@ green | November-December , 2021

Heating , ventilation and air conditioning systems are major concerns for building owners

BY FATIHAH MANAF

In conjunction with International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia ( IGEM ) 2021 , Malaysia Green Building Council ( MalaysiaGBC ) held a webinar entitled ‘ Tackling energy consumption reaching sustainability goals at no extra cost ’ on Oct 14 .

Moderated by BK Sinha , MalaysiaGBC Council Member 2021-2023 , the session featured guest speaker Chris Han , the Regional Sales Manager of Armstrong Fluid Technology , to speak on energy efficiency and green buildings .

The webinar aimed to inform the participants on how minor upgrades to the heating , ventilation and air conditioning ( HVAC ) systems of buildings could significantly reduce energy consumption and help organisations reach their sustainability goals .

According to Han , the demand for green buildings was strong and would continue to grow . Developers in the Asia-Pacific are also expected to accelerate their pace in constructing eco-friendly buildings and taking other measures to mitigate climate change impacts .

“ Energy efficiency is a vital component of a green building . As the focus on energy efficiency increases , we also notice that governments in the region have also taken energy efficiency into severe consideration ,” he said .

He also opined that , as more energyefficient technologies were being incorporated in buildings , the easy opportunities for energy savings had started to disappear over the years .

Han then highlighted : “ The message has never been louder , that making buildings greener , both in the construction or operation , could significantly affect the impacts that cities have on climate change .”

Heating , ventilation and air conditioning ( HVAC )

Han shared that green buildings consumed 25 per cent less energy , 34 per cent lower greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions , 11 per cent less water usage , and an overall 19 per cent lower maintenance costs .

“ The emphasis is on creating high performing resilient buildings , which are not only good for the environment but also support healthier , happier and more productive occupants who live in these buildings ,” he added .

He revealed that studies showed HVAC , on average , was responsible for about 40 per cent of energy consumption in commercial buildings .

“ This percentage is rising as building owners have progressively adopted energy-efficient , for example , lighting , leaving HVAC as the primary and principal area to look for energy savings .

“ In addition to energy intensity , HVAC plays a very dominant role in occupants ’ comfort . The HVAC system is like the lungs of buildings . It is a system that ensures there ’ s a comfort maintained in any building ,” said Han .

He emphasised that buildings had a significant role in sustainability . He said heating and cooling costs comprised about

56 per cent of the total energy cost . The percentage was expected to increase as the energy efficiency measures in other areas continued to penetrate .

He shared some project risks and obstacles in upgrading the system of the buildings , including :

• Cost of capital

• Technology risks

• System implications

• Tenant disruption

• Lack of transparency

Customised solution for buildings

Han then revealed the Design Envelope Technology by Armstrong Fluid Technology , a customised solution to reduce GHG emissions in the building and HVAC industry . The Design Envelope Technology addresses the main barriers to energy upgrade projects in building and delivers significant reductions in energy consumptions and carbon emissions .

“ In terms of sustainability , our solutions can intelligently deliver only the capacity required by the system at any given time , thereby reducing energy wastage .”

Armstrong Fluid Technology found six critical opportunities in the fluid-flow innovations to help owners of buildings , such as :

• Integration of components including sensorless pumping technology

• Parallel sensorless pump control

• A paradigm shift on redundancy

• Feedforward control loop

• Automation and optimisation

• Connecting assets - active performance management “ With sensorless pump control , the changes in the system are detected by the sensorless pump control as the motor amp draw changes . As the control valve opens and closes , it detects it as a change in motor amp draw .

“ The pump control automatically adjusts its speed and ramps up or down , according to the needs of the system . Parallel senseless pump control is another strategy concerning flow control for you to consider .

“ With the rise of sensorless pump control technology , parallel pumping systems can be further optimised for improved energy savings in areas where remote sensors are not possible or not even practical to place ,” explained Han , adding the system response was quick and accurate , which automatically helped in terms of saving energy and reducing greenhouse gasses .

He emphasised that Armstrong Fluid Technology adopted a pump first approach rather than looking at other components such as chillers in its Energy Upgrade Road Map .

“ I know a lot of times we tend to zoom in on changing the chiller as that is the most significant component of energy consumption . Perhaps you will change it to a more highly efficient chiller . But for us here , we ’ re looking at the pump first approach because the pump makes system operations transparent to the building automation system .

“ Like our heart , it adds efficiency of other equipment to the system by ensuring optimal flow to the chillers and the towers , thereby improving on the overall operations .

“ Our Energy Upgrade Road Map is a low-risk data-driven approach for such programmes ( energy upgrade projects ) to take place , to help you to stay cash-flow positive ,” Han said .

After picking all low hanging fruits , he stated the HVAC system was the next big opportunity for energy and carbon savings in buildings . — @ Green