A Reality Check on Trends towards ECO-Friendly HVAC design

According to industry experts, there are potential opportunities for optimal HVAC efficiency with scheduled maintenance, design and control settings, IoT integration, and innovative systems to enhance HVAC energy efficiency solutions for the future.

 

Energy conservation is integral to commercial facilities through proper maintenance and effective operation. Managing the HVAC system ensures optimal performance and lower energy consumption. Hence, HVAC systems and utilities must be managed efficiently by configuring settings and reducing the current energy consumption. The HVAC industry is growing with increasing demand for energy efficient HVAC systems, the growing trend of smart homes, government initiatives, and rising investment needs for energy-efficient technologies. According to reports, the HVAC Systems market is slated to be worth $ 328.26 Billion by 2030 at a 6.6 per cent CAGR. Emerging trends indicate energy efficiency is at the centre of the next level of innovation. HVAC systems consume more power to produce a higher heating or cooling effect than is required, reducing energy efficiency. A modest change in temperature setting can set things a bit right. For instance, equipment such as fans and blowers can be set to run at speeds that deliver the required air demanded by the space boundaries they serve. Moreover, to provide appropriate amounts of heating and cooling, the use of HVAC systems with an IoT capability approach and its applications in smart buildings for conserving energy is the pertinent goal of the HVAC industry. Automation with the help of customised energy efficiency solutions can lead to cost savings for large spaces like airports, malls, pharma industries etc., and implementing newer technologies.Energy-efficient technologies Talking about the public spaces, Ms. Preethi Ramamoorthi, Director, HVAC Systems Pvt. Ltd., expressed that innovative technology is in demand in the HVAC industry. Space is a primary concern for industries such as pharma and hospitality projects.Energy efficiency is a concern for such large campuses. Many options, even in terms of solar consumption, are open to dealing with energy efficiency. Though they support the HVAC system, a high cost is incurred in the initial stages of any project. Many industries eagerly anticipate the cost incurrence versus Capex and Opex calculation today. Today there is a focus on investment and return, which was not happening a few years ago. Today VFD drives, EC fans, and all of the new technologies are focused since energy consumption is involved. Hence, educating about using primary energy sources like solar is bound to move the industry closer to green building for a sustainable solution. Moreover, some ratings and standards are mandatory when operating HVAC systems efficiently.  

 

Energy efficiency ratings 

ASHRAE and ISHRAE have designed various rating systems for the performance of HVAC systems. The last two decades of the green building movement and the green rating systems, per se, have been all about design. “Rating systems are moving toward a Net Zero approach. The current rating systems talk about net zero energy, net zero water, net zero waste, and net zero carbon”, is the opinion of Mr. Ashish Rakheja, Managing Partner at AEON Consultants. He says rating systems are performance-based – you cannot achieve net zero status unless you demonstrate buildings’ performance. The operators have challenges here. A well-designed building that is poorly operated does not produce the desired results. A poorly designed facility that is well worked also does not perform well and does not produce the desired effect; it is applicable both ways. This is where the rating systems have to change from design to performance-based. Consultants. He says rating systems are performance-based – you cannot achieve net zero status unless you demonstrate buildings’ performance. The operators have challenges here. A well-designed building that is poorly operated does not produce the desired results. A poorly designed facility that is well worked also does not perform well and does not produce the desired effect; it is applicable both ways. This is where the rating systems have to change from design to performance-based. or the chillers. A study is underway to create a rating system for chillers as well. This will be a stepping stone toward developing a rating system for the integrated system. All kinds of sensors are also available at a lower cost and with higher reliability with technology enhancement. It will assist in having an integrated rating approach for the entire building and large public spaces, especially on the maintenance side.Air conditioning is being installed in public areas, airports, metro stations, and bus stops mentioned Mr. Aneesh. So the demand for buildings, industrial sheds, and similar structures will undoubtedly increase exponentially. Currently, natural ventilation is preferred over forced or mechanical ventilation. The current approach may not work, especially in an environment with significant temperature variations. For that, a complete mindset shift is required. Previously, everyone thought 20 degrees were the ideal temperature; now, it is 22 degrees. Going further, 24 degrees is the desired temperature setting for many products. In coming times, there will be a shift toward natural ventilation and low-cost higher-efficiency systems for public and office spaces. 

