CCME - March 2021 by CPI Industry

COUNTRY REPORT: ITALY

An examination of the country’s renewed enthusiasm for IAQ-related measures.

March 2021

Levelling the playing field

A look at the fragmented nature of standards and certifications for cooling towers across the Middle East and the opportunities in energy savings that can be unlocked with new and existing technologies perspectives

‘CONSOLIDATION IS THE OXYGEN WE SO BADLY NEED’ V Sekhar Reddy, Lexzander and Rahul Duragkar, Emitech Group

‘THE COST OF IGNORING MUCH-NEEDED IAQ UPGRADES IS FAR GREATER’

Mahesh Ramanujam, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)

‘WE ARE AIMING TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE-POSITIVE STATUS’ Ariel Lozovsky, Sinai Technologies

THE CRUX OF BUILDING PERFORMANCE

feature

Martin Williamson, AESG, and Committee Member, Commissioning Specialists Association (GCC)

A TOWERING OUTLOOK

DIGITALISATION OF COLD CHAIN ASSETS

Rafael Van Eijcken, Baltimore Aircoil Middle East

Raja Subramanyam, independent cold chain consultant

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March 2021

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THE 8TH ANNUAL MIDDLE EAST

CONFERENCE 24 May 2021 Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

OVERVIEW The objective of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center, formed in 2010, is to establish a comprehensive national programme for rationalising and enhancing energy consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Center represents yet another initiative in the country to curb energy consumption with environmental and economic targets in mind. An inherent element of the Center is the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program (SEEP), which focuses on three sectors, representing over 90% of the energy consumption in the Kingdom. An understanding of the direction of SEEP points to a situation tailormade for the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) industry, which has repeatedly and stridently stated its energy-performance credentials in the region and elsewhere. In other words, the Kingdom offers a wealth of opportunities to VRF stakeholders, particularly manufacturers and suppliers. This is motivation enough to conduct the 9th edition of the Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference in the Kingdom.

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A TOWERING OUTLOOK

ITALY COUNTRY REPORT

OVERCOMING THE WAVES

An examination of how manufacturers in Italy, one of the European countries hardest hit by Covid-19, are navigating challenges posed by the the first and second wave of infections, and the nation’s renewed enthusiasm for IAQ-related measures in a bid to protect the public from future contagions.

‘Consolidation is the 14 oxygen we so badly need’ It is vital to preserve indispensable MEP-related expertise, and the skills and lessons learnt through putting in the hard yards, argue V Sekhar Reddy, Managing Director, Lexzander and Rahul Duragkar, Managing Director, Emitech Group

‘The cost of ignoring 16 much-needed IAQ upgrades is far greater’

PERSPECTIVES

Rafael Van Eijcken, General Manager – Middle East, Turkey and India, Baltimore Aircoil Middle East speaks candidly on how cooling tower manufacturers are navigating the market conditions in the GCC region, opportunities in energy savings that can be unlocked and the need to consolidate fragmented landscape in terms of certifications.

page

ON THE COVER....

VOL. 16 NO. 03  MARCH 2021

COVID-19 has provided an opportunity and a moral obligation to completely re-think how our buildings and spaces should be designed, constructed, operated and maintained, says Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)

24 ‘We are aiming to achieve climate-positive status’ While such a goal, amongst others, is laudable, where are the baselines for GHG management? asks Ariel Lozovsky, Sinai Technologies

The Crux of building performance

Digitalisation of cold chain assets

Martin Williamson, Senior Commissioning Manager, AESG, and Committee Member, Commissioning Specialists Association (GCC) says there are many projects in the GCC region where commissioning is ot utilised or is carried out to a low standard

A digital transformation in food retail and other aspects of the food cold chain has vast positive implications on operational efficiency, argues Raja Subramanyam, independent cold chain consultant

REGULARS 06 eDItor'S note 4

A failure of the imagination March 2021

30 Regional News 36 Global News

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EDITOR’S NOTE

A failure of the

imagination

Surendar assigned me to address you this month, as he is currently recovering from illness.

Frédéric Paillé Co-Founder & Commercial Director

COUNTRY REPORT: ITALY CRE operations reliant on securing HVAC systems against COVID-19

March 2021

Levelling the playing field

What can be done to address the fragmented nature of the standards and certification landscape across the Middle East? What further opportunities in energy savings can be unlocked with new and existing technologies?

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ny form of disruption is typically viewed as a threat. In the context of the construction sector, it can be seen as a risk to livelihoods. After all, change is difficult. Change is uncomfortable. However, change is imperative, because there comes a time when holding on to convention simply impedes growth. This can be seen in the state of the built environment across the region, which, to a large extent, is characterised by inefficient air conditioning systems, inadequate indoor air quality (IAQ) and, overall, poorly performing buildings. Over the years, Climate Control Middle East has provided an outlet for earnest voices eager to advocate for better building practices by highlighting the ineffective nature of the current status quo. The common culprits that have been named include cost-centric thinking and copy-pasted specifications aggravated by tight deadlines. These problems ring true until today, despite numerous industry experts making a compelling case for a change in mindset. Although, there has been positive change in some areas there remains much room for improvement. The ambitious targets of countries in the region in terms of energy efficiency and air quality provide good guidance for the sector. With the wealth of knowledge and expertise available to the market, the inability to meet these broader sustainability objectives would be nothing short of a failure of imagination on the part of the building sector, stemming from stakeholders’ inability to envision an ecosystem where the entire value chain benefits for the longterm. This includes developers, contractors, consultants, manufacturers, suppliers and the building inhabitants. Investment, whether it relates to money, time, or human resources, requires imagination – the ability to see beyond the tangible numbers on the spread sheet and accommodate the holistic gains that can be achieved. It is only in so doing that price will no longer trump concerns related to health, efficiency and the safety of society.

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FEATURE

Cooling Towers

Rafael Van Eijcken, General Manager – Middle East, Turkey and India, Baltimore Aircoil Middle East speaks candidly, on how cooling tower manufacturers are navigating the market conditions in the GCC region, on energy saving opportunities that can be unlocked with new and existing technologies, and on the need to consolidate the fragmented standards and certifications landscape. Hannah Jo Uy has the story…

Rafael Van Eijcken

March 2021

or Rafael Van Eijcken, the cooling tower industry has managed to remain active throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on much of the global construction pipeline. Sharing his observations as General Manager of Baltimore Aircoil Middle East, Van Eijcken says this is largely because many companies have continued to surf on projects that were designed or in progress prior to the pandemic. However, he admits, there will be imminent impact on certain segments of the industry. “Office buildings peak cooling demands may reduce because of lower office occupancy levels,” he says. “However, these are offset by increased cooling demand in residential buildings because of the work-from-home structure.” He adds that the warm climate of the region will also lead to a consistent base demand for comfort cooling on existing buildings approximately 6-8 months a year, making related technologies essential.

KEY TO UNLOCKING ENERGY SAVINGS Regardless of market conditions, energy efficiency continues to be an important driving force for manufacturers. Van Eijcken says that the use of thirdparty certified cooling towers and system optimisation play an important part in conversations related to energy consumption. “While CTI and Euroventcertified cooling towers are available with most energy efficient technologies, the effective savings that can be realised are to be projected in the total system energy perspective,” he says. “The cooling tower only represents a small part, typically less than 5% of the total energy consumption of an HVAC system. The most important savings can be realised on the largest consumer, namely the chiller, which can be up to ten times more than that of the cooling tower.” However, he points out that for every degree lower that the cooling tower can provide, the chiller will see up to 3% energy savings. “Despite the relatively small fan motor power of cooling towers, underperforming cooling towers have a huge impact on the system efficiency, which makes the use of properly performing and certified cooling towers an evident choice,” he says. “In addition, a system designed with larger cooling towers that can work with the lowest certified approach will reduce the chiller compressor lift and allow for best energy savings in the system.”

Keeping in mind that the chiller is the largest power consumer in the system, Van Eijcken points out that maintaining the highest chiller energy efficiency throughout the operating lifetime is vital to achieve system energy efficiency. “With systems in the region being exposed to sandstorms or dust in the air, regular system cleaning is mandatory to avoid chiller condenser tube fouling and loss of performance and efficiency,” he says. Van Eijcken says that the use of closed-circuit systems to help the chiller maintain its efficiency is an important way to unlock further savings. “Similar to open cooling towers, they provide the lowest possible condenser return water for the chiller with the advantage of having the condenser water circuit fully closed from the atmosphere,” he says. “The chiller circuit is now fully protected from fouling and maintains design efficiency over the lifetime. A further advantage of closing the loop is that it eliminates the need to shut down the chiller for cleaning, which increases the overall system reliability.” Another notable trend is the move towards HVAC systems designed with direct condensation through an evaporative condenser. Van Eijcken says that such a system eliminates the chiller heat exchanger and condenser pumps and, accordingly, allows for the lowest condensation temperatures. This will lead to the highest system energy efficiency while optimising cost related to equipment, piping, electrical connections and building construction. “Despite the fact that such systems are well known with several reference installations in District Cooling, sport centres, data centres and HVAC projects in dense cities, such as Paris and Brussels, the more traditional design approach of chillers combined with cooling towers remains dominant in this region,” he says. “However, with the fast-moving trend towards maximising energy savings and growing interest following government mandates for energy efficiency accreditations by LEED, Estidama and other sustainability programmes, such systems are more in demand and will soon find greater application into the wider HVAC industry segment.”

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FEATURE

Cooling Towers

The fragmented nature serves as a distraction from important and practical specification points towards end user service and benefits

March 2021

Beyond the implementation of more energy efficient technologies, Van Eijcken says that further effective usage of energy whenever available is also important. “All HVAC systems are designed to cover the peak summer demand; technologies that can shave the peak demand by storing thermal energy have rapidly increased over the years. Large chilled water storage tanks are common in new developments with District Cooling while projects with less available space or in more dense areas will install compact ice thermal storage solutions,” he says. Van Eijcken explains that the storage of cooling made overnight or in off peak hours when power is more available have already been mandated by some governments and that the implementation of incentives similar to those exhibited in overseas markets, such as dual electricity tariffs, are expected to further drive demand for these technologies.

COOLING TOWER SECTOR IN DISTRICT COOLING Another important aspect shaping the Middle East cooling market is the prevalence of District Cooling. “The regional cooling market has long since held centralised energy centres, and therefore also centralised cooling systems, as a solution in large developments,” Van Eijcken says. “These are often preferred by individual governments as sustainable and energy efficient cooling solutions. The most successful implementations are typically in districts with high population density with multiple high-rise buildings connected to a cooling loop.”

Undoubtedly, Van Eijcken says these solutions come with higher upfront capital costs and, in some instances, carry a risk of a longer return on investment (ROI). As such, he says that investors must implement a comprehensive assessment of the project to ensure it would be the right solution for a given development, considering end users often struggle to see the benefits of these economies of scale and can perceive District Cooling to have high connection costs and high fees and charges on top of their actual net consumption. “Many projects have, therefore, evolved towards modular centralised cooling plants, so that some of the advantages can be gained, without the full risk of high up front capital expenditure or extended ROIs,” he says. “These systems can be incrementally added as the cooling demands increase. With the plant equipment being modular, the chilled water system becomes modularised with interconnecting cooling loops. These types of systems have served as a very strong compromise between efficiency gains and minimising redundant installed capacity.” With increasing short-term volatilities and limited long-term visibility, Van Eijcken says that the modular District Cooling creates a demand for plug-and-play, factory-assembled cooling tower solutions. “Next to the overall shorter supply and installation time, the product benefits from having third-party CTI and Eurovent certified performance,” he says. “Also, the readily-available solutions for sound, safe access and ease of maintenance, position these products as a preferred, readily available and cost-effective solution for modular or clustered energy centres and District Cooling projects.”

