In November 2020, it was announced that Emerson acquired 7AC Technologies for an undisclosed amount. Emerson - a longtime major player in the advanced heating and cooling technologies arena - had been collaborating with 7AC to commercialize a new technology that enables customers - commercial building owners and retailers - to achieve desired relative humidity and temperature in a single step. The membrane-based liquid desiccant technology developed by 7AC is flexible, fully modular and can be incorporated into various applications. 7AC Technologies, Inc., formally known as 7Solar Technologies, Inc., has developed a disruptive membrane-isolated plastic plate technology that enables the design of highly efficient liquid desiccant based HVAC solutions. Systems using this technology can drastically cut heating-and-cooling energy costs and radically improve de-humidification performance. Close to half of US primary building energy, $280B a year, is used to heat and cool buildings. The firms technology can be used for both existing and new construction and was designed to be a drop in replacement for existing rooftop HVAC systems on commercial and industrial buildings, requiring no infrastructure modifications or specialized installation skills. Conventional HVAC solutions rely on vapor compression technology that are over 100 years old and hugely inefficient when dealing with humidity. The market for all HVAC equipment is $25B in the US and $100B globally.
