Survey highlights green role of HVAC

High-efficiency HVAC is critical in green building.

High-efficiency HVAC is one of the most important elements in the design and development of green buildings. This finding has emerged from a new survey, the 2008 Autodesk/American Institute of Architects (AIA) Green Index.

In the UAE, high-efficiency HVAC is already recognised as a critical contributor to green building. The ASHRAE Falcon Chapter, in conjunction with the ASHRAE Learning Institute, recently presented a full day of continuing professional development (CPD) courses on energy-efficient design courses for buildings and ventilation for acceptable indoor quality. A main focus was the prominent role played by HVAC, which is both “a science and an art” in the UAE, according to ASHRAE Falcon Chapter president Yousef Alshaer.

The online survey of 287 practicing architects, 63% of whom have been architects for 15 or more years, acknowledges that, of 16 different features, evaluations, processes, or design principles, 25% of respondents considered choosing a high-efficiency HVAC system to be the most important – the highest percentage of all 16 choices. Forty-four percent of participants listed high-efficiency HVAC within its top two, and 73% listed it within its top five.

Leading source

Despite understanding the importance of high-efficiency HVAC within the design industry, another survey, conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Autodesk, revealed that only 4% of US adults understand that buildings are a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions.

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“The results of the survey reveal an urgent need to raise awareness about the role of buildings in climate change. We believe that the building industry has a responsibility to do all we can to promote the creation of, and generate increased demand for, much more cost-effective and energy-efficient buildings,” said Autodesk AEC Solutions senior vice-president Jay Bhatt.

The Green Building Awareness survey was conducted online among 2,682 adults aged 18 and older between 30 September and 6 October 2008.

The key finding of the multi-question survey raised interesting concerns as to the awareness that buildings such as offices, educational facilities and private residences are the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. According to estimates in the AIA’s Architects and Climate Change report, buildings represent 48% of carbon dioxide emissions, with transportation and industry representing 27% and 25% respectively.

Costs more

The Autodesk survey also revealed that 77% believe that constructing a green or highly energy-efficient building costs more than constructing a typical building, with 35% believing it costs significantly more.

However, according to ‘The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings’, a study funded by the state of California’s Sustainable Building Task Force, spending as little as about 2% to support green design upfront would, on average, result in lifecycle savings of 20% of total construction costs — an average of ten times the initial investment.

These international findings have revealed just how progressive, and aggressive, the UAE has been in accelerating green building practices in the past couple of years, where air-conditioning constitutes a significant portion of the total energy consumed.

A new trend is that air-con vendors are assuming a facilities management role by advising their customers on best practice in energy efficiency, thereby adding ‘green’ credibility to their products, according to American Breeze products and sales manager Abedallah Shana’ah.

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