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FEATURE STRUGGLES WITH STANDARDS AND CODES In a region that sources equipment globally, Van Eijcken says that fragmented nature of the standards and certifications landscape in the Middle East can be challenging. While it is an important part of design specifications, he says that local markets often reference a wild variety of codes or standards and regulatory bodies from multiple countries around the world, which leads to limited consistency when it comes to projects. As such, he says the region would benefit from more clarity and regional specific guidance. Van Eijcken says there is an important place for standards in general. He points out that the most recognised and applicable standard for the cooling tower industry globally continues to be the certification of performance by CTI and Eurovent, but that there is room for improvement when it comes to enforcement. “This standard is mostly specified in the region, however a stricter implementation will allow for the most efficient installations, which will ensure the installed cooling capacities are as specified and nothing less,” he says. “In a level playfield, the more energy efficient solutions will automatically stand out as premium products in the industry.” Van Eijcken says that presently, there are still many non-certified products being offered to customers in the Middle East and there is a need for greater clarity on

Cooling Towers

the true meaning behind the mark. “CTI or Eurovent performance certification is not to be confused with a membership to the CTI or Eurovent Association,” he says. “One manufacturer can be a member of the CTI or Eurovent Association but would have limited equipment certification or none at all. As such, it is important to demand for equipment performance certificates by Eurovent or CTI to be also made publicly available on their websites.” Van Eijcken stresses that the need to raise awareness also extends to other common industry standards, such as those related to fan energy efficiency, safety and health, as well as more specific standards such as the International Building Code (IBC) or the Factory Mutual (FM) mark. “While such standards are most valuable on projects that require specific aspects, often these standards risk slipping into project equipment specifications unnecessarily,” he says. “The risk with specifying many different standards in the absence of having a real requirement for them would be that the pricing of the equipment increases fast and going over the customer budgets. Important aspects related to quality or safe O&M of the equipment may then be traded off in order to match the

specifications.” Providing another example, Van Eijcken points out that IBC refers to wind and seismic rating and is meant to ensure that cooling towers will have the same rating as the buildings to which they are attached. “In the absence of an IBC building rating, the IBC compliance for cooling towers on its own has limited value,” he says.

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Van Eijcken adds that when it comes to the FM approval mark, it is important to remember that this is part of the FM global insurance company, which certifies products to meet property loss prevention standards. “When property is insured by FM global, FM-approved equipment forms an integral part of the project towards best prevention and best insurance premiums,” he says. “If the project is not insured by FM global, then again the major benefits are reduced. Although in some countries and projects, FM approval may eliminate the need for a sprinkler system around the cooling towers, which can be a preferred choice.”

LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD Van Eijcken remains empathetic to the difficulties that consultants and the market in general face when it comes to having a deep understanding of all the available

standards and finding the best applicable standards for a given project. “The fragmented nature serves as a distraction from important and practical specification points towards end user service and benefits, such as one-year service provided by the manufacturer and the local availability for technical support services, such as equipment inspection,” he adds. Essentially, Van Eijcken says there should be a move to level the playing field through more consistent verification of the publicly listed performance certifications. With this as a basis, he stresses that the customer can confidently choose the most energy-efficient solution available for the project while matching requirements and budget. “Maintaining a total system energy perspective will allow the customer to optimise the system in a way that will achieve the highest energy efficiencies,” he says. Van Eijcken says that this provides a huge opportunity for the industry and

associations that represent a large group of manufacturers, such as Eurovent Middle East, to take the lead towards providing more clarity and guidance to the markets. “In a level playing field with certified and listed performances, the competitive market by itself will maintain a close eye on compliance to the standards,” he says. “Any non-compliance or abuse will be visible and reported on to the necessary independent audit parties. This has proven to work very well in the United States and in European markets and will surely penetrate further into this region.” He points out that such a transparency is key in the move towards more sustainable cooling practices in the local market.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

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covid

V Sekhar Reddy, Managing Director, Lexzander and Rahul Duragkar, Managing Director, Emitech Group. They may be contacted at rahul@ emitechgroup.com.

Part 1 of the state of the building construction industry

‘CONSOLIDATION IS THE OXYGEN WE SO BADLY NEED’ W

e are in the midst of a situation akin to a Third World War, arguably brought about by the negligence and – if one were to listen to extreme allegations – the deviant nature of humanity. Truly, COVID-19 – insidiously, to begin with and profoundly, as it progressed – has shaken the very core of our existence. It came, it felt, it conquered, and intends to stay amidst us at least for the foreseeable future, vaccines notwithstanding. Unlike previous crises, it has reminded us of the virtue of conscious consumerism and forced us to consider acting with a greater sense of responsibility. The construction industry, too, has been battered by the disease. To be accurate, COVID-19 is the third instance of a crisis in the past three decades, with the post-Gulf War scenario representing the first major disturbance, and the 2008 financial tsunami representing the second.

March 2021

It is vital to preserve indispensable MEPrelated expertise, and the skills and lessons learnt through putting in the hard yards, argue V Sekhar Reddy, Managing Director, Lexzander and Rahul Duragkar, Managing Director, Emitech Group

We have done well to come out of the first two, but COVID-19 promises to test our resolve and resilience. True, it’s easier said than done, but every adversity has an opportunity. Indeed, adaptability is a key strength and a vital ingredient, and if persisted with, will help us turn the corner. And with that in mind, it gives us the conviction to write further and present our case.

THE CURRENT SCENARIO The current scenario is a defining phase for the MEP industry. Being the heart and soul of any building, and only second in the pecking order of importance, after civil and structural aspects, these are, no doubt, testing times. From a project hierarchy perspective, MEP occupies the bottom rung of the ladder, in terms of timeline, with the workflow firstly involving architects, followed by project managers, builders or main contractors, followed by QS and, finally, by MEP.

Hierarchy notwithstanding, MEP has 25-35% share in any project, as it straddles capex as well as opex. And post the commissioning phase, it is the only live element of any building all through its lifecycle. In other words, it is an established fact that MEP is critical for sustained building performance, and the environmental interests it can safeguard. In that context, it is, indeed, a dismal point that the MEP industry has been battered and badly bruised. While the pre-2010 period saw a spectacular rise in its fortunes, the period after that has seen a steady deterioration in values and deliverables of the MEP industry. Despite wearing the tag of a specialised segment of the building industry, it has been at the receiving end of a raw deal, in no small measure due to the collective lack of responsible approach by all stakeholders. Though the authority bodies have gone to great lengths in updating and standardising the requirements of an increasingly complex construction landscape, the lack of connectivity amongst agencies down the line has resulted in poor deliverables and returns. It is no surprise, then, that many of the well-known players have bitten the dust or, at best, are still recouping, after a decade of abuse – selfmade and external. In short, the MEP industry is paying the price for: ►► Lack of clear understanding of the requirements ►► Unreasonable quest for quick returns ►► Failing to ‘Walk the Talk’, and ►► Stubbornness in not learning from past mistakes

The result is that we have a building inventory comprising ageing units and New Construction that is energy-profligate, at a time when the building industry ought to marshal its resources to help the UAE and the rest of the GCC region in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the context of the historic Paris Agreement of 2015. Considering that the NDCs place the burden on the signatories to evolve climate plans, targets, policies and specific measures for them to implement towards mitigating the obvious climate crisis, the matter is highly serious. A similar case can be made for the need for good IAQ. Broadly speaking, the same inventory of buildings are promoting rather than suppressing the spread of respiratory diseases, a matter of concern, as the region and the world at large are battling hard to quell the threat of the multiple strains of the virus that instigates COVID-19. Some of the well-recognised needs, which at the moment demand forthright pursuance in place of the widespread befuddling slackness, are: 1) Understanding the end-user requirement 2) Developing, coordinating, designing and amalgamating the requirements from concept stage to buildability stage 3) Developing budgets, including complementing the changes 4) Adopting a fit-for-purpose approach by ensuring all parameters are taken care of, to the best ‘knowhow’ extent 5) Taking recourse to a horses-for-courses approach. Grading and ensuring that only MEP specialists, imbued with an understanding of project dynamics and technical competence, supersede those with short-term commercial gains in mind

6) Making it mandatory for best practices and the latest implementable systems to be adopted without exception 7) Ensuring no dilution in efforts towards achieving the desired and envisaged end result 8) Ensuring independent, third-party checks to cross-verify the result 9) Notifying corrective actions and sharing the findings on a common portal, for information and future corrections 10) Ensuring timely approvals of… ►► Certifications to ensure cashflow ►► Variations, changes to scope (positive and negative) ►► Final summary, certifications and payments To a certain extent, COVID-19 could be deemed as a blessing in disguise for reinstating MEP to its deserved level, in the interest of the property lifecycle and the end-user for trouble-free building operation. For its own good, the MEP industry and its inherent leadership must think differently in the post-COVID world. The traditional, current-day approach is something that ought to be jettisoned. It is equally crucial that not only the MEP leadership but also the entire building industry hierarchy must understand and appreciate the importance of the above-enumerated measures to ensure the MEP industry is nurtured back to good health, thereby keeping the long-standing wellness of buildings in mind, not to mention safeguarding the environment in terms of direct and indirect emissions. Indeed, COVID-19 does not mean all gloom and doom. Looking at the situation more pragmatically: • It cannot get any worse • We can re-boot for a better tomorrow with a steadfastly clear mind and approach In short, the situation is ripe for us to learn the lessons of the past and to take control with decisiveness and the courage of our convictions.

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.

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covid

mid the celebratory news of the roll-out of vaccination programs around the globe, we must all remember one of the biggest lessons that COVID-19 taught the world: Buildings – as they are designed, constructed, and operated and maintained – play a significant role in the health and wellbeing of not only their occupants but also the people and communities around them. These include our private commercial office buildings, residential buildings of all sizes, hospitals, entertainment venues, schools, public buildings and more. We have also learned that infrastructure inequities in cities, states and countries across the globe – including those in transportation, healthcare, agriculture and housing – matter and have a big role to play when it comes to effectively managing a health crisis. And sadly, we learned that much like climate change, a pandemic will also disproportionately affect those with the least amount of resources. The successful development of a vaccine for COVID-19 does not mean that we do not need to develop new practices when designing the places, spaces and communities around us. Why? Because vaccines are only one component of how we will recover and move forward. This is not a once-in-a-generation crisis. As a global community of sustainability and health professionals, we must embrace the lessons learned about virus transmission and apply them to ensure a permanent recovery and resiliency plan. History cannot repeat itself; the cost to humanity is too great.

March 2021

Mahesh Ramanujam is President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). He may be contacted at mr@usgbc.org.

‘THE COST OF IGNORING MUCH-NEEDED IAQ UPGRADES IS FAR GREATER’ COVID-19 has provided an opportunity and a moral obligation to completely re-think how our buildings and spaces should be designed, constructed, operated and maintained, says Mahesh Ramanujam

This is a point in time when leadership matters. This is a point in time for deep inflection. And this is a point in time for purposeful and forward-looking action. We now have the opportunity – and a moral obligation – to completely re-think how our buildings and spaces should be designed, constructed, operated and maintained. We must turn our buildings and spaces into places that positively contribute to our health and wellbeing. That means that we have to take a fresh and honest look at the inequities in the communities around us and build back better with an eye toward achieving resiliency and equity. Multiple studies, including one just released by Oxfam, have found that the world's richest people have made significant financial gains during COVID-19, while the world's poor have fallen even further behind. At USGBC and GBCI, we believe that better buildings and communities equal better lives. That’s why we are dedicated to continuing to invest in LEED, the world’s most widely used and trusted green building certification program. The success of LEED around the world is a testament to its effectiveness. As of this writing, we have more than 100,600 registered and certified LEED commercial projects, nearly two million registered and certified LEED residential units, projects in 181 countries and territories and nearly 205,000 LEED APs implementing the rating system around the world. Much like LEED’s commitment to environmental sustainability, human health and wellness strategies have been a foundation of the

LEED program since its beginning, with over 70% of the rating system’s credits tying back both directly and indirectly to human health and wellness. We know that addressing the systemic challenges revealed by COVID-19 won’t happen overnight and without significant planning. And while we know that addressing these systemic needs will not come without significant investment, we also know that healthy people, in healthy places and spaces, equal a healthy and robust global economy – and that the price we will pay for not addressing these needs will be far greater than addressing them now. We can start by focusing our efforts on one of the primary targets of preventing virus spread: Indoor air quality (IAQ). Public health data has shown that buildings are safer to occupy when their mechanical systems, especially HVAC systems, promote good ventilation, air scrubbing and purification and enhanced outside air exchange. While these enhancements alone cannot eliminate the risk of virus transmission, they are a critical component of a larger mitigation strategy. Upgrades to outdated and inefficient HVAC systems in existing buildings across the world have been delayed for decades owing to cost concerns. However, the cost of ignoring these needed upgrades is far greater, as the pandemic has demonstrated in human lives lost, shuttered economies and schools and overburdened healthcare delivery platforms.

