High-efficiency air-conditioning system with high-volume air distribution

An apparatus for distributing conditioned air to an interior space within a building, comprising:

• a suspended ceiling located in said interior space below a second ceiling above the suspended ceiling, said suspended ceiling and said second ceiling comprising a bottom and a top of a plenum, respectively;
• a source of conditioned air, coupled to said plenum, that has a temperature that is within the range of about 10° F. to 15° F. of the air temperature of said space, and that is at a pressure above that of the air in said space;
• and
• a plurality of vents that control air flow through a flow path between the plenum and said space.

An apparatus for conditioning the air in a space within a building, comprising:

• a source of conditioned air having a temperature that is within the range of about 10° F. to 15° F. of the air temperature of said space, and having a pressure that is above that of the air in the space;
• at least one vent that distributes to said space a low-velocity stream of said conditioned air in a substantially horizontal direction adjacent to a ceiling above said space;
• and
• a return flow path between said vent and said source of conditioned air;
• wherein
• said source of conditioned air obtains air from said return flow path and cools said air from said return flow path without removing moisture therefrom.

An air conditioning system for providing conditioned air to the interior space of a building, comprising:

• means for drawing a stream of air from said space and for cooling said stream of air to a temperature above the dew point, such that no moisture is removed from said stream of air, to produce a cooled stream of air;
• means for distributing said cooled stream of air to said space;
• and
• means for drawing a stream of outside air external to said building and for dehumidifying said stream of outside air, and for providing the stream of dehumidified outside air to said space.

An air conditioning system for providing conditioned air to the interior space of a building, comprising:

• means for drawing a stream of air from said space and for cooling said stream of air to a temperature above the dew point, such that no moisture is removed from said stream of air, to produce a cooled stream of air;
• and
• means for distributing said cooled stream of air to said space;
• wherein said means for drawing includes a low-velocity fan providing a static pressure on the order of 0.2 inches of water.

An air conditioning system for providing conditioned air to the interior space of a building, comprising:

• at least one flow channel formed between the interior glazing and the exterior glazing of a perimeter window of said building;
• means for drawing a stream of air from said space through said flow channel, and for cooling said stream of air to a predetermined temperature, without removing any moisture from said stream of air;
• and
• means for distributing said cooled stream of air to said space.