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It\u2019s not just you: restaurants, malls, and offices on steamy summer days really are kept colder than necessary. Air conditioning is as much about dehumidification as it is about cooling, especially in hot, humid climates like the U.S. South, where buildings can be fertile ground for hazardous molds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason they blast the air conditioner so much is because they\u2019re trying to reduce the humidity,\u201d Sorin Grama, co-founder and CEO of Transaera, told TechCrunch. \u201cIn some cases in commercial buildings, the air is so cold that they have to reheat it back up.\u201d<\/p>\n
So Transaera has developed a new type of ventilation unit that, the company says, is significantly more efficient than existing dehumidification techniques, saving users energy and money. <\/p>\n
Amazon, which has been testing the unit for several months in Houston, recently signed on as a customer. Other companies are following suit, to the point where Transaera now has \u201cnine figures\u201d worth of purchasing targets from customers, Grama said. For Amazon, the purchase reserves capacity over the next three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazon is considering this a design solution,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce they find a solution that works, they put that into their design standard and replicate it across their building stock.\u201d<\/p>\n
The device, known as a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS), can keep the air inside commercial buildings fresh while also lightening the load on the AC. It can remove 100 pounds of water from the air every hour, meaning the AC doesn\u2019t have to run as hard.<\/p>\n
The idea of a DOAS isn\u2019t new, but Transaera says its unit is up to twice as efficient at removing moisture as existing systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Techcrunch event<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> Transaera\u2019s secret sauce is a desiccant that coats a six-foot wheel which slowly spins inside each of its units. \u201cIt\u2019s like silica gel on steroids.\u201d Grama said. The company won\u2019t disclose the specific desiccant, but it\u2019s based on a class of materials that won its discoverers a Nobel Prize in 2025.<\/p>\n As air passes into the unit, the desiccant draws moisture out of the air, which then passes through a heat exchanger before being dispersed into the building. Stale air is drawn out of the building along with heat from the heat exchanger, which flows through the moisture-saturated wheel. The heat from that air releases the moisture from the desiccant so it can be exhausted outside.<\/p>\n Amazon said Transaera\u2019s DOAS units will help the company reduce its energy use and help it on its path toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.\u00a0<\/p>\n Transaera is working with existing manufacturers, including those in the U.S., to build the device. Its proprietary desiccant system slots into industry-standard commercial HVAC units. \u201cIt\u2019s a like-for-like replacement of a legacy unit,\u201d Grama said. \u201cI think that\u2019s what\u2019s driving this demand \u2014 it\u2019s an easy replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n