Now is the time to invest in a resilient future and build back the trust between people and the buildings around them. One way that USGBC and GBCI have strived to build back trust between people and the buildings around them is through our LEED Safety First Pilot Credit, related to managing IAQ as a component of our LEED green building rating system. The pilot credit builds on existing IAQ credits in LEED and helps building owners and managers ensure that IAQ systems are operating as designed. It also helps determine temporary adjustments to ventilation that may minimize the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has also called attention to the condition of schools. For well over a decade, USGBC has been advocating for a major and long overdue global investment in school buildings. We have already seen some of the adverse effects of schools being shut down and students being forced to learn from home for nearly a year, and the value placed on schools and in-person education is as high as ever. Now is the time to leverage that goodwill and invest in these facilities on a global scale, so that such disruptions never happen again. We need to ensure that every school across the globe has proper ventilation, air purification equipment, carbon dioxide monitors and proper outdoor air exchange in order to reduce the risk of spreading airborne pathogens as a key component in their back-to-school engagement strategy. Every student needs to have a chance to thrive, and a key component of that is a healthy school building.

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10 TH MIDDLE EAST COLD CHAIN FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE s of

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Harvest | Food production & processing | Transport Refrigeration | Food retail / HORECA / Vending solutions | Consumer

OVERVIEW

SPEAKERS (SO FAR)

At the time of the first edition of Food Chain, in 2011, terms like ‘predictive maintenance’ and ‘digital twin’ had not entered the food safety and food security lexicon. Today, they present themselves as being able to optimise the performance of the cold chain, with positive implications for greater reliability and energy efficiency. Today, it is about harnessing the capabilities of the Internet of Things and cloudbased ecosystem for preventing temperature excursions at multiple points in the food cold chain, from harvesting stage to recycling – creating a circular economy. With automation, the possibility of not just monitoring but also controlling without human intervention in improving food safety and food security standards is alluring. The machines that underpin the cold chain infrastructure come with the capability of listening to, and interacting with, one another, taking diagnostics to a higher level, in the process minimising thermal abuse. The 10th edition of Food Chain, while addressing legacy topics, is dedicated to the digital transformation sweeping through the food industry. It is the coming together of cold chain with the world of algorithms to deliver more sophisticated solutions that cold storage, distribution, food retail, HORECA, e-commerce fulfilment entities and other sectoral end-users can no longer afford to ignore.

Dr Suheel Ahmed CEO, Arabian Farms (Al Saha eggs)

Bobby Krishna T M Senior Specialist, Food Permits and Applied Nutrition Section, Dubai Municipality

Mark Lack CEO, Geant (Urban Foods)

Brent Melvin CEO, Gallega Global Logistics

Nagesh Bangalore Muniappa Food Safety Audit, CocaCola

Anil Nair BU Quality Assurance Leader - MEA, Mondelēz International

Abdul Rashid CEO, Pilsbury Consulting

Richard Sprenger Chairman, Highfield ABC MEA

Vivek Srivastava GM Procurement, MAF Carrefour

Raja Subramanyam Event Chairperson, Cold Chain Consultant

www.foodchain-me.com

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covid

These investments alone will not create a strong, healthy and resilient planet. We also need to look at cities and their infrastructures. Despite predictions of an exodus of people leaving dense urban population centers for the suburbs, we did not see the global abandonment of cities during the pandemic. Not everyone has the resources to simply pack up and leave, and many rely on the resources that cities provide. And many of those that did leave their cities simply relocated to other cities. Cities that set themselves apart through substantial investments in sustainability, health and wellness, resiliency and equity will be the leaders of tomorrow. People by their very nature need to feel confident, comfortable and safe with the community around them. That’s why it is critical to provide a framework that communicates the importance of investing in urban infrastructure. I am proud of the 114 cities and communities across the globe who have certified through the LEED for Cities and Communities rating systems, including the City of Dubai and the King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) project. These rating systems revolutionize the way cities and communities are planned, developed and operated, in order to improve their overall sustainability and quality of life. LEED for Cities and Communities is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, datadriven means of benchmarking and communicating progress. The rating system also addresses pandemicspecific challenges with two LEED Safety First Pilot Credits, one addressing the preparedness for pandemic planning and the other ensuring social equity in pandemic planning. At some point, we will enter a post-pandemic world. However, leaders must not then forget the lessons learned from COVID-19. We must remain focused on letting science, data and the health and wellness of future generations drive each and every decision that we make. Better buildings and communities do lead to better and healthier lives. Let’s make that our collective legacy.

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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. ®

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country report

Italy

OVERCOMING THE WAVES An examination of how manufacturers in Italy, one of the European countries hardest hit by COVID-19, are navigating challenges posed by the the first and second wave of infections, and the nation’s renewed enthusiasm for IAQ-related measures in a bid to protect the public from future contagions. Hannah Jo Uy has the story…

n March of 2020, Italy captured global headlines, gaining the unenviable title of being one of the European countries hardest hit by COVID-19. A year on, the country, and its people, have remained resilient despite the unprecedented challenges brought on by the first wave of the pandemic, slowly moving towards a sense of normalcy while navigating the second surge in cases. Weighing in on the market outlook following the initial outbreak, Samuele Peli, General Manager Sales, Europe Middle East Africa, Seeley International Europe says there has been a strong rebound in real GDP over the summer, when the Italian economy recovered almost three fourths of the output loss incurred in the first half of 2020. “However, rising infection and hospitalisation rates straight after the summer season required the government to re-impose restrictions on mobility and economic activity, implying an output contraction in autumn and winter 2021,” he says.

March 2021

For Massimo Minicucci, Brand Manager, Cipriani Heat Exchangers, the response to the first wave was largely insufficient. “Everyone had underestimated the consequences, believing the worst was over and not equipping themselves for what was unfortunately to come,” he says. “Therefore, the government, finding itself unprepared again, failed to give the right support to Italian companies, which nevertheless did not give up and have always sought new methods to continue producing, while respecting anti-Covid regulations.” The impact the pandemic had on the manufacturing sector is undeniable. Sharing figures, Peli says there was an average drop of 15% in the demand and supply side in the Italian manufacturing sector following the COVID-19 outbreak. “In this critical context, the only sector that has gone significantly against the trend was pharmaceuticals, with a growth of 4% in 2020,” he says. “By 2021, however, a significant rebound is expected, with a growth in revenues of greater than 5%. In the 2022-2024 period, manufacturing activity is expected to continue along a path of gradual recovery, at annual rates of almost 3%. “ Peli says that the industrial sector, which accounts for a large share of the Italian economy, and the construction sector, continue to operate without major restrictions. “After an 11.3% drop in 2020, Italian export is expected to bounce back by 9.3% in 2021, with HVAC&R being one of the leading sectors,” he says. “By contrast, contactintensive services, including tourism, catering and hospitality, continue to reel under the pandemic’s economic impact and are taking the brunt of the imposed selective lockdown measures.”

Marco Portale, Regional Marketing Manager HVAC for EMEA, Carel adds that companies in the best position to cope with the restrictions were those that implemented smart and flexible manufacturing strategies from the beginning. “We are in the middle of the supply chain as we supply to our customers and we also buy components for our products,” he says. “From what I have seen, the companies that had a global footprint in terms of manufacturing were the ones able to produce products

We have seen that there is a higher sensitivity for IAQ. Even if there is no government legislation or changes in regulation yet, hygiene units are being more frequently installed in hospitals. as well as in commercial and light commercial buildings

Samuele Peli

Massimo Minicucci

Marco Portale

in different locations and meet the demand despite possible logistical problems.” Portale says companies during this time also moved from relying on one supplier to sourcing from multiple suppliers whenever possible, such as when the components were not custom-made. “From a manufacturing point of view, players that have a global footprint were able to work through the lockdowns in different regions of the world,” he says, adding that Carel was able to leverage its manufacturing bases in other areas in this manner and operated for its customers with a single company - multiple source approach. “Some OEMs also pushed their manufacturing capability harder than in the past for some of their customers and distributors,” he says. “This was because many of them decided to increase their order stock and pushed the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to produce more pieces so they can make stock in case there was a second or third wave, so, in some aspects, the OEM was challenged and had higher demand.” Minicucci says that the resiliency of the manufacturing sector can also be attributed to increasingly automated processes, pointing out that the reduced human presence in favour of machines has proven to be a great advantage for many companies. However, he adds that even for companies, such as Cipriani, where manual processing is an essential part of product development, they have managed to adapt to government regulations to minimise infections both in production facilities and in the offices. “This effort has been rewarded by the very low number of infected people in the company,” he says. “All this without ever slowing down production to satisfy every need of our customers who have continued to trust us.” Overall, Minicucci says that while the Italian HVACR market has suffered a severe blow, it is showing signs of recovery.

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country report A RENEWED FOCUS ON QUALITY IAQ COVID-19 has also pushed the industry to place a stronger focus on indoor air quality (IAQ), in view of its effect on health and wellbeing. For Peli, this is evidenced by initiatives of leading organisations, such as the Italian Association of Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration (AICARR) and National Health Institute (ISS) both of which have issued guidelines in line with European Directives calling for increased fresh air, reduced or no recirculation and better control strategies. “Specific protocols have been developed for ‘special systems’ such as those serving hospitals and healthcare environments, clean room and laboratories,” he says. “As most air conditioning systems for commercial buildings were historically designed to operate with most of the air recirculated, they would not have normally coped with the new guidelines prescribing minimal or no recirculation at all.” Peli adds that commercial buildings, including offices and schools, have coped with the new approach mostly because of the low occupancy rates from March 2020 onwards, following lockdown or restriction measures. “However, it is largely agreed in the HVAC community that over the next months or years, massive investments will have to go into upgrading HVAC systems to allow them to operate at full load with little or no recirculation,” he says. This is especially crucial in schools, which has large scope for improvement. Peli points out that although schools were closed and were heavily dependent on ‘remote learning’ after the first wave, upon reopening in September 2020 the Ministry

March 2021

Italy

for Education issued guidelines encouraging higher ventilation rates but little investments were put in place to improve existing systems. Quoting AICARR president Filippo Busato, in an interview from October 2020, Peli also calls for a ‘modernisation of schools still without mechanical ventilation systems improving air quality’. Minicucci echoes this observation. “Italian schools are in dire need of modernisation and safety, as most were built more than 40 years ago, and time has made them less and less safe,” he says. Portale adds that recent guidelines also touches on basic and simple behaviours which are equally important low-hanging fruits “Of course, you cannot always replace and make sudden, dramatic changes to your units because in many instances, existing ventilation units have certain limitations,” he says. “So, there were such guidelines to open the window to let in more fresh air, or in instances where there are units installed, for better maintenance procedures, which means changing, controlling and cleaning the filters.”

A GROWING DEMAND Peli adds that many of these protocols are being reviewed periodically as scientists get a better understanding of how the virus spreads, but that this generally feeds into increasing demand for systems and technologies that provide higher portions of fresh outdoor air. He says that this can be seen in the increased request for humidifiers in certain applications as well as for filtration and sensors for air quality monitoring. While the trend is generally a positive, Portale is quick to point out that “nothing

comes for free” and that by implementing these strategies we cannot deny that energy efficiency will take a hit. “The priority is to ensure safety first, so recommendations were for more fresh air and less recirculation,” he says. However, Minicucci adds that the lockdown has been used as an opportunity to carry out structural and energy efficiency improvements. He says that the latter is especially of interest for the company considering the heat exchanger contributes to more efficient performance, adding that there has been increased demand for these types of equipment in recent months. “Many projects are currently focused on enhancing heating given the recent need to continue to ventilate the classrooms to decrease the risk of contagion,” he says. “In this way the heating systems are required to have more power to maintain an acceptable temperature in the classrooms.” Portale says that many of these guidelines are still in place and can be seen in how the country is dealing with the second wave of cases. “In new projects, we have seen there is a higher sensitivity for IAQ,” he says. “Even if there is no government legislation or changes in regulation yet, hygiene units are being more frequently installed in the hospitals as well as in commercial and light commercial buildings. Typical units with higher hygienic standards featuring certified components, despite being more expensive, are also being requested and installed in hospitals. Will this continue after the pandemic? That is the question we have yet to answer.” Portale says that considering units with hygienic standards are usually more

expensive, there must be some initiative from the government or from the EU to drive adoption of these solutions, or else the market will revert to the standard situation where hygienic units are only used in hospitals and standard units are used for the rest of commercial and residential applications. “There might be a European Union plan to sustain the recovery of European countries’ economy,” he says. “In that case the driver is in the direction of energy savings, not on indoor air quality. However, in case we go back to standard units after the pandemic -- we will not forget about IAQ at all. At the very least we will probably come back to an intermediate level of appreciation for these types of solutions.” Overall, Portale remains positive. “Italian manufacturers, both as a component supplier

certainly it has slowed down but networking is a fundamental part for the business of our sector and therefore we are waiting for the situation to improve in order to return to attend international fairs. In the meantime, we are still moving towards digital, still taking advantage of the wide visibility that these initiatives can provide.”

and as a unit supplier have a long tradition of innovation,” he says. “As result, I have seen companies reacting pretty well in being able to fulfil these higher demands and adjusting the supply chain in terms of supporting more IAQ-related products and components demand, with the same flexibility.” He adds that this will make a case for companies entering the Middle East market, which also has seen good presence from European manufacturers. Minicucci also believes there is a lot of opportunities in the horizon for the Italian HVACR market in general, despite these challenges. “The situation is still uncertain, but the largest trade fairs in the sector are moving to digitise themselves with initiatives that I believe are laudable,” he says. “The movement must not stop,

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

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Ariel Lozovsky is with Sinai Technologies and may be contacted through https://www.sinaitechnologies.com/about-us#contact.

