technology’s potential, Dr. Shahzad secured £2.8 million in Ayrton Challenge funding to expand sustainable cooling in Pakistan. Support from the ICURe Grand Scale Kick Start program will also help EcoTechX expand into global markets.
Bridging Research and Industry
Optimum Air Con’s success showcases how academic research drives real-world sustainability solutions. Professor Louise Bracken, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Northumbria University, emphasized the importance of collaboration.
“Northumbria’s commitment to research excellence provides a supportive environment for the development of groundbreaking innovation. Through collaborations like the Northern Accelerator programme, research endeavours with commercial potential are nurtured into spinout businesses, fostering economic growth while addressing pressing global challenges,” said Professor Bracken.
EcoTechX will soon spin out and distribute Optimum Air Con globally. The company previously commercialized Solar2Water, a solar-powered system that extracts moisture from the air to produce drinking water.
Northumbria University excels in engineering research, with 90% of its studies rated world-leading or internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.
