Green Cooling

A sustainable hotel building services design by Scott Wilson, where energy-efficienct HVAC played a major role.

The move to green
Commenting on the move to green, Hawley says: “We detect a greater emphasis on indoor air quality from owners and developers, which is also driving demand for more sophisticated and efficient selections. We are the global leader in direct drive, low-pressure, high-efficiency centrifugal chillers, which is the industry’s preferred choice for large district cooling projects.

“Trane’s philosophy is to produce and sell the most energy-efficient and environmentally-responsible HVAC systems and solutions possible. Refrigerant change is a constant in our industry. Last year was particularly exciting and challenging as a result of the US decision to stop producing equipment with R22 from 31 December 2009.

“This was the catalyst for a massive redesign project that resulted in Trane introducing more new models in 2009 than we had in the previous 20 years. But I want to be clear that this redesign process went much further than simply regulatory compliance. We used this opportunity to further raise the performance of our range in areas where we already lead the field.

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“Even in markets like the Middle East, which are not being driven by legislation, we are seeing increasing interest and demand for newer environmentally responsible and efficient product ranges, and we are happy and determined to remain at the forefront of these developments,” says Hawley.

Trane’s offering for 2010 focuses on the following products: AquaStream (CGAM scroll chillers, being the top of the range in the market from a quality, efficiency and durability perspective), new R410a unitary products, a new TVR product (VRF application), chilled beams and eddy current testing.

Hawley says that the demand for environmentally responsible buildings is growing as people realise it is not a cost, but a wise investment. Green buildings are designed with energy efficiency, indoor air quality (IAQ) and sustainable materials in mind.

“The right HVAC system is critical to green building. As a leading global supplier of HVAC systems and services, with more than 450 LEED Accredited Professionals (APs), Trane can help clients achieve their green building goals.”

Commenting on the current business environment, Hawley says: “I believe 2010 will be just as difficult as 2009 – and, in some respects, more difficult this time around, as we all know what to expect now.

I believe we will continue to see growth in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, but at lower levels than experienced previously. Dubai itself will stay depressed for several years to come, but one has to put things into perspective, there are still more new projects here even today than anywhere else in the world.”

Enhanced efficiencies achieved with air-con products also translate into more efficient district cooling.

“District cooling has been a popular way of providing cooling to large developments. If we can achieve a 30% reduction in energy use through purely building measures, we can in turn reduce district cooling plant sizes, whereby you can service an increased area through the same plant,” concludes Crocker.