‘WE ARE AIMING TO ACHIEVE CLIMATEPOSITIVE STATUS’ While such a goal, amongst others, is laudable, where are the baselines for GHG management? asks Ariel Lozovsky

Source: GHG Protocol

pon surveying the landscape of organisational climate commitments, it is not uncommon to hear about attention-grabbing goals, like committing to 100% renewable energy, setting a science-based target, going carbon neutral or even climate-positive. You might be wondering: How do these organisations get started? Looking around your own organisation, it may be difficult to imagine how the fragmented efforts that are taking place within different business units and on different timelines can come together to form a coherent story about the opportunity for impact and risk mitigation.

ESTABLISHING A CARBON BASELINE A carbon baseline is an inventory of sources of carbon emissions from business activities. This is typically a snapshot of one or more years that serves as a reference point for organisations to understand and track their changing emissions over time. Building a multi-year emissions baseline not only enables an organisation to have a better understanding of its recent historical GHG emissions trends but also enables it to grasp the business trajectory and associated potential future emissions. A carbon baseline includes direct and indirect emissions, also known as Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions (see image, below, for detailed categories).

March 2021

Scope 1: Direct carbon emissions from owned or controlled sources (for example, fuel) Scope 2: Indirect carbon emissions from consumed purchased electricity, heat or steam Scope 3: Indirect carbon emissions from all other business activities (to cite some examples, purchased goods and services, capital goods, production of purchase materials, transport-related

activities not owned or controlled by organisation, waste disposal, business travel and the use of sold products)

WHY ESTABLISH A CARBON BASELINE? Just as companies take stock of other types of resources or supplies, it is important for organisations to assess their carbon budget, in order to understand which areas of business activities have the greatest

opportunities for impact. We’ve discussed the importance of data quality in a previous blog when establishing carbon inventories. Establishing a detailed carbon baseline provides management with the ability to understand carbon emissions across different business units and make data-informed decisions, for example, by having specific fuel-type information, according to projected business growth, or understanding how carbon-intensive specific regions’ electric grids are going to behave in the future, where the company operates. Given the likely volume of data collection and calculations, the baseline inventory data can be much easier to visualise, analyse and synthesise, if it is established in a centralised software system. A secondary benefit to establishing a baseline carbon inventory is for tracking change over time. Since a baseline carbon inventory is only a snapshot in time, organisations need to build their processes for ongoing data collection to evaluate the effectiveness of operational changes. Having a baseline carbon inventory also supports companies in conducting peer benchmarking and evaluating their market position.

SO YOU’VE BUILT YOUR BASELINE… WHAT'S NEXT? Establishing a carbon inventory baseline is only the first step to managing organisational GHG emissions. Once an organisation

undertakes the effort to put together this emissions approach to understanding its impact, it can extend the same approach to thinking about risks and opportunities in business decision-making processes. For example, when evaluating capital investments into a new facility, a company can inquire and collect data about the historical operational costs – including energy data – for existing facilities it is considering for acquisition, and/or factor in how “dirty” the electric grid is in the potential regions where a new facility may be sited. Since an organisation already has a baseline understanding of its existing portfolio of facilities, it can evaluate potential facilities against their own portfolio’s average emissions as well as compare potential acquisitions against one another from a carbon-impact standpoint. Siting new facilities in a region with a cleaner electrical grid, or with easier access to cleaner alternative fuels, can be considered alongside other performance and market factors in the capital investment decision-making processes. Beyond singular business decisions, having an established carbon inventory baseline can facilitate an organisation’s goal setting and scenario planning. Companies that have a target year and an established emissions target can draw a line from their established carbon baseline to their designated emissions target to understand the necessary change in their carbon budget over time, compared to

business as usual (see purple and green lines in graph, below). Forecasting different projections of possible futures based on the current carbon baseline provides a data-driven approach to stacking individual or decentralised business decisions together to get a comprehensive understanding of the planned emissions reductions, which aggregates the approved project pipeline. The planned emissions reductions can then be compared to the planned emissions gap, or the targeted emissions reduction that has yet to be accounted for, based on existing company mitigation strategies. Finally, for companies thinking about supporting a 1.5 degree C climate scenario, modelling the path from their carbon baseline to the company’s current goal versus what the target emissions would need to be to achieve the 1.5 degree C scenario can facilitate an internal discussion around the target emissions gap (shown as the steepest emissions pathway in the graph, above).

References: 1. RE100 campaign. The Climate Group & CDP. https://www.there100.org/. Accessed Friday 27 November 2020. 2. Science-based targets. https:// sciencebasedtargets.org/. Accessed Friday 27 November 2020. 3. Carbon Neutral Standard. Natural Capital Partners. https:// www.carbonneutral.com/. Accessed Friday 27 November 2020. 4. Greenhouse Gas Protocol. World Resource Institute & WBCSD. https://ghgprotocol. org/. Accessed 29 November 2020. 5. https://www.sinaitechnologies. com/post/four-main-datachallenges-in-managingcarbon-inventories . SINAI Technologies. 6. https://www.sinaitechnologies. com/about-us#contact

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.

Source: SINAI Technologies

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Martin Williamson is Senior Commissioning Manager, AESG, and Committee Member, Commissioning Specialists Association (GCC). He may be reached at m.williamson@aesg-me.com.

Part 1 of a three-part series on commissioning

THE CRUX OF BUILDING PERFORMANCE Commissioning is arguably the most cost-effective process for shortterm and long-term advantages to building owners, facility managers and building occupants, says Martin Williamson. However, he adds, there are many projects in the GCC region, where commissioning is not utilised or is carried out to a low standard.

uildings often do not perform in an optimal and efficient way despite significant investment during design and construction. The reasons can be wide and varied, and there is a certain inevitability that issues during construction will arise, and decisions will be made that could ultimately affect the longterm performance of the building. Building Commissioning, when utilised correctly, is a systematic quality assurance process. It increases the likelihood of buildings operating in line with their design intent, by verifying and documenting the fact that building services are designed, installed, tested and are operating in line with the Owners Project Requirements (OPR). This is primarily done with detailed planning, organisation, coordination and control of all commissioning activities. Conversely, a building that is not operating in line with project requirements can be inefficient from an energy standpoint, financially uneconomical or suffering from poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ), of which indoor air quality (IAQ) is a significant part. This scenario is particularly prominent across the GCC region, where commissioning is largely misunderstood, under-utilised or is carried out to a low standard.

March 2021

A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), based on a database of 643 buildings across approximately 100 million square feet of floor space, found the main causes of energy inefficiency in commercial buildings to be ductwork leakage, HVAC systems running and lights left on when spaces are unoccupied, ventilation systems incorrectly balanced, dampers not working and incorrect controls set-up, with an estimated 94.6 billion kilowatt hours annually (BkWh/year) wasted across the top 13 of 100 issues identified. Ductwork leakage was responsible for the greatest energy inefficiency, accounting for 28.6 BkWh/year alone, which has been seen to be a common issue across construction projects in the GCC region. In addition to energy savings, correcting these issues would likely improve the indoor environment, as the identified issues would have an expected impact on heating and cooling, ventilation of spaces, and potential for drafts and noise. Identifying and correcting these commonly found issues should lead to an overall increase in occupant satisfaction. Commissioning is arguably the most cost-effective process for short-term and long-term advantages to building owners, facility managers and building occupants.

However, there are many projects in the GCC region, where commissioning is not utilised or is carried out to a low standard. To put this in perspective, the LBNL study found the median cost for commissioning a new building accounted for 0.4% of the total construction cost. The data received demonstrates a significant 13% energy saving in new buildings, should commissioning and management be implemented effectively. On this basis, the client’s ROI would be 4.2 years.

The purpose of commissioning in new buildings is to ensure the performance requirements of the building owners’ objectives are achieved, making sure the building is operating as efficiently as it can at the time of handover. Commissioning in existing buildings is to validate whether the building is operating efficiently and to identify performance gaps, inefficiencies and improvements needed to return it to an efficient operational condition. There are several names for commissioning in existing buildings, namely Re-Commissioning, Retro Commissioning and Continuous Commissioning.

Retro Commissioning is utilised in buildings where no commissioning was previously performed. Re-Commissioning is typically carried out every 5-10 years and completed when the building use has changed, internal fit-outs completed or equipment and components in the systems are upgraded. Continuous Commissioning is based on frequently monitoring the building use, diagnosing improvements and fine-tuning the building performance. Re-Commissioning and Continuous Commissioning are beneficial, as they allow flexibility for changing the use of internal spaces without affecting the building’s performance. The way a building is used and operated is often different from the condition predicted during design stage, where assumptions are made for occupant density, temperature set-points, control schedules and operation of HVAC systems. A major factor is occupant behaviour, which is difficult to predict and cannot be known at the time of design. The use of the building compared to the predicted design is monitored and changes made to fine-tune the system performance. A study by Wang L, et al (Uncertainties in energy consumption introduced by building operations and weather for a medium-size office building) showed poor practice in building operation can result in an

increase in energy use of 49-79%, and good practice can reduce energy consumption by 15-29%. Commissioning as a process has become more prevalent in the GCC region in recent years, with several high-profile developers, project management companies and consultants specifying this as a requirement. As an example of implementing commissioning in the GCC region, the Dubai Green Building Regulations and Specifications (DGBR) outlines requirements for commissioning in new as well as existing buildings, highlighting the value of commissioning in securing a green future for Dubai. To take this a step further, the regulations in the GCC region could outline the requirement of commissioning as a process by referencing publications such as CIBSE Commissioning Code M – Commissioning Management, BSRIA Model Commissioning Plan or ASHRAE Standard 202 – Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems, which are useful publications for capturing the commissioning process throughout the lifecycle of a building. To enhance this, it would be beneficial to specify requirements of who can complete the commissioning and management, and the level of training and experience needed. Commissioning is often completed by an independent company, whose role is to ensure compliance with the OPR; the impartial nature is part of the value of commissioning. Unless regulations specify commissioning must be independent, this allows ‘in-house’ commissioning to be completed, which is not unbiased and, citing from experience, often results in ‘covering up’ issues identified instead of resolving them. In comparison to the UK Building Regulations, commissioning of building services is a key requirement identified, and for buildings to conform to the energy efficiency requirements, CIBSE and BSRIA methodology are to be followed, and the process should be overseen by someone suitably qualified by relevant training or experience. The regulations cite membership of the Commissioning Specialists Association (CSA), the Commissioning Group of the Building and Engineering Services Association (B&ES) and Lighting Industry Commissioning Scheme as a way of demonstrating this.

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.

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Raja Subramanyam is an independent cold chain consultant after having served in the refrigeration sector in the GCC region as part of major MNCs. In May 2021, he will serve as Chairperson of the 10th edition of the Middle East Cold Chain Food Safety Conference, popularly known as Food Chain. He may be contacted at rasubra7@yahoo.com.

DIGITALISATION OF COLD CHAIN ASSETS A digital transformation in food retail and other aspects of the food cold chain has vast positive implications on operational efficiency, argues Raja Subramanyam

hile 2020 will undoubtedly join the pantheon of eminently forgettable years in modern recorded history, it will be remembered as the time when we further strengthened the food sector by making use of opportunities presented by technology and other disciplines. Indeed, it would be accurate to say that the pandemic sent food retailers into a tizzy with consumers relying on e-commerce platforms more than ever. Now, amidst the melee that ensued on the front end, very few noticed the steady rise of IoT acceleration at the back end or the machinery. With that, the need for digitalisation of refrigeration technical assets started gaining pace with the objective of improved energy efficiency. Since October 2020, companies such as Eliwell Schneider Electric, Danfoss, Carel, Carrier, Emerson, Bitzer and Daikin vigorously started showcasing their digital solutions through such shows as e-Chillventa. The digital ‘show of strength’ highlighted the importance attached to digital transformation and its vast positive implications on operational efficiency.

