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January 2024 COP28 LAUNCHES GLOBAL COOLING PLEDGE EMPOWER HOSTS DISTRICT COOLING SUMMIT 2023 POST-EVENT REPORTS DC Dialogue (8th edition): Dateline Saudi Arabia The Regal Rexnord Innovation Summit 2023: Regal Rexnord Summit highlights energy efficiency, IEQ ‘AND THE WINNER IS...’ The 13th edition of the Climate Control Awards US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN BUILDING TRACING AND IEQ Jeremy McDonald, Principal, Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN COP28 Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP MARKET FEATURE SCALING MOUNT STURDY The improved energy efficiency of VRF systemswww.climatecontrolme.com 3 POST-EVENT REPORTS DC DIALOGUE (8TH EDITION): DATELINE SAUDI ARABIA District Cooling conference discusses a medley of topics, including decarbonisation, in the context of the Kingdom THE REGAL REXNORD INNOVATION SUMMIT 2023: CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS ENERGY EFFICIENCY, IEQ Event also focuses on lowering the Total Cost of Ownership CIBSE UAE AWARDS: Fifth edition recognises “remarkable achievements in the building services industry” VOL. 19 NO. 01 JANUARY 2024 MARKET FEATURES ‘VENTILATION OFTEN DOES NOT RECEIVE THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES’ End-users vouch for the significance of proper ventilation, saying that its impact extends beyond health considerations and that it directly influences the overall experience and influences outcomes in commercial facilities SCALING MOUNT STURDY According to technology advocates, the improved energy efficiency of VRF systems, enhanced by AI learning usage patterns, is a boost for the cooling approach 48 35 08 COVER STORY 14 page The 13th edition of the Climate Control Awards EDITORIAL CAMPAIGNS BUILDING TRACING AND IEQ ‘ASHRAE 241 PROVIDES A PRAGMATIC PATH TO IMPROVED IAQ’ Jeremy McDonald, Principal, Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers, speaks on leveraging ASHRAE 241 to improve IAQ without “breaking the bank” COP28: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘UAE CONSENSUS’ Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP, speaks on the importance of shifting from a “Jerk-Transition” mindset to a “Just-Transition” approach 06 12 COUNTRY REPORT TÜRKIYE: TURNKEY ENERGY EFFICIENCY SOLUTIONS Türkiye aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 21% by 2030, with the government committing to invest USD 60 billion in energy efficiency measures over the next decade REGULARS 60 Regional News 66 Global News 70 Quoteyard 04 eDItor'S note 44 52 56 January 2024 4 I N WHAT is a tradition, the first issue of the year is an occasion for introspection on where we are headed as a global HVACR community. Given the numerous touchpoints we have on modern living, and the vastness of impact, it perhaps makes sense to understand and analyse our actions and inactions and make vital course-corrections along the way. The below are a few questions (for want of space) that reflect the issues and aspirations that are of interest to me as a chronicler and curator of HVACR-related information for nearly two decades... 1) Broadly speaking, just why are we cancelling out advances in technology through what amounts to a steadfast refusal to work in an integrated, collaborative and coordinated manner on projects, when we very well understand the impact of indiscretions? 2) Or, do we not very well understand or fully comprehend the impact, because our consciousness is muddied by short-term concerns, corporate misgovernance and systemic faults, to name three possible factors? 3) Why are we allowing ourselves to be caught in technological groupism and factionalism instead of arriving at the most optimum building performance or cold chain solution? Where is the intellectual honesty that is so essential for evaluating the specific needs of a plethora of project profiles? 4) Why are we failing to protect the interests of specialised stakeholders through fair payment structures and timelines, when it is obvious that discouraging, dissuading and distracting them from offering their niche services would severely affect the desired outcomes relating to energy efficiency (indirect greenhouse gas emissions and Total Cost of Ownership); occupant health and wellbeing; and food, pharma and broad process cold chain? After all, it is all well for policymakers, legislators and multilateral meetings to draft and define macro-roadmaps, but would they not fall short of expectations, if key contributors suffer from neglect and apathy? 