Sponsored by COILS
The greening of buildings
Vineet Kashyap, senior director of marketing, strategy and communications for UTC Climate, Controls & Security’s international operations, shares some thoughts on current trends in green buildings.
G
reen buildings have long been associated with energy efficiency – how is the HVAC industry continuing to innovate in this area?
Going green is not just an environmental consideration – it’s a strategy for savvy businesses looking to differentiate and grow the bottom line.
Most green building options cost the same or only slightly higher than conventional alternatives, yet they deliver significant returns. For instance, new green buildings decrease operating costs by 8% over one year and 15% over five years. Over time, the argument that green is more expensive becomes invalid.
HVAC systems are energy consumers compared to other services like lighting and IT equipment but with the HVAC technologies available today, we can improve the energy- efficiency of buildings by 30%.
Doing so can have an internal rate of return of 28.6% over a 10-year period – that’s four times better than average corporate bond yields and double the returns seen by high-performing venture capital firms. Additionally, the impact on employees inside a building from an HVAC system with a high indoor air quality system outweighs any capital expense that may be required in this regard.
There is a growing need for new, efficient equipment and intelligent building solutions. As a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, our brands like Carrier can help building owners achieve their goals through energy- efficient products developed with sustainability in mind. One example is the AquaEdge 23XRV variable speed screw chiller, the world’s leading efficiency screw chiller, which is 42% more efficient than the industry standard. It is the world’s first integrated, variable speed, water-cooled screw chiller, incorporating significant breakthroughs in water-cooled chiller technology to provide excellent reliability and achieve superior efficiencies at true operating conditions.
In the UK, three high performance Carrier AquaEdge 23XRV screw chillers helped PwC’s Embankment Place
building achieve what is believed to be the highest- ever Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating for both new-build and existing buildings.
Another focus area is using big data and analytics to enhance building performance.
In March 2017, UTC Climate, Controls & Security acquired EcoEnergy. Based in Bengaluru, India, EcoEnergy is a leading provider of energy management services for commercial customers in North America, Europe and Asia. EcoEnergy’s energy management platform and services, along with the expertise of its team, will enable UTC Climate, Controls & Security to further develop its remote services and building analytics capabilities and bring enhanced services and solutions to UTC Climate, Controls & Security’s broad, global customer base.
The business case for energy-efficient HVAC systems is clear. What else can building operators do to achieve their sustainability goals?
They can choose sustainable refrigerants. We have energy- efficient HVAC systems that use refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of around 1, like Carrier’s Aqua Edge 19DV centrifugal chiller. A refrigerant with such a low GWP was not considered feasible even a few years ago but innovations in technology and refrigerants have made this not only possible but preferable, with high performance combined with a reduced environmental impact.
You’ve spoken about the impact of green buildings on the environment, but what about the impact on those people working in green buildings?
Occupants spend considerable time breathing the air inside the office building and, as shown by the COGfx studies conducted by Harvard University, there is a definitive link between cognitive function and indoor air quality. The first study, the COGfx IEQ Study, found cognitive function test scores doubled when study participants were in simulated green building environments with enhanced ventilation as
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