March 2021

Based on these developments, CPI Industry, which is organising the Food Chain conference – and in doing do so, stands on the threshold of conducting the 10th edition of the event – has aptly themed it as, “Digital transformation of cold chain & food machinery technical assets”. Apart from the topic of food safety, the conference will be a platform for brainstorming on IoT acceleration, which is one of the main pillars of Industry 4.0 in back-end technical assets. Digital transformation is the current business buzzterm in the GCC region, and I do believe there is considerable untapped market potential for this in cold chain verticals. What is digitalisation? How is it different from digitisation? Is it technological or cultural? Who are responsible for making it happen? How does it help the cold chain verticals? Whom does it benefit? Why do we

need it? To what extent does it play a role in energy and eco efficiency and sustainability? What are the human and technology-related processes? What are the skills required and their availability in the region? Is digital transformation a bane or a boon? Do we indeed need to incorporate digitalisation to progress? I look forward to answering these and more in the April issue.

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.

NOW HIRING Arabic Speaking Regional Sales Manager, Water Filtration Systems The suitable candidate will be responsible for all sales activities related to Heat Transfer, Industrial, Groundwater and Irrigation in the assigned territory. This includes forecasting, achieving forecasts, developing sales opportunities, and establishing proper representative channels. Functional roles & responsibilities: ► Ensure each country has proper distribution channels ► Manage sales of Water Filtration Systems within the assigned territory with the objective of distribution development and growing sales and profits within the territory. ► Manage the planning, promotion, training and selling of Water Filtration systems for Heat Transfer, Industrial, Groundwater and Irrigation. ► Achieve sales goals for assigned territory. ► Maintain contact and enhance relations with accounts in the region. ► Analyse distribution networks as well as recruit and successfully on-board and/or replace distribution. ► Develop a specific market development strategy to tap into opportunities with each distributor. ► Create a marketing plan for distribution that includes a comprehensive overview of competition, pricing and market share in key growth areas. ► Negotiate pricing and terms with representatives or end users on all special projects. ► Create customised seminars and conduct training for distributors, developers, contractors and engineers. ► Effectively introduce new products to distribution. ► Maintain and stay within expense budget allocated. ► Maintain warranty records to monitor possible product problems. ► Plan sales travel as required. ► Participate in national/regional trade shows and events. ► Maintain, monitor and update CRM software. ► Distribute and manage sales leads and opportunities ► Maintain presence within appropriate social networking and trade organisations Qualifications: ► 5 years of sales experience, preferably within a heat transfer or industrial market. ► Must be bilingual and able to work independently in multiple cultural environments. ► Ability to multi-task and to prioritise. ► Excellent communication skills. ► Ability to meet deadlines. ► Experience in the use of Microsoft Office including Excel, Outlook, Power Point and Word. ► Bachelor’s degree preferably in Engineering. ► Ability to travel as needed to support the region and forecast. ► Excellent presentation and communication skills ► Strong Mechanical and technical aptitude

Arabic Speaking Sales Engineer based in Abu Dhabi/Al Ain The suitable candidate will be responsible for sales of the company in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Functional roles & responsibilities: ► Enhance the relationship within the consultants’ networks to increase market share. ► Develop strong relationships with consultants / developers / clients/ contractors, identify their needs and propose solutions that meets their requirements effectively with respect to product-mix and financial parameters. ► Provide a high-level of product and application support, such as design support, to the potential customers/consultants and ensure the company’s products are specified on the vendor list. ► Provide high level products, applications and design support to potential clients and work closely with sales management to ensure order conclusion. ► Identify business opportunities and trends by analysing customer behaviour through customer profiles and ensure that all opportunities are optimised in an efficient and timely manner. Qualifications: ► Educational Degree in Mechanical Engineering ► 6 – 8 years’ experience in the region in a similar role in HVAC companies. ► Extensive technical knowledge in HVAC products, especially in VRF, DX and AHU’s ► Strong network of business contacts (Consultants/developers/owners/contractors) ► Should have valid UAE Driving License ► Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Arabic preferred. ► Good financial acumen, strong commercial awareness and consulting sales capabilities. ► Good understanding of local building regulations (ESMA/ESTIDAMA), LEED, ASHRAE, and EUROVENT standards preferred

For more details please contact Alissa:

050-3580708

alissa@careersbay.com

www.careersbay.com www.climatecontrolme.com

REGIONAL NEWS

Empower switches on 47k RT district cooling plant at Dubai Production City project To date, 52 buildings have been connected to the new plant; 14 are expected to be connected in the next two years, utility says By CCME Content Team

mirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has commenced operations of its district cooling plant at Dubai Production City Project, with a cooling capacity of 47,000 refrigeration tons (RT). Making the announcement through a Press release, the utility provider added that it awarded the contract, worth AED197 million, in 2020 with the objective of building a new-generation district cooling plant. This is the first permanent plant room out of the three plant rooms being established in the area, with a total capacity of 125,000 RT for the whole project upon completion, Empower said. To date, 52 multi-use buildings have already been connected to the new plant

RAK Municipality signs MoU with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

The objective of the collaboration is to drive energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes in the emirate, the Municipality says

By CCME Content Team

as Al Khaimah Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) – a joint venture of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India – for a strategic collaboration for energy efficiency and clean energy projects. Making the announcement through a Press release, the Municipality added that H.E. Munther Mohammed bin Shekar, its Director General, and Saurabh Kumar, Executive Vice Chairperson, EESL Group, were the signatories. According to the Municipality, the MoU establishes a framework for collaboration across various energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in support of the Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency & Renewables Strategy 2040 (EE&R Strategy). Commenting on the objectives of the MoU, H.E. bin Shekar said, “The Government of Ras Al Khaimah is committed to the successful implementation of Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040. We welcome the collaboration with EESL, as their unique and vast expertise in energy efficiency can be relevant for us in developing effective projects across many sectors of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Ras Al Khaimah.”

March 2021

L-R: Saurabh Kumar and H.E. Munther Mohammed bin Shekar

Sharing his views on the collaboration, Kumar said: “We are always exploring new avenues for implementing energy efficiency initiatives that are sector- and geographyagnostic. This partnership with Ras Al Khaimah Municipality is a big step towards tapping the immense potential for energy efficiency in the Emirate. Our expertise in handling the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio and Ras Al Khaimah Municipality’s local experience and technical skills will synergise perfectly to create lasting positive impact in the region.” Under this MoU, EESL, through its presence in the UAE, will support Ras Al Khaimah Municipality in implementing clean energy and energy efficiency projects under its Integrated Energy Efficiency Service (IEES) model, the Municipality said. This model includes integration of EESL’s various programmes, including the consumer-based Efficient Appliances Programme, Industrial

Energy Efficiency Programme, Building Energy Efficiency Programme, Utility-scale Solar Programme, Trigeneration, National Motor Replacement Programme and the National E-mobility Programme, the Municipality added. The Municipality said it will jointly develop and implement the programme framework with EESL. It said that EESL will make investments and develop customised project models relevant to Ras Al Khaimah. The collaboration is expected to develop and drive energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, as part of the Ras Al Khaimah Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040, it added. The Strategy, established under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, targets 30% energy savings, 20% water savings, and 20% contribution of electricity from renewable sources by 2040.

during the first phase, Empower said, adding that 14 buildings will be connected in the next two years. Empower stated that starting the plant is part of the company’s strategy to meet the increasing demand for district cooling Ahmad Bin Shafar services in the area, and its keenness to provide high-quality and environmentally friendly cooling services through highly efficient cooling plants. The new plant includes two Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tanks that can cover the needs during the peak hours and reduce additional load on the state power grid by optimising the inflow and outflow of chilled water, Empower added. Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, highlighted that advanced technologies are being used in the plant to ensure the lowest energy and water consumption. In addition to the TES tanks, which reduce the pressure on the state power grid, a Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) system, has been incorporated to generate makeup water, necessary for the cooling towers, Empower said. The TSE system will reduce the consumption of fresh water and, thus, contribute to preserving natural resources for future generations, Empower added.

Bin Shafar highlighted that the plant is currently connected to Empower’s existing chilled water network of 20 kilometres, with provision for future extension of the network for serving new buildings coming up in the area. He said the plant has also been linked with Empower’s remote Command Control Centre (CCC) through using advanced SCADA system. Bin Shafar said that Empower has taken into account the current and future urban expansions in Dubai Production City while designing the project. The plant is designed considering the aesthetic aspect of the modern urban development in Dubai as well as the general appearance and the external appearance of the buildings in the area, he said. The plant, he added, was designed and constructed with the highest sustainability standards in mind, to set it up for LEED Gold status, awarded by the US Green Building Council.

www.climatecontrolme.com

REGIONAL NEWS

Hira Industries launches thermal insulation solution

Calls the Aerofoam NBR Lap Seal Tube the first-of-its-kind that enables reduction of installation time by more than 50%

By CCME Content Team

ira Industries launched the Aerofoam NBR Lap Seal Tube, which the company described through a Press release as an effective and efficient thermal insulation solution that can be installed in various residential and commercial complexes to provide corrosion protection, whilst improving safety, efficiency and durability of the building. Launched for the first time in the UAE market, the product is a pre-slit, closed-cell elastomeric thermal insulation tube, which is manufactured with a pre-installed adhesive that helps in reducing the use of additional adhesive by 90%, the company said. The overlap seals are particularly developed for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contractors for a secure sealing and for reinsulating old and damaged pipes. “At Hira Industries, our aim is to launch several new products

and technologies in this year,” said Umesh Unni, General Manager, Hira Industries. “The focus will be to establish good customer Umesh Unni relations and deliver cost-effective solutions to them. The launch of the Lap Seal Tubes is a reflection of our vision to expand our product base and cater to the ever-growing requirements of the insulation business.” The Lap Seal Tube is much easier to install due to the pre-slit feature and the pressure-sensitive adhesive, reducing the installation time by more than 50%, the company claimed. Along with this, the company said, the aim of introducing the Lap Seal Tube is to provide a long-lasting insulation solution at a much lower cost in terms of the time and accessories used to install the product and the maintenance costs, as it does not require frequent maintenance and replacement. This feature of Tube makes it a unique proposition in the industry, setting it apart from existing products, the company asserted. The fact that the product is manufactured in-house, the company said, facilitates quick bulk delivery and expert support for the HVAC&R industry,

the company said. The Lap Seal Tube come with the guarantee of being able to last for more than a decade, as compared to the conventional insulation solutions that require frequent maintenance and replacement, making it the right solution for all insulation requirements at a much lower price, the company claimed. It is the perfect solution for a diverse range of insulation requirements, as the tube’s size can be customised to fit the pipes perfectly, while the pressure-sensitive adhesive overlay helps in an easy and quick adhesion, as compared to the other insulation solutions in the industry, the company said. Unni said: “The tubes are made of high-grade-quality material and have an integrated structure, yet are economically priced, which makes them an attractive solution for all requirements. That is not all – keeping the environment in mind, we have used fume-free and clean materials to produce the Lap Seal Tubes. As a result, extra precautions are not required after installing the solution, which is extremely efficient in cooling systems, as they do not form condensation. We are committed to helping buildings increase LEED points, and the insulation of Lap Seal Tubes fulfills all LEED requirements to maintain a sustainable and green earth.”

LOOKING FOR REFRIGERATION PRODUCTS?

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March 2021

Emerson announces SASO registration for psychrometric lab in Dubai The Dubai-based test lab will help drive product integration and qualification for Middle East and Africa market segments, company says

By CCME Content Team

he Emerson Psychrometric lab in Dubai has been registered as the conformity assessment body by SASO (Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia vide Registration No: EE LAB 0160, Emerson said through a Press release. The lab had previously registered with ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology) vide Registration No. R-T-20-00340, Emerson said. Vadivelan Kannan, Director of Technical Services for Commercial and Residential Solutions, Middle East and Africa, said: “This is a significant milestone for our Psychrometric Lab Facility in this region. These registrations of our Psychrometric

Lab will further help our customers to test their air-conditioners for performance and ensure compliance with SASO/ESMA standards and regulations. “The certification awarded by SASO and ESMA reiterates that Emerson test lab meets both technical competence and management system requirements to consistently deliver technically valid test results for the defined scope.”