5) Broadly speaking, what can be done to strengthen trust between public sector entities and private commercial organisations? What confidence-building measures should the two introduce to bring down barriers that impede progress? Krishnan Unni Madathil Auditor, Bin Khadim, Radha & Co. Chartered Accountants, carrying out an analysis of the market, writes on business opportunities for the HVACR industry. Jeremy McDonald Principal of Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers, in New York. He served as the technical consultant to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in development of an IAQ guideline for Higher Education in NY: “Covid-19 Response Guide, State University of New York”. Dan Mizesko Managing Partner/President, US Chiller Services International, writes on issues relating to chilled water systems, including operation & maintenance. Nabil Shahin International Technical Director, AHRI MENA, writes on HVACR-specific regulation issues. Dr Iyad Al-Attar Independent air filtration consultant, writes on specific science and technology issues relating to Indoor Air Quality, including airborne particles. Kandasamy Anbalagan Managing Partner, Proleed Engineering Consultants, writes on the need for upholding time-tested engineering principles, which would only serve to complement advances in technology. Antonios Dimitracopoulos Partner, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates LLP, writes on legal affairs pertaining to the construction industry. Omnia Halawani Co-Founder & Co-CEO, GRFN Global, writes on MEP consultancy- related issues. Editor Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Assistant Editor (Online & Social Media) Umika Pidaparthy umika@cpi-industry.com Features Writer Indu Revikumar indu@cpi-industry.com Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Sayf Camran Advertising Manager (Europe) sayf@cpi-industry.com Judy Wang Our representative in Asia (except India) +852 307 80 826 judywang2000@vip.126.com Deep Karani Our representative in North America +1 365 885-6849 deep.karani@cpimediagroup.com Design Head Ulysses Galgo uly@cpi-industry.com Webmaster Chris Lopez chris@cpi-industry.com Database/Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com Published by Founder, CPI Media Group Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Co-Founder & Commercial Director Frédéric Paillé fred@cpi-industry.com EMPANELLED COLUMNISTSCo-Founder & Editorial Director Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Head Office PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Web: www.cpi-industry.com Printed by: Jaguar Printing Press L.L.C © Copyright 2024 CPI Industry. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein. Breadcrumbs and apathy Visit our website: climatecontrolme.com/digital Also available at Get the next issue of Climate Control Middle East early! Surendar Balakrishnan Editor @BSurendar_HVACR EDITOR’S NOTEwww.climatecontrolawards.com OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONPRODUCER December 2024 | Dubai, UAE January 2024 6 EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN Building Tracing and IEQ O VER the past six months, end users, such as myself, have been evaluating ASHRAE 241 (Control of Infectious Aerosols) to determine how the Standard will affect our clients. As a consulting engineer in service to the health care, higher education and multi-family market, I am not only concerned with the improved IAQ, which will be realised through ASHRAE 241, but also with ensuring that energy budgets don’t increase dramatically. ASHRAE prescribes a “minimum equivalent Clean Airflow per person” for several standard spaces. These new prescribed minimum airflow rates are much higher than previous airflow rates, as dictated by ASHRAE 62.1 , which designers historically used to determine required outdoor air airflow rates. For example, ASHRAE 62.1 typically requires approximately 15 cfm/occupant , while ASHRAE 241 will require 40 cfm/person of “equivalent clean airflow”. Before we panic too much regarding the new targets, it is important to understand the nuance – that the new prescribed levels are “equivalent clean airflow rate”, while ASHRAE 62.1 only ‘ASHRAE 241 PROVIDES A PRAGMATIC PATH TO IMPROVED IAQ’ Jeremy McDonald speaks on leveraging ASHRAE 241 to improve IAQ without “breaking the bank” provided absolute outdoor airflow rates. Further, the intent of the new targets is only to elevate the level of equivalent clean airflow when the facility is deemed to be in “Infection Risk Management Mode”, or IRMM. The IRMM mode will be documented in the “Building Readiness Plan” and will typically be reserved for times of high risk – that is, when the building owner, Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ-local code official) or public health officials deem the local conditions to warrant special care with regard to infectious aerosols. ASHRAE allows the effectiveness of filtration and air-cleaning devices to help meet the target. This new way of thinking takes into account that not every filtration system is the same, but specific air-cleaning technologies that are installed and maintained correctly can have a meaningful effect on purifying the air we all breathe. LET’S KEEP IT SIMPLE – MEETING ASHRAE 241 The new ASHRAE 241 Standard provides several tools to meet the new minimal equivalent airflow per person rate, and is not too arduous compared to current standard practices. As stated earlier, filtration, which is pretty standard for most air-handling units, and air cleaning technologies, which are becoming more prevalent, are two strategies that building owners can use to ensure their building is ready for high- risk time period (“IRMM” period). The tables on the opposite page demonstrate the air exchange improvements that can be realised by filtration and typical air-cleaning technologies. The first table is the “baseline”, which demonstrates typical air exchange of outdoor air for natural ventilation, as dictated by ASHRAE 62.1. The following table demonstrates equivalent clean air exchange rates for three options: MERV-14 filtration, air cleaning technology @ 95% (could be air ionisation, ultraviolet or any other air cleaning technology) and a combination of both. A few observations can be made from the above analysis: Application of either MERV-14 filters or air-cleaning technology at a nominal rate of 95%, which is quite conservative, will meet the target of 40 cfm/occupant. Jeremy McDonald is a Principal, Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers, in New York. Before the pandemic, he was an adjunct professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Recently, he was the technical consultant to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in development of an IAQ guideline for Higher Education in NY: “Covid-19 Response Guide, State University of New York”. He may be reached at jmcdonald@guthdeconzo.com.www.climatecontrolme.com 7 CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here. Combining the two technologies only gives a marginal increase to the cfm/occupant. This is as expected, since the two independent technologies are serving the same purpose – that is, reducing infectious aerosols; therefore, effectiveness is reduced, as more layers of protection are added to the system. The equivalent air changes per hour (ACH) of clean air is increased dramatically from 3.15 ACH for the baseline (ventilation only) to the various options (equivalent ACH ranges between 8.4 and 9.1 for the combined case). This analysis demonstrates that significant improvements in clean air ACH can be realised by some pretty simple and cost-effective additions. At a minimum, MERV-14 filters are not an expensive addition to most HVAC systems and are increasingly commonplace. Of course, testing and adjustments need to be done to ensure the design airflow is attained with the higher pressure drop filter, but this will not be an issue for the vast majority of systems. Although air cleaning may be seen as redundant to a filtration system, we normally recommend that air-cleaning technologies be added with improved air filtration systems as part of an IAQ upgrade. Although this might be viewed as “belts and suspenders”, systems do fail, including filters. Having a separate air-cleaning system is good insurance that we meet occupant IAQ needs, even when things go wrong, as they often do. GETTING TO WORK ON IMPROVED IAQ ASHRAE 241 provides a pragmatic path to improved IAQ. Vastly improved IAQ can be attained with either better filtration, air-cleaning technologies, or both. Note that we are not talking about very expensive systems. MERV-14 filters are pretty standard in a post-pandemic world, and air-cleaning technologies, assuming basic HVAC systems are working, will not break the bank (typically costing anywhere between USD1 and USD3/square foot installed cost). Think through maintenance and utilisation of whatever approach you choose. While making these investment decisions, be sure that in whatever approach you choose, the systems are well maintained, checked on a regular basis and are delivering the clean air that you want your clients to benefit from. Baseline Traditional Approach)ASHRAE 62.1 Number of Occupants28 Square Footage800 Room Height10 CFM/Occupant15 Total Outdoor Air Flow (CFM)420 Equivalent ACH3.15 Equivalent Clean Airflow RateMERV-14 Filters Air Cleaning Technology MERV-14 & Air Cleaning Technologies Total Air Flow *cfm)-based on 6 ACH900.00800.00800.00 ASHRAE Weighted Epr88.0%95.0%99.0% Equivalent clean airflow rate704.00760.00795.00 Equivalent clean airflow rate-combined with ASHRAE 52 airflow 1,124.001,180.001,215.20 Equivalent clean airflow rate (Cfm/occupant)40.1442.1443.40 Equivalent ACH- "Clean Air"8.48.99.1Next >