Technology targets energy efficiency
The Building Technologies Practice of Frost and Sullivan* reviews the changing technology in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) sector, which is driven by demands for higher energy efficiency and new legislations aimed at sustainability.
01 April 2012
AIR-CONDITIONING accounts for almost two-thirds of the electricity consumption in a building. According to a global warming survey conducted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), buildings account for 39 per cent of total energy use, 68 per cent of the electricity use and 38 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions.
Increasing energy consumption, growing awareness on energy efficiency and sustainability is leading to the transformation of efficient air-conditioning technologies in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) sector. Efficient technologies are being developed, which use natural sources of energy that save power and reduce maintenance costs compared to traditional HVAC systems.
Some of the conventional/energy-efficient HVAC technologies that are gaining ground in the GCC are air handling units (AHUs), centrifugal chillers, scroll chillers, indirect fired absorption chillers, digital scroll variable refrigerant flow (VRF), VRF and inverter VRF. Traditional technologies that have used in the region include ducted/packaged units, reciprocating compression chillers, screw compression chillers and direct fired absorption chillers.
The VRF market is emerging in the GCC countries, with the HVAC industry shifting its focus to advanced/sustainable air-conditioning systems from simple/traditional air-conditioning systems. The success of VRF systems in the region can be attributed to their energy efficiency, eco-friendliness and low-cost maintenance requirements, compared to the traditional air-conditioning systems such as packaged units. A VRF system uses 30 to 40 per cent less energy than a conventional system while the cost efficiency of AHUs and chillers is 25 is 30 per cent higher.
Thanks to the introduction of digital scroll and inverter technology, these systems are likely to acquire a major segment of the HVACR market in the immediate to mid-term future.
In terms of compression chillers, energy-efficient technologies such as centrifugal and scroll types are expected to outpace the demand for less efficient reciprocating and screw types. However, introduction of magnetic bearing technology and modular chillers are expected to address the need for energy efficiency in reciprocating chillers.
In absorption chillers, in-direct fired (steam, hot water and exhaust gas) technology will gain more prominence than direct fired (gas or diesel) technology due to its relative price advantage and availability over electricity and energy.
Among other developments in the sector, AHUs are using the latest “air enthalpy control technology” through which electricity costs can be controlled and saved during favourable outdoor temperatures.
Electricity demand
Growing demand for HVACR arising from the steady growth of population, rising standards of living and growth in the construction sector are making the GCC countries one of the largest consumers of energy (both oil and gas, and power and water) in the world. According to a world energy study by Energy Intelligence Agency (EIA), the GCC countries ranked second in per capita energy consumption.
According to a forecast by the Economist Intelligence unit, electricity consumption in the GCC, which last year stood at 391.98 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh), is expected to be 661.85 billion kWh by 2020, and the per capita consumption of electricity is expected to be 12,201 kWh in 2020 from 9,307 kWh in 2010.
Energy consumption
Increase in energy consumption and the resulting carbon emissions are of the highest priority and concern for any economy. Developments in the construction sector are the biggest growth drivers of the air-conditioning sector in the GCC. Besides the UAE, the most dynamic markets with numerous future construction projects in the long term are Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Energy consumption in air-conditioning can be reduced through continuous research and development practices and improved energy-efficient technologies involving low-cost and higher returns. However, high initial cost of investment for sustainable products and the gaining prominence of district cooling – an alternative to individual HVACR units – pose a major challenge affecting the growth of this market.
Governments in the region have become increasingly strict with regards to building regulations associated with energy consumption. The growing number of regulations in the GCC has increased demand for green building projects that are intended to ensure sustainability and environment-friendliness.
Various green building standards and practices have been adopted to ensure that buildings comply with environmental expectations in the region’s construction industry. Some of the standards being adopted are the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (Leed) rating system, and development of local building codes such as Estidama (Abu Dhabi).
The UAE’s Energy Efficiency Standardisation and Labelling (EESL) programme has made it mandatory to attain energy-efficiency regulations for non-ducted residential room air-conditioning in both window and split units. Following this, regulatory bodies such as Emirates Authority for Standard and Metrology (Esma) and Saudi Arabian Standard Organisation (Saso) in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively, have adopted AHRI (Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute) and Ashrae (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers) standards.
Moving forward, Frost & Sullivan expects more energy efficiency standards and legislation to be enforced in the future for commercial air-conditioning in chillers and ducted technologies. These regulations are expected to drive the demand for new technology that will ensure energy efficiency and sustainable HVACR products in the years to come.
* Frost & Sullivan, is a growth partnership company that enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company provides disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies.
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