STAY UPDATED ON THE LATEST HVACR NEWS AND VIEWS AT

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REGIONAL NEWS

Wilo Middle East acquires PumpsPro

Under the terms of the agreement, company says it will hold all the assets of the latter, and also its service workforce, brand and portfolio of customers

By CCME Content Team

ilo Middle East (WME), manufacturer of pumps and systems, acquired PumpsPro, a pump solution service provider under Direct Trade House International LLC (DTHI). Making the announcement through a Press release, it said the acquisition entails the creation of a new business unit, which will maintain the name, PumpsPro but will be managed and operated as a Wilo company.

UAE and the rest of the region. It's a winwin agreement that falls in line with Dubai’s Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 and gives us the opportunity to support the retrofit program of 30,000 buildings by 2030, which aims to make the emirate one of the most sustainable cities in the world.” According to WME, PumpsPro has been working with it as service partner for its overhauling and repairing business since

Bijan Sheibani and Yasser Nagi signing the agreement

According to WME, the signing of the agreement took place at its office in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in the presence of Jens Dallendoerfer, Senior Vice President - Sales Region Emerging Markets, Wilo Group; Yasser Nagi, Managing Director, Wilo Middle East & Group Sales Director MENA Region and Bijan Sheibani, Chairman, Direct Trade House International LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, WME said it will be acquiring PumpsPro, including all its assets, highly skilled service workforce, brand and extensive portfolio of customers. The move is expected to further reinforce WME’s position as a complete solution provider in the UAE and the Middle East region, it added. Nagi said: “We are proud to announce the signing of a strategic acquisition agreement with PumpsPro – a move that is expected to make Wilo a leading solutions provider in the

March 2021

2018. The signing of the new agreement, it said, is expected to reinforce Wilo’s capabilities, equipping the company to bring repairing and overhauling activities in-house, especially catering to the large number of building service, water management and industrial customers that require the right servicing that leads to strong reliability and asset uptime. WME said its offshore customers in the region will also benefit from the acquisition, where demand for servicing offshore pumps has seen a big uptake, providing oil and gas customers the just-intime reliable servicing they require. Peter Glauner, Senior Vice President - Group Service, Wilo Group, said: “This agreement boosts Wilo Middle East’s competitive advantage over its competitors. We are confident to seeing more benefits, as business synergies are further integrated. Over the years, we have reinforced our

position as a global leading premium manufacturer of innovative pumps and pumping systems in the field of building services, water management and industry. We remain steadfast in our efforts to set new standards as a leader of innovation in terms of system efficiency and maximum energy savings.” According to WME, PumpsPro's relationship with Wilo Middle East dates back to 2018. WME said PumpsPro has earned a reputation of being a complete solution provider, with its employees cited for their high professionalism and expertise. Sectors that will benefit from the newly signed agreement include facilities management, hotels, leisure destinations, hospitals, schools, water parks, offshore, water management and industry, WME added. Dallendoerfer said: “We are very confident that this acquisition deal between Wilo Middle East and PumpsPro will help consolidate our efforts to position ourselves as a top candidate in terms of providing complete turnkey value-added solutions to our retrofit customers, who are looking for a one-stop shop capable of providing services in supply, installation, start-up, testing/ commissioning and other value-added requirements.”

Empower pays dividend of AED 400 million in cash Company records total net profit of AED 901 million

By CCME Content Team

mirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has announced the distribution of AED 400 million in cash dividends among the company's shareholders for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. Making the announcement through a Press release, the district cooling utility said that this, Ahmad Bin Shafar indeed, represents 45% of the total net profit of AED 901 million recorded by the company for the fiscal year. Total revenues of the company amounted to AED2.26 billion in 2020, with an increase of three per cent, compared to 2019, Empower said. Since 2004, the total dividend distributed among shareholders has reached AED 2.650 billion, Empower added. Results, in general, and profits and dividends, in particular, do reflect how strong and outstanding its performance is, Empower pointed out. They also underscore the matchless ability of the company to be the leader in the district cooling industry, locally as well as globally, it added. All this casts much light on the success Empower has achieved with its proactive strategy that focuses on investing in infrastructure, technology and people; and on the company’s determination to go on with its goals of building and developing assets that guarantee sustainable revenue and high flexibility, and of meeting the increasing demand for its services, it further added. Ahmad bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, said: “2020 was exceptional by all means. Empower has completed its negotiations with international partners to expand soon in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt. Details of such deals will be announced soon. This is in addition to the huge surge in profit the corporation has witnessed compared to last year. Further, more plants were added, the district cooling services network is extended, and the number of buildings and customers has grown.” Bin Shafar underscored the company’s commitment to achieve added value for the Dubai economy, its shareholders and its 140,000 clients, including real estate developers, owners and end users, distributed over 1,252 buildings. The 2020 results and profits are to be added to Empower’s 17-year record of success, heralding more well-informed growth in the future, he said. Bin Shafar pointed out that the expected results of Empower for the year 2021 are more promising than what has been seen in the previous years, especially after the conclusion of contracts worth AED 1.39 billion, covering various works such as engineering consultancy, designing, construction and operation of district cooling plants, expansion of the existing pipeline network, and construction of new networks to serve the latest projects in Dubai. This, he said, is in addition to building thermal energy exchange rooms and water tanks.

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GLOBAL NEWS

ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force releases updated Building Readiness Guide Clarifies HVAC systems’ guidance for evaluating HVAC systems and reopening of buildings Clarifies HVAC systems’ guidance for evaluating HVAC systems and reopening of buildings

By CCME Content Team

ith the performance of many HVAC systems in buildings still being evaluated, the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has updated its reopening guidance for HVAC systems to help mitigate the transmission of SARSCoV-2, ASHRAE said through a Press release. “The Building Readiness Guide includes additional information and clarifications to assist designers and commissioning providers in performing pre- or postoccupancy flush calculations to reduce the time and energy to clear spaces of contaminants between occupancy periods,” said Wade Conlan, Lead, ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force Building Readiness team. “New information includes the theory behind the use of equivalent outdoor air supply, method for calculating the performance of filters and air cleaners in series, and filter droplet nuclei efficiency that help evaluate the systems’ ability to flush the building.” According to ASHRAE, major updates to the building readiness guidance include the following: • Pre- or post-flushing strategy methodology: The strategy has been updated to include the use of filter droplet nuclei efficiency, which is the overall efficiency of filter, based on viable virus particle sizes in the air, to assist in determining the impact of the filter on the recirculated air on the equivalent outdoor air. This allows the filter efficiency as a function of particle size, using ASHRAE Standard 52.2 test results, to be estimated based on the expected size distribution of virus-containing particles in the air. This calculation is currently based on Influenza A data and will be updated as peer-reviewed research

March 2021

becomes available for the distribution of particle sizes that contain a viable SARSCoV-2 virus. Additionally, a chart has been added to help determine the time to achieve 90%, 95% or 99% contaminant reduction, if the equivalent outdoor air changes per hour is known. • Flushing time calculator: There is now a link to a view-only Google Sheet that can be downloaded for use, to help determine the available equivalent outdoor air changes and time to perform the flush. This sheet is based on a typical mixed AHU with filters, cooling coil, with potential for in-AHU air cleaner (UVC is noted in the example), and in-room air cleaning devices. Provided efficiencies of MERV-rated filters are based on the performance of over 200 actual filters from MERV 4 through 16, but the tool also allows users to enter custom characteristics for specific filters.

• The sheet also calculates the filter droplet nuclei efficiency, based on the cited research but allows a user to adjust the anticipated distribution of virus, as desired. It also allows specification of the zone (room) air distribution effectiveness from ASHRAE Standard 62.1 to account for the impact of the HVAC system air delivery method on the degree of mixing. Default calculations assume perfect mixing. Finally, the tool allows for the target air changes to be adjusted if an owner wants to achieve a different per cent removal in lieu of the recommended 95%. • Heating season guidance: The guide now includes data to consider for heating of outdoor air and the potential impact on pre-heat coils in systems. • Adjustments to align with Core Recommendations: The Core Recommendations were released in January 2021, and this guidance document needed to be updated to ensure that the information provided aligned with the intent of those recommendations. This included minimum outdoor air supply and filter efficiency requirements and their role in an equivalent outdoor air supply-based risk mitigation strategy. According to ASHRAE, the guidance still addresses the tactical commissioning and systems analysis needed to develop a Building Readiness Plan, increased filtration, air cleaning strategies, domestic and plumbing water systems, and overall improvements to a system’s ability to mitigate virus transmission.

Biden regulatory moves will make ESG the ‘ultimate investment megatrend’ deVere Group makes the statement against the backdrop of the President appointing Gary Gensler as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. financial regulator

By CCME Content Team

S President Joe Biden’s expected regulatory changes will push environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing “to become the ultimate megatrend”, said Nigel Green, CEO and Founder, deVere Group. The independent financial advisory and fintech firm, which has USD 12 billion under advisement, made the statement, quoting its CEO, against the backdrop of President Biden picking Gary Gensler to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. financial regulator. Green said: “Joe Biden’s administration is going to usher in an era of serious momentum for responsible and sustainable investing. This is not just because of the likely tougher approach to the use of fossil fuels and his campaign’s vow to take swift action to tackle the climate emergency. It is also because of the expected appointment of Gary Gensler to lead the SEC, who is likely to heavily reform and broaden ESG investing and corporate disclosure rules in the U.S. In doing such, we can assume that Gensler would have the major support on the Commission.” For instance, upon her appointment as Acting SEC Chair, Allison Herren Lee said that during her time as a Commissioner, “I have focused on climate and sustainability, and those issues will continue to be a priority for me.” In The New York Times, she wrote: “Both investors and the broader public need clear information about how businesses are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, and how they are managing — or not managing — climate risks internally. Realistically, that can happen only through mandatory public disclosure.” Green said: “Should the SEC push ahead with beefing-up green investment rules, as is expected, it will close the transatlantic gap that has emerged in recent years as the European watchdogs pushed ahead with increased stricter ESG investing and disclosure regulations. “At the beginning of 2020, I described ESG investing as a ‘megatrend’ of the decade. And throughout the year inflow doubled and ESG funds outperformed the market. But the tag ‘megatrend’ would now seem somewhat underplayed if the U.S. moves towards ESG-related regulatory reforms and comes into line with Europe. Responsible investing will become the ultimate investment megatrend should this happen.” According to the firm, in a move to encourage clients to consider the ESG opportunities, it announced in January that it is planning to offer free, independent advice on socially responsible investing, with the aim of positioning USD 1 billion in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments within five years. The company said: “The likely rule changes in the U.S. on ESG investing and corporate disclosures are not as yet heavily priced-in to markets. Investors should keep a keen eye on this area and move to take advantage of the opportunities.”

GEA Refrigeration Technologies Division gets new CEO New-appointee, Kai Becker, comes with international experience and technological expertise, company says By CCME Content Team

Kai Becker

ai Becker took over as CEO of GEA’s Refrigeration Technologies Division as of February 1, 2021. “In Kai Becker, we have an experienced manager who has successfully and continuously served in a wide variety of positions at GEA for more than 15 years,” said Stefan Klebert, CEO, GEA Group AG. “His international experience and technological expertise will be of great value for the continued success of the Refrigeration Technologies Division. Kai builds on a solid foundation, which we have Thies Hachfeld (former CEO of the Division) to thank for.” According to GEA, Becker joined the company in August 2004 and, most recently, headed the homogenisation business unit within the Separation & Flow Technologies Division. He has held GEA positions in Germany, China and the United Kingdom.

