AIR CONDITIONING AIR CONDITIONING
AIR CONDITIONING
Vive l’évolution I
n the UK the political climate has been dominated by Brexit. Although the outlook for the UK is uncertain, business goes on. The HVAC industry is as prepared as it
can be when dealing with the unknown, but what we do know is that the drive for smarter ways to cool and heat buildings in a more sustainable way is shaping our industry and our lives.
Manufacturers are being encouraged from two directions – legislation and end-users. The tightening of legislation encourages innovation, improved building design and products that off er reduced emissions, greater energy effi ciencies and longevity. End-users and building owners share those values but are also concerned with a whole host of criteria including BREEAM ratings, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), ErP Directives as well as Power Usage Eff ectiveness (PUE) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) which all help to encourage innovation and change the way we design, build and use our environments. The air conditioning industry has made great strides over the past decade. Our industry’s many awards showcase the commitment, enthusiasm and innovation that facilitate forward-thinking solutions which are shaping HVAC. Price is always a major factor as budgets are tight but customers are willing to spend more if they can see a quantifi able return on their investment.
There are a number of dynamics at play which are
infl uencing the growth in the air conditioning market. The key driver is legislation but there are a lot of new opportunities arising from the increased demand for air conditioning solutions in both residential and commercial sectors.
The market in the early part of this year was relatively subdued, yet it is estimated that from 2019 to 2024 there will be 14% growth – this can be attributed to the fact that controlled environments are no longer confi ned to the traditional mission critical facilities, such as data centres, co- location sites and fi nancial services.
26 September 2019
Aermec’s Stuart Allen takes a look at what’s infl uencing the air conditioning landscape.
Research has also clearly shown that air conditioning systems are indispensable as inadequately heated or cooled working spaces have a negative impact on productivity. As a result, they are being seen as a utility product rather than a luxury.
There are many opportunities from new builds to legacy data centres and there’s no shortage of technologies and emerging technologies. We have already seen innovatory leaps – variable speed drives, EC motors, free cooling, multiple scroll compressors, smart controls, heat pumps and heat recovery systems, all of which highlights how progressive and dynamic our industry really is. These developments all focus on running buildings and systems more effi ciently and they show no sign of slowing down. Newer technologies and applications are emerging all the time which are re-shaping our environments. Included in this is a move to heat pumps driven by the increasing de-carbonisation of the UK electrical grid, greater demand for modular AHUs, chillers and heat pumps, a move to non-refrigerant based systems, more sustainable building design and construction and increased building automation – which will see air conditioning systems repaired more easily and give a greater insight to their operational status 24/7. User-friendly controls are far more common place now and redundancy has become a key issue in many industries – not just reserved for critical applications – in the event of a system failure there is a backup to provide cooling and or heating as well as air circulation.
De-carbonisation
The National Grid is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels rapidly – in 2014 for example, the carbon factor of grid electricity was 495 grams of CO2
generated. According to Defra this fell by 6.5% in 2015, a further 10% to 412 grams in 2016 and down again to 212 grams in 2017. By 2035 it is expected to be as low as 41 grams, less than a quarter of what it is today.
for every kWh of electricity
www.acr-news.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