 

There is no other way to cater to this significant thing without  wasting energy. Everything is connected because energy is at a premium in the manufacturing environment. Air conditioning is used everywhere. But, when it comes to humans, thermal comfort only has been a game changer. Elucidating further, Mr. Ashish reasons that it is not about air conditioning; it has somehow entered our minds. “Air conditioning does not mean cooling or heating; it means conditioning the air.” And it entered the user’s mind as a guzzling low-temperature application. That’s what the Indians want to believe. But thermal comfort will be the name of the game in the future. The traditional concept of air conditioning could be for equipment routes or data centres. Hence, thermal comfort is more appropriate to used instead of air conditioning.

 

Adding to it Mr. Bhavesh Mehta, DGM, Reliance Retail Ltd., spoke about a facility that operates at 750 sqft. Per tone and also providing reasonable thermal comfort. The operational system was installed as per the required capacity based on the peak condition. He elaborates further on operational efficiency and BMS and says LED usage can have a dual tariff system in the master electricity board. Even the favours are realigning housekeeping staff’s working hours, significantly reducing operating costs which is feasible enough. Many options are available if we have better-operating standards with the properly trained person.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Aneesh mentions that even measurement technologies are undoubtedly linked since most installations use water-cooled chillers. The water requirements are becoming more stringent. Modern buildings have treatment plants that recycle water, resulting in zero emissions for the entire structure. A lot of emphasis now is on reusing water. After treatment, the reused water is pumped into the air conditioning systems. He adds that water’s relevance in HVAC will be there, while places with water scarcity will go to air-cooled chillers. Water is a scarce commodity everywhere. People are becoming more aware of the importance of conserving water. The types of pipelines need to change when they are ten years  old to prevent contamination. As a result, there is a greater awareness of the value and scarcity of water. By reusing water as much as possible, the ecosystem is kept sustainable for the time being. Watercooled chillers aren’t going away; they’ll just become more efficient.There will be reciprocating chillers in the next 20 years, says Mr. Bhavesh. Earlier there used to be a separate expansion valve. It is now a thermal expansion valve converted to an electronic expansion valve that commands better control over a refrigerant flow. The development of the control systems from the earlier mechanical to the electronic system will improve the machine’s performance. Even better-operating costs may be achieved with a water condenser, chilled water or airflow flow by keeping controls on the airside. Hence, the future sounds optimistic with the design and the latest technologies for HVAC controls.

 

New design trends 

When designing the new HVAC system, the impact of other systems’ parts must also be considered. There are interrelationships among various systems that are needed in design concepts. Just selecting the best efficiency equipment will not provide the right solution. An overall idea for better performance may be a better way to look at it.Mr. Ashish professes that digital twins are coming into the picture, validating the concept of using simulation tools. Before going for the execution, ‘Building Information Modeling’ is significantly putting the things to do right the first time. Indoor environmental quality is also emerging as a significant concern. The best design and most efficient building create the right indoor environment. The structures or HVAC systems must be designed with the global context, not from the viewpoint of the local context. People are the largest energy consumers, affecting human comfort, productivity, and safety the most. HVAC system roles are expanding, as evidenced by the IoT integration that HVAC designers and operators are concerned about today. And this is giving rise to the evolution of the HVAC industry. 

 

IoT options the way to future

Currently, any new building has a building management system or BAS. IoT has the potential to revolutionise the HVAC industry. One can retrofit existing systems with sensors connected to the cloud since data is generated every second or even milliseconds. The scope and utility of IoT is vast. The issue, however, lies in its application. Furthermore, Mr. Aneesh envisions that most of the BMS components are not operational at the start of the building’s life. Even if they are operational after a year, only 40-50 per cent remain operational. First is the dependability of those systems. The second factor is people’s ability to use them. And third is the reliance on manual recording, which is very prevalent in India because we have the workforce. So it doesn’t matter if the BMS system is down. The same will be valid for IoT. Ultimately, the users and maintainers can transform the way to manage buildings. And the designers must ensure that the systems are built with IoT in mind from the design stage to the operations stage – rather than as an afterthought

According to Mr. Asish, machine learning must enter the picture to optimise operations because there is a limit to what human functions can do in the growing complexity of buildings. Interrelationships can be handled by a very experienced operator or by systems that can judge and work on the fed subroutines. The larger question is whether it can be sustained over time. They are all aspects of evolution, and that’s the only way to move on. 

 

Summing up, efficiency lies in configuring settings, preventing motors, fans and operational components from running at their maximum designed speed. 

Finally, the data keep on accumulating. The IoT provides: 

• Data analysis. 
• Awareness to deal with maintenance. 
• Readying solutions to improve upon the HVAC scheme of things.

 

That is undoubtedly the direction to move ahead in future as a myriad of perspectives is on the horizon for different sectors and applications.