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GLOBAL NEWS

GEA introduces BOCK HGX24 CO2 T

Company releases new transcritical CO2 compressor for small capacity requirements

By CCME Content Team

cooled compressors achieve the highest EER/ COP values within their application spectrum – with up to five per cent higher efficiency in standard medium cooling compared to commercially available compressors in this segment. "The new transcritical compressors have proven themselves in extensive internal testing and in numerous field tests with our customers and will be available from February 2021 – equipped as standard with all the necessary features for use with the natural refrigerant R744," said Manuel Fröschle, Product Manager Natural Refrigerants, GEA BOCK. According to GEA, the advantages of the new range for planners, investors and operators include significantly reduced energy and operating costs combined with a long service lifetime with low maintenance requirements, a wide range of applications – from medium- and low-temperature applications to high-temperature heat pumps – with reliable and flexible part load, as well as excellent low-noise and lowvibration running comfort with a minimal oil carry over rate. The basis for this, GEA claimed, is a CO2-optimised driving gear design combined with BOCK compressor technology. This includes, for The new BOCK HGX24 CO2 T transcritical CO2 compressor

ith the new HGX24 CO2 T range, GEA BOCK is expanding its semi-hermetic CO2 compressor range with a specialised focus on transcritical applications in the lower capacity range, the company said through a Press release. Cooling capacities from 5 to 26 kW and heating capacities from 10 to 48 kW offer flexible stationary and mobile use in applications for supermarkets, commercial and small industrial refrigeration systems as well as for air conditioning and heat pumps in buses and trains, the company said. With their CO2-specific pressure design of up to 150 bar (HP) and 100 bar (LP) and a frequency range of up to 70 Hz, the gas-

‘A gas leak becomes evident only after the system runs out of it’

Sensitron describes the situation as a weak point in a detection system, especially in refrigeration applications By CCME Content Team

March 2021

example, the oil pump for a reliable lubrication system even under demanding conditions, including large permissible inclination angles of the compressors. "Together with the compact dimensions, the low weight of only 116 kg, maximum, as well as standard market connection dimensions, the HGX24 CO2 T set new standards for transcritical economic solutions for smaller performance requirements in stationary and mobile applications," Fröschle said. "In this regard, they support the fulfillment of important energy and environmental protection requirements, such as the European F-Gas Regulation or the global Kigali Agreement, and meet strict requirements of European standards and ASERCOM guidelines." According to GEA, the new range is now also integrated as an additional module in the free online planning and design software BOCK VAP (compressor selection program) and BOCK CO2 Tool (system and compressor selection program). For special subcritical requirements in lowtemperature applications with high operating and standstill pressures, GEA said, the semihermetic BOCK CO2 compressor program will offer the specifically designed low temperature cooling variant HGX24 CO2 LT (Low Temperature) with two motor versions from June 2021.

ne of the weak points in a gas detection system, especially in refrigeration applications, is that it is almost impossible to detect a small leakage in the plantroom. Dr Giacomo Frigo, Founder & Managing Director, Sensitron, said this, adding that the management realises the leakage only when there is no more gas in the system. Dr Giacomo Frigo Dr Frigo pointed out to how hotel chains have started installing fire detectors to be able to assure guests that no accidents will occur in their hotel room. Much in the same way, he said, the right step forward would be to install gas detectors that give out a warning much before an alarm does, to improve the management of a gas detection system. Hand in hand with installation is the maintenance of the detectors, he said. In Sensitron, for instance, we have adopted the NDIR technology in all our detectors, which he said is a bit more costly than the MOS technology. The additional cost, he added, is worth it, because the alarm value from the detector is much more stable and accurate. As a result, he further added, the period of checking and recalibration of the detector practically is three time longer than that of other systems.

ASHRAE announces nominees for 2021-22 officers, directors Mick Schwedler will serve as ASHRAE President for 2021-22

By CCME Content Team

he ASHRAE Nominating Committee has made nominations for officers and directors from a list recommended by individual members and from Chapters Regional Conferences, ASHRAE said through a Press release. According to ASHRAE, the 2021-22 nominees are: • President-Elect: Farooq Mehboob • Treasurer: Ginger Scoggins • Vice Presidents: Don Brandt, Dunstan Macauley, Sarah Maston, Tim McGinn • Directors and Regional Chairs: Steven Sill (Region I), Ronald Gagnon (Region II), Mark Tome (Region III), Eileen Jensen (Region XI), Richie Mittal (Region-at-Large) • Directors-at-Large: Dru Crawley, Art Giesler, Kishor Khankari • Alternate Director-at-Large: Heather Platt Gulledge According to ASHRAE, its members will vote on the nominees via electronic ballot in May. The Society added that Mick Schwedler will serve as ASHRAE President for the 2021-22 society year.

Sauermann launches six HVACR measuring instruments Says the brand-new range of easy-to-use wireless connected instruments cover HVACR measurement needs

By CCME Content Team

auermann’s new range of measuring instruments offers its 40 years of metrological expertise to distributors in the HVACR sector, the company said through a Press release. Sauermann said it is offering six reliable and precise instruments designed to quickly check the functionality of HVACR systems. The new range of products covers a full spectrum of measurements, including temperature (dual input Si-TT3 and infrared Si-TI3 thermometers), humidity (thermo-hygrometer Si-HH3), pressure (digital differential pressure manometer Si-PM3), and air velocity (hotwire Si-VH3* and vane Si-VV3 thermo-anemometers), it said. Dependable, quick and easy measurements are done with just a few clicks, thanks to the instruments’ long-lasting batteries, it claimed. The instruments are all equipped with a backlit display and a wireless pairing functionality, to be used with a brand-new mobile application available for iOS and Android devices (Si- HVACR Measurement Mobile App), the company said. Developed in-house at Sauermann, the app offers functionalities, such as the display of additional measurements (calculated parameters), and the recording of measurement campaigns that can be exported as PDF, XML or CSV reports (measurement tables and curves over time), it said. Further, Sauermann said it is offering reliable connected devices, with an integrated magnetic holder for handsfree measurements, with which a wide variety of measurements can be taken with ease and confidence.

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ENGIE in “sustainable” server cooling initiative

Company equips thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with new specifications for the Ludwigsburg District Office in Germany

By CCME Content Team

NGIE Refrigeration spoke of how it intends to install a thermeco2 hightemperature heat pump of machine type HHR 130 with a heating capacity of 100 kilowatts at the Ludwigsburg District Office, in Baden-Württemberg, in Germany. The company added that the model is especially eco-friendly, partly because it utilises the natural refrigerant CO2 and partly because it provides cold and heat simultaneously. ENGIE added that it has also conceptually overhauled the thermeco2 – the heat pump now contains a filter dryer and more control options.

The administrative campus of the District Office is home to almost all the important specialist departments in the Swabian district. Various services for the citizens of Ludwigsburg are provided there with the aid of digital tools. This requires a powerful IT infrastructure, which is why the District Office maintains an in-house data centre, ENGIE said. Ambient temperature plays an essential role in reliable operation. As the server racks generate a large amount of heat, the refrigeration supply must function smoothly around the clock. In the summer of 2019, it became clear that action was needed here. “The existing R22 refrigeration system was outdated and needed to be fully modernized,”

ENGIE Refrigeration bets on sustainable refrigerant

said Frank Glaser, Key Account Manager for Heating Applications at ENGIE Refrigeration. “As the Ludwigsburg District Office attaches great importance to a sustainable refrigeration solution, it chose the thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump from ENGIE Refrigeration.” The District Office intends to operate in climate-neutral fashion from 2025, ENGIE said. To achieve this, it wants to use a photovoltaic system and a combined heat and power system to produce and consume its own electricity in future.

Source: ENGIE Refrigeration

R-515B is now available for its QUANTUM chillers, company says

By CCME Content Team

R-515B is available for QUANTUM models as an alternative to R-1234ze.

NGIE Refrigeration has added a new refrigerant to its portfolio. R-515B is now available for QUANTUM chillers as an alternative to R-1234ze, it said. R-515B is eco-friendly, non-toxic and non-combustible and, thus, especially safe, it said. With the introduction of the new refrigerant, the company said it is setting a clear example for more sustainability. ENGIE said it is one of the first manufacturers in the world to use the refrigerant R-515B. It was developed as an alternative to R-134a and can be used instead of R-1234ze in the form of a drop-in refrigerant, it added. “Refrigerant R-515B combines the positive properties of a 77% lower greenhouse potential than R-134a with a classification as safety level A1 according to EN 378-1,” Daniel Keller, Head of Product Management, ENGIE Refrigeration, said. “This means that unlike R-1234ze (A2L), it is considered a non-combustible safety refrigerant.”

March 2021

R-515B is an azeotropic mixture, 91.9% R-1234ze and 8.9% R-227ea, ENGIE said. With a GWP value of 293 (IPCC-AR4*) and 299 (IPCC-AR5**), R-515B meets the requirements of the F-Gas Regulation – until at least 2030, the company said. Another important advantage for companies operating existing machines run on R-134a is that because R-515B is classified as A1, no additional safety measures need to be taken for the machine room containing the chiller or heat pump, the company said. From February 2021, the air-cooled, water-cooled and split models of the QUANTUM series are available with R-515B as an alternative to the previous standard refrigerant, R-1234ze, ENGIE said. “With the new refrigerant, R-515B, the chiller achieves almost the same refrigeration capacity and energy efficiency as with R-1234ze,” Keller said. “This means that R-515B is suitable for customers from all industries that require optimal refrigeration capacity and also wish to switch to an eco-friendly and sustainable refrigerant.

Photo courtesy ENGIE Refrigeration GmbH

A thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump

ENGIE said it is supporting the District Office on its path towards climate neutrality with sustainable server cooling. “The Ludwigsburg District Office requires heat uncoupling in a challenging temperature range: High outlet temperatures of up to 90 degrees Celsius, and a low inlet temperature

of 38 degrees Celsius,” Glaser said. “Our thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump unfolds its full potential under these conditions, while alternative solutions could only achieve this with a great deal of technical and primary energy expenditure.” The heat pump will be installed at the District Office in March 2021 and will then provide the baseload refrigeration for year-round server cooling, ENGIE said. Furthermore, the heat pump will cool the administrative building in the winter months and, thanks to its heat recovery function, simultaneously provide heat for heating the building, for heating drinking water and for conditioning the recirculated air in the server rooms, the company added. This makes the refrigeration solution especially sustainable, which is why it is subsidised by the state. Additional chillers and boilers are available for peak loads in hot or cold weather, ENGIE said. With its machine design, the heat pump adapts easily to local conditions, ENGIE claimed. The heat pump uses the natural refrigerant CO2 as its refrigerant. It is extremely safe (safety class A1) and, therefore, involves few safety-related requirements for the installation space, the

company said. In addition, CO2 is noncombustible and non-toxic, and it does not contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer or to the greenhouse effect, the company added. In total, the heat pump will save 38.4 tons of CO2 per year when compared to the existing refrigeration system – fully in line with the sustainability strategy of the District Office, the company further added. ENGIE said it has subjected the heat pump to fundamental enhancements, which will now take effect for the first time in the machine for the District Office. “As of now, we will be relying on our tried-andtested QUANTUM electrical components in the thermeco2 as well,” Glaser said. “In addition, the filter dryer will become the standard. It keeps the refrigerant circuit clean and dry and, thus, counteracts the decay of the chiller oil, corrosion and further contamination. This allows us to keep the performance of the system at a constant high level.” In addition, the company said, the heat pump weighs around 10% less than the previous model, thanks to its optimised design, smaller switch cabinet and soldered connections instead of flange connections.

Shecco to host annual trade show on natural refrigerants

ATMO VTS 2021 is open for registration, body says, adding that it will take place over 24 hours and will offer many new features

By CCME Content Team

lean Cooling market accelerator, shecco has opened free registration for its second Virtual Trade Show (ATMO VTS 2021) for natural refrigerant and sustainable cooling technologies, the body said through a Press release. The registration page can be found here, it added. According to shecco, the event, designed for the global refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry, will take place over a 24-hour period, from 10 am CET (Central European Time) March 30 to 10 am CET March 31. The show is designed to fill the physical trade show void, as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, shecco added.

shecco said it is expecting 5,00010,000 registrations and more than 100 exhibitors of natural refrigerant products for ATMO VTS 2021. Premium exhibitors so far include Teko, Zudek, ebmpapst, Carel, Alfa Laval and Dorin, it added. The inaugural ATMO VTS took place from September 1 to 2, 2020, shecco said, adding that it attracted 77 natural refrigerant companies as exhibitors and more than 4,200 attendees from 1,500+ organisations from around the world. “ATMO VTS 2021 will give that ‘real’ trade show feeling, which is much needed these days,” said Marc Chasserot, CEO, shecco. “The platform allows us to explore different halls, listen to live presentations, and make valuable

connections with customers and suppliers from all over the world. “In addition to some great exhibitors, with more signing-up each week, we’ve made some big changes, including new Product Innovation Awards and 24 hours of live webinars, including panel discussions, so that everyone, no matter where you are in the world, can listen live to some key discussions from cooling thought leaders.” The live webinars will include presentations on shecco’s first Annual Report on the natural refrigerants industry, global training, the new EU F-Gas Regulation update and food retail experiences from around the world.

