Modernised energy efficient air conditioning is need of the hour

Air Conditioning market seeks energy efficiency streamlining

Industry leaders from the Air-conditioning industry for commercial and cold chain industry share their views on introducing and adapting latest technology to match global energy-efficiency standards and deliver a comfort cooling across various industries.

Central and industrial air conditioners are way more efficient than an ordinary room air-conditioner, as they are quite simple and convenient in terms of operation. With the present scenario, people prefer having installed energy-efficient systems in their premises. Today’s best air conditioners use 30 percent to 50 percent less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the mid 1970’s. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you may save 20 percent to 40 percent of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.

Maintaining temperature and humidity level whilst reducing energy consumption
Air-conditioners basically helps to dehumidify the incoming air, but during it’s ideally difficult the same intensity during extreme heat and climatic conditions. The same applies to the warehouses and industrial and cooling and refrigeration systems.

Talking about the cooling and humidification systems, Daniel Chen, Marketing Manager – HVAC, CAREL APAC says, CAREL’s air conditioning and refrigeration systems is one of its cornerstones.

“We prefer to focus on adiabatic humidification thatallows the humidity producers use less energy compared to isothermal humidification. One related application is evaporative cooling, with more efficient temperature control, especially in air handling applications.

Bhupender Singh, MD, Ravi Integrated Logistics Limited, talks about significance of air-conditioning and temperature-controlled supply chain. The cold chain includes various products such as produce, seafood, frozen food, dairy, floral, chemicals and pharmaceuticals – all of which have specific temperature requirements regarding storage to maintain quality and freshness.

“Refrigeration systems for a refrigerated facility has to be selected while planning the entire process. The central compressor room has been accepted standard for larger installations where energy conservation is very important factor. If the facility is separated for different commodities selection of the system type is bit easier” says Singh.

He further mentions some design parameters designated for various commodities with varied temperature requirements:

• Controlled atmosphere for long-term vegetable storage
• Coolers at temperatures of 0 oC and above
• High-temperature freezers at -2o to -3o degree C
• Low-temperature storage rooms for general frozen products, usually maintained at -15oto -25o C.

Whereas, Gurmeet Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limitedtalks about the measures being taken by the industry to address the energy efficiency in HVAC&R systems. According to him, “Global warming and climate change have become a reality now. The world is looking ahead to strengthen the regulations pertaining to safety of environment and energy efficiency for all kinds of equipment and appliances to check emissions, by upgrading their EER standards.

By 1st Jan 2021, India will also witness a higher Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) table. The most common technological improvements required to achieve efficiency are advanced heat exchangers, efficient compressors, motors etc. However, there aremany soft aspects to energy -efficiency and power saving such as the usage of software for controls like ACT mode, Sleep mode, Eco Mode and a lot more. Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd is continuously working on developing products and technologies that are innovative, energy-efficient, eco-friendly and fulfil the needs of its consumers.

Catering demand for uninterrupted cooling in industries
India is among the world’s largest producer and consumer of major food products, and is highly endowed agricultural country. With the increasing demand for agro-based products comes the demand doe uninterrupted cooling demand for transportation and cold storage for the agro-based products.

Here, energy-efficient air-conditioning services especially for refrigeration and cold chain logistics comes into the picture, where specific technology can contain required temperature, and make optimum use of energy.

On this note, Singh highlights that a large part of the cooling demand is catered through refrigerant based cooling globally across sectors such as cold-chain, refrigeration and reefer transport.

Integrated actions have a higher impact than any of the actions taken in isolated integration of energy efficiency and refrigerant transitioning efforts.

Chen, on the other hand, talks about using units, featuring indirect evaporative cooling, a refrigerant circuit with BLDC compressors. He further says, “Indirect evaporative cooling can thus provide a reduction in load in order to reduce the cooling capacity delivered, at the same time increasing the efficiency of the compressor, which operates at lower speed.”

Indirect evaporation exploits the well-known effect of lowering the temperature through the evaporation of water in a secondary or auxiliary air stream, which then cools the primary air flow via a heat exchanger. In this way, the air inside the server rooms is recirculated and no additional moisture is added, while there is no limitation in the humidity of the secondary air stream, which can even reach saturation, thus maximising the effect. However, the overall efficiency of this kind of unit depends on the performance of the individual components.

HVAC&R contributing in cooling the smart cities
India’s every growing population is heading towards urbanisation further amplifying the demand for efficient and sustainable infrastructure. The new India’s initiative towards smart cities add impetus to the current Indian HVAC&R industryin the development of smart cities and creating efficient and affordable HVAC solutions.

“Hitachi Cooling & Heating understands that the smart city concept is a success only when the smart technology is not only making the lives of its consumers comfortable but it is also easy on their pockets” says Gurmeet. He further says that being a socially responsible brand and a technology leader, we are constantly working on new cutting-edge technology in its product categories which comprises of Room AC, VRF, Chillers and other commercial air conditioners. Development of smart and intuitive technologies that not only improve the quality of life but also deliver best results at optimal prices has been our conscientious effort.

“Transforming Indian Cities into smart cities starts with energy and cost-efficient smart buildings. Advanced and energy efficient HVAC systems with low operating costs have a vital role to play in shaping up these smart buildings for country’s future cities” Gurmeet Adds.

Chen talks about their HVAC&R technologies for smart data-driven services through our IoT platform. Connectivity in refrigeration 4.0 comes into play throughout the unit’s life cycle, from production to commissioning to the final user, and all of the various players can draw benefits.

IoT means moving from isolated systems to solutions in which the various devices are interconnected and exchange data with each other. The advent of IoT represents a phase where the efficiency level will increase to a great extent; this will further determine the future results in terms of cost reductions.

This is contributing to greater availability of long-term data relating to energy performance and indoor air quality of buildings. Such data may come from different sources and relate to the total energy performance of the building, systems or components, the energy produced on site from renewable sources, and to the variables that have an influence, including those relating to the behaviour of occupants. The consequence of this trend is an exponential growth in the size and complexity of the databases relating to buildings-systems, which when correctly analysed can lead to the definition of the true performance of the building and optimisation of its operating performance.

Future expectation to bolster the HVAC&R sector in India
As per Tech Sci research report, India’s HVAC market is expected to cross $7 Billion by 2022. The growth in the market can be attributed to increasing number of high-rise buildings, shopping complexes & malls, and hypermarkets in Tier-II cities. Apart from this, the market is expected to propel on account of on-going smart city projects in the country. HVAC industry is moving towards smart and environment friendly technologies. Year 2020 is going to witness new technological advancements which will shape the future of the industry as well as consumer expectations.

Heatexchangers, Compressors andMotors will continue to become more efficient due toadvances in magnetic materials. Smart technology is a huge driving factor in the industry pushing comfort and efficiency to new heights. Mobile solutions are also going to be a key driver of innovation in the HVAC industry. With Internet of Things and various smart sensors, customers will have intelligent and better control of their devices. AI & ML related advancements willensure additionaldiagnostics, reducing service costs, and reduced OPEX costs. Since HVAC industry is maintenance driven, new and green technologies will streamline maintenance process in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. With a focus on complete comfort and convenience, the year will also witness new technologies aimed at reducing noise, providing fresh air and directing air flow based on customer need and choice.

For the commercial building segment, one of Johnson Controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd.’s latest offers new SET-FREE Sigma (∑) Series and its new IoT based VRF management app called as airCloud Pro.
Designed keeping in mind the needs of Architects and HVAC Consultants, Hitachi Cooling & Heating has introduced new SET-FREE Sigma (∑) Series. Named after the Mathematical symbol “∑” which stands for the combined strengths of Johnson Controls’ and Hitachi’s VRF Technologies, this series has been designed with global expertise especially for the Indian climate and consumers. It offers higher energy efficiency, engineered aesthetics, enhanced strengths, compact design, compact cooling and heating. Thus, with least energy wastage, maximal capacity in minimalistic floor space, SET-FREE Sigma Series gives energy efficient performance combined with premium looks.

airCloud Pro is one of our latest ground breaking innovation which we have introduced recently in India for our customers. It offers 24/7 control and remote access of your VRF systems to ensure energy savings, centralized control, flexible user management, pre-emptive alerts and trouble shooting. Backed with the latest updates and security features, it also offers individual controller lock to prevent inappropriate usage from the occupants and is easy to install, thus making it ideal for any application like offices, hospitals, schools/universities, restaurants, hotels, retail etc.

Integrated actions have a higher impact than any of the actions taken in isolated integration of energy efficiency and refrigerant transitioning efforts.
Bhupender Singh, MD, Ravi Integrated Logistics Limited

The advent of IoT represents a phase where the efficiency level will increase to a great extent and determines result in overall cost of reduction.
Daniel Chen, Marketing Manager – HVAC, CAREL APAC

The world is looking ahead to strengthen the regulations pertaining to safety of environment and energy efficiency by upgrading their EER standards.
Gurmeet Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limited