Toshiba Carrier Corporation (TCC) has delivered its spot air-conditioning system FLEXAIR to the red panda outdoor exhibit area as a result of a threeyear agreement with Chiba Zoological Park aimed at creating a comfortable environment that is for both animals and visitors.
Futa, a red panda, has long been a national favorite for his adorable posture standing upright on his hind legs. Futa has made his long-term home at the Chiba Zoological Park. In a token of gratitude for Futa’s contributions over years to visitor attendance, the zoological park conducted a crowdfunding campaign to finance a gift for his 20th birthday on July 5, so that he can spend the summer in comfort. Red pandas originally inhabit the highlands of Tibet and other parts of Asia and are known to be sensitive to the harsh Japanese summers.
In response to this need, TCC proposed a FLEXAIR system that allows the temperature and air volume to be set according to the physical condition of the red pandas in the spacious outdoor exhibit area. The FLEXAIR system, which is compact and requires no duct work for easy installation, excels in providing comfort when used in a large outdoor space. As the highest award-winner at the prestigious Energy Conservation Grand Prize of Japan in 2018, the FLEXAIR system also achieves 20% savings in energy consumption via its spot air-conditioning to cover Futa’s 63-square-meter territory in the exhibit area, compared to the case of using two room air conditioning units for 18 tatami mats (approximately 58 square meters), which have the equivalent capacity required to cover the same space.
Toru Kubo, President, Global Comfort Solutions Japan, Carrier, visited the FLEXAIR installation site in the red panda exhibit area and said, “Given the fact that a 20-year-old red panda would already be over 80 in human years, I am encouraged to see Futa live gracefully after so many years of stardom. It is a great honor for us not only to provide comfort both for the animals and visitors but to contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions for the customer. We will continue to accelerate our efforts to support our customers’ decarbonization journey and offer solutions addressing global climate challenges.”