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ASHRAE recognises members for “outstanding industry accomplishments” Honours them during the recently concluded 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Winter Conference

By CCME Content Team

SHRAE recognized what it evaluated as the outstanding achievements and contributions of members to the Society and to the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry, during the 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Winter Conference, which took place from February 9 to 11. ASHRAE released the following list of awards and their recipients:

Fellow ASHRAE Fellow ASHRAE is a membership grade that recognizes members who have attained distinction and made substantial contributions in HVACR and the built-environment, such as education, research, engineering design and consultation, publications, presentations and mentoring. The Society elevated 14 members to the grade of Fellow: • Cynthia Cogil, P.E., principal, SmithGroup, Chicago, Illinois, United States • Donald C. Herrmann, BEAP, HBDP, vice president, D.C. Herrmann and Associates, Tampa, Florida, United States • David Michael Platt, retired, Corning, New York, United States • Martin Dieryckx, general manager, Daikin Europe, Oostende, Belgium • Tianzhen Hong, Ph.D., P.E., senior scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States • Rajan Rawal, professor, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India • E. Curtis Eichelberger, Jr., P.E., principal consultant, Eichelberger Acoustics LLC, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States • John M. House, Ph.D., principal, John House Consulting Services, Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Steven Tredinnick, P.E., CEM, associate senior project manager, Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc., Lisle, Illinois, United States • Blake E. Ellis, P.E., principal, Burns & McDonnell, Overland Park, Kansas, United States

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• Ronald Judkoff, chief architectural engineer emeritus, Center for Building Technologies and Science, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lakewood, Colorado, United States • John O. Varley, P.E., HBDP, mechanical discipline manager, AAA Engineering Ltd., Chicago, Illinois, United States • Donald L. Fenton P.E., Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States • R. Christopher Mathis, president, MC2 Mathis Consulting Company, Asheville, North Carolina, United States • Ibrahim Galal Hassan, P.Eng, Ph.D., professor, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha, Qatar • James L. Newman, BEAP, OPMP, founding member and managing partner, Newman Consulting Group, LLC, Farmington, Michigan, United States ASHRAE Hall of Fame William M. Mackay and Hugh J. Barron, founders of the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE). The ASHRAE Hall of Fame honors deceased members of the Society who have made milestone contributions to the growth of ASHRAE-related technology or the development of ASHRAE as a society. F. Paul Anderson Award Samir R. Traboulsi, Ph.D., P.Eng., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE received the F. Paul Anderson Award. The award, ASHRAE’s highest honor, for technical achievement, is named in memory of Presidential Member F. Paul Anderson, who was a pioneer in the study of environmental conditions for comfort. Traboulsi is an engineer with Thermotrade SAL, Beirut, Lebanon.

Louise & Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award Charles C. Copeland, P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE received the Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award. This annual award is given to an ASHRAE Fellow for continuous preeminence in engineering or research work. The honor was initiated in 1979 by Presidential Member Bill Holladay. Copeland is president and CEO, Goldman Copeland Associates, P.C., New York, NY, United States. Andrew T. Boggs Service Award Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D., Presidential Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, received the Andrew T. Boggs Service Award. The award, named after ASHRAE’s executive vice president emeritus, recognizes an Exceptional Service Award recipient for continuing unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service. Olesen is director, International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy, and professor, Danish Technical University, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.

YEA Inspirational Leader Award Vanessa J. Freidberg, P.E. received the YEA Inspirational Leader Award. The award recognizes a Young Engineer in ASHRAE member who has gone above and beyond to make considerable contributions to the industry and community. Freidberg is in business development, Siemens, Austin, Texas, United States. E.K. Campbell Award of Merit Chandra Sekhar, Ph.D., Fellow Member ASHRAE, received the E.K. Campbell Award of Merit. The award honors an individual for outstanding service and achievement in teaching and is presented by the Life Members Club. Sekhar is a professor, National University, Singapore. Lincoln Bouillon Award Ryan Pinckard, of the Oregon Chapter, received the Lincoln Bouillon Award, which recognizes a member who performs the most outstanding work in increasing membership. The award commemorates Presidential Member Bouillon’s efforts in recruiting new members. Pinckard is business development engineer, CHC Hydro, Vancouver, WA. William J. Collins, Jr. RP Award Reed Coggins, P.E., of the Atlanta Chapter, received the William J. Collins Jr. RP Award. The award, named in honor of Presidential Member Collins, recognizes a chapter RP chair who excels in raising funds for ASHRAE’s RP campaign. Coggins is application engineer, Lincoln Associates, Marietta, Georgia, United States. Homer Addams Award Gabrielle McMorrow, of the National Capital Chapter, received the Homer Addams Award, which recognizes a graduate student who has been engaged in an ASHRAE research project at a university that has graduate programs in the areas of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and has achieved a high standard of performance in this work. McMorrow is a mechanical engineer (Energy), Architect of the Capitol, Washington, DC, United States. Ralph G. Nevins Physiology & Human Environment Award Shichao Liu, Ph.D., of the Boston Chapter, received the Ralph G. Nevins Physiology and Human Environment Award, which is given to a researcher under the age of 40 for significant accomplishments in the study of bioenvironmental engineering and its effect on human comfort and health. Liu is assistant

professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. John F. James International Award Peter Simmonds, Ph.D., received the John F. James International Award. The award recognizes a member who has done the most to enhance the Society’s international presence. Simmonds works for Building and Systems Analytics, Los Angeles, California, United States, and Hong Kong, China. Standards Achievement Award Paul A Lindahl, Jr., Life Member ASHRAE, of the Kansas City Chapter, received the Standards Achievement Award, which recognizes exceptional service in the area of standards leadership and technical contribution. Lindahl is a consultant, SPX Cooling Technologies, Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award Beatriz Salazar, of the Toronto Chapter, received the Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award, which recognizes excellence in chapter program endeavors. Salazar is designer – electrical, Smith and Andersen, Toronto, Ontario. Student Activities Achievement Award N. Kapilan, Ph.D., of the ASHRAE Bangalore Chapter, received the Student Activities Achievement Award, which recognizes a chapter student activities chair for growth of student activities. Kapilan is professor and head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nagarjuna College of Engineering and Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Lou Flagg Historical Award Bruce Flaniken, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, of the Houston Chapter, received the Lou Flagg Historical Award, which recognizes an individual for preparing the most outstanding historical presentation related to HVAC&R. The award is named in recognition of Presidential Member Lou Flagg, who promoted an interest in history. Flaniken is manager of facility system design & construction engineering, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States. Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award Paul W. Francisco, Fellow Member ASHRAE, of the Central Illinois Chapter, received the Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service focused on environmental health issues. Francisco is associate director

for building science, Applied Research Institute, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States. Youth Outreach Award Elise Kiland, P.E., of the San Jose Chapter, received the Youth Outreach Award, which recognizes the outstanding effort of a member who actively engages a youth audience in their country, region, or local community through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities. Kiland is a project manager, Critchfield Mechanical, Inc., San Jose, California, United States. Government Affairs Award Elizabeth Tomlinson, P.E., of the Minnesota Chapter, received the Government Affairs Award. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding effort and achievement in state, provincial and local government activities in connection with technical issues related to the Society. Tomlinson is senior mechanical engineer, Facilities Sustainability and Resilience Leader, TKDA, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. Exceptional Service Award The Exceptional Service Award recognizes Distinguished Service Award recipients who have continued to serve faithfully and with exemplary effort. Ten members were recognized: • George W. (Billy) Austin, BCxP, BEAP, BEMP, CHD, HBDP, HFDP, OPMP, principal, Shultz Engineering Group, PC, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States • Wade H. Conlan, P.E., BCxP, commissioning discipline manager, Hanson Professional Services, Inc., Maitland, Florida, United States • Mark W. Fly, P.E., Fellow Member ASHRAE, executive director, Norman Asbjornson Innovation Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States • Jeff Gatlin, P.E., central energy plant manager, Aramark Healthcare/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, United States • Carl C. Hiller, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, is president, Applied Energy Technology, Davis, California, United States • M. Dennis Knight, P.E., Fellow Member ASHRAE, owner, Whole Building Systems, LLC, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

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• Nicolas Lemire, P.Eng., HFDP, Fellow Member ASHRAE, president and CEO, Pageau Morel & Associates, Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Kevin L. Marple, president, Benz Air Engineering Co., Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, United States • Tim McGinn, P.Eng., HBDP, retired, Calgary, Alberta, Canada • R. Lee Millies, Jr., P.E., Fellow Member ASHRAE, president, Millies Engineering Group, Munster, Indiana, United States. Distinguished Service Award The Distinguished Service Award salutes members of any grade who have served the Society faithfully and with distinction and who have given freely of their time and talent in chapter, regional and Society activities. The following 43 members were recognized: • Jason Alphonso, BEAP, OPMP, branch manager, Wood plc, Orlando, Florida, United States • Kevin Amende, P.E., associate professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States. • John S. Andrepont, Life Member ASHRAE, president, The Cool Solutions Company, Lisle, Illinois, United States • Nathaniel Boyd, associate director, Utilities and Energy Services, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States • Robin Bryant, project manager, B&I Contractors, Inc., Fort Myers, Florida, United States • Andrew Cochrane, P.E., vice president, Industrial Air, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina, United States • Michael Collarin, BEMP, senior engineer - Mechanical, Gresham Smith, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States • Wade H. Conlan, P.E., BCxP, commissioning discipline manager, Hanson Professional Services, Inc., Maitland, Florida, United States • John M. Constantinide, P.E., energy manager, U.S. Air Force, Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida, United States • Michael P. Cooper, P.E., executive vice president, Bernhard, Metairie, Louisiana, United States • Derek A. Crowe, P.E., senior associate/ mechanical team leader, Stantec, Berkley, Michigan, United States • Keith I. Emerson, Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Denver, Colorado, United States • Vanessa J. Freidberg, P.E., business development manager, Siemens, Austin, Texas, United States

March 2021

• Joseph L. Furman, senior sales engineer, Automated Logic, Wallingford, Connecticut, United States • James T. Hanley, retired, Cary, North Carolina, United States • Nathan P. Hart, P.E., managing principal, RWB Consulting Engineers, Dallas, Texas, United States • Kristin Heinemeier, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Member ASHRAE, principal development engineer, Frontier Energy, Inc., Davis, California, United States • Carl C. Hiller, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, president, Applied Energy Technology, Davis, California, United States • Trenton S. Hunt, vice president, Mechanical Products NSW, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States • Mark Jackson, Ph.D., sr. product manager, Indoor Environmental Quality, Daikin North America LLC, Waller, Texas, United States • Thomas Allen Justice, Life Member ASHRAE, principal, Zene, LLC, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States • Ganeson Kandasamy, product engineer, Trane Technologies, Lexington, Kentucky, United States • Firouz Keikavousi, Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Orlando, Florida, United States • Hyojin Kim, Ph.D., associate professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, New Jersey, United States • Lindsey King, energy model analyst, Oglethorpe Power Co, Tucker, Georgia, United States • M. Dennis Knight, P.E., Fellow Member ASHRAE, owner, Whole Building Systems, LLC, Charleston, South Carolina, United States • Stephanie Kunkel, P.E., associate, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. (JMT), Hunt Valley, Maryland, United States • Wichai Laksanakorn, P.E., Fellow Life Member, founder and chairman, W. and Associates Consultants, Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand • Nicolas Lemire, P.Eng., HFDP, Fellow Member ASHRAE, president and CEO, Pageau Morel & Associates, Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Xiaobing Liu, Ph.D., R&D staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States • Brian Lynch, HBDP, owner, Western Mechanical Solutions, Denver, Colorado, United States • Steven A. Marek, P.E., mechanical engineer, self-employed, Hanahan, South Carolina, United States

• Farhan Mehboob, consultant/director, S. Mehboob & Company, Karachi, Pakistan • Tim Merrigan, Life Member ASHRAE, consultant, Energy Information Services, Parker, Colorado, United States • Corey B. Metzger, P.E., principal, Resource Consulting Engineers, LLC, Ames, Iowa, United States • Ahmed Alaa Eldin Mohamed, Ph.D., chairman, Middle East Gate Holding Group, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates • Carrie Anne Monplaisir, mechanical EIT, Clark Nexsen, Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States • Michael P. Sheerin, P.E., chairman and CEO, TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc., Orlando, Florida, United States • Michelle Swanson, mechanical project manager, The RMH Group, Lakewood/ Denver, Colorado, United States • Michael L. Watz, Jr., P.E., engineering manager – Commercial Dampers, Greenheck Fan Corporation, Schofield, Wisconsin, United States • Ronald L. Westbrook, P.E., Life Member ASHRAE, retired associate director of Physical