PhD student Sam Lowrey has been working on a better dehumidifier for the past several years, the product of his labours now sucking the moisture from an environment-controlled room in the basement of one of the university's science buildings.
The principal way in which Mr Lowrey and his co-researchers are attempting to improve efficiency is by introducing a better heat-recovery device - a component that will do a better job of cooling air moving through the dehumidifier to the dew point before it reaches the cooling coil.
But Mr Lowrey says they have also identified several other ways to improve the functioning of existing models.
So far they have been able to get a 30% improvement at higher temperatures and also made a start on colder-temperature gains.
