The days are getting longer, frosts are getting shorter and we can just about see summer on the horizon. Long hot lazy days and evenings sat in the beer garden of your local pub with friends are beckoning, unfortunately most of us are still going to have to turn up for work throughout the summer months. Working through the heat of the day in a hot workshop or factory can make us dread the hot weather, especially if installing an expensive air conditioning unit is not a financial priority.

Air conditioning units are not going to be practical in many commercial environments for several reasons. The first is going to be cost, especially for SME's. Not only are air conditioner units expensive in themselves, running them can cause unjustifiably high costs, they use up an excessive amount of energy and therefore produce high bills. They are also impractical for factories and warehouses which require large doors or shutters to be left open as this allows the cool air being pumped into the building to escape. If air conditioning filters aren't cleaned regularly they can have health implications. Any germs in the air tend to end up being pumped round the building.

One alternate to air conditioning units is evaporative cooling systems, they require 80% less energy than conventional air conditioning units which not only makes them more cost effective, but it also makes them more environmentally friendly too. They work by drawing air through pads which are kept constantly moist, as the moisture is evaporated into the air, the temperature is reduced.

As well as being more energy and cost efficient, evaporative cooling systems have several other advantages over air conditioning units. The first being that because they lower the temperature of their environment rather just blowing cold air into it, doors and windows can be left open without jeopardising the overall efficiency. They require no structural alterations to buildings as they can simply be mounted to a roof, window or wall. They do not require any chemicals to filter the air as it's taken naturally from outside the building. This not only makes it better for the environment, it's healthier for those in the building as they're still breathing in the fresh air from outside. Bacteria cannot form because the temperature of the water in the cooler is too low.

Although evaporative cooling systems are still cheaper than conventional air conditioning units, times are hard in today's economic climate especially for SME's. The Carbon Trust is a Government funded company whose aim is to reduce carbon emissions by helping the UK become a low carbon economy through the development of low carbon technologies. They are currently operating an interest free loan scheme for SME's to help finance low carbon projects. As long as the project is helping lower carbon emissions in can be used for new equipment, to replace or repair old equipment, it can be used to pay for the equipment itself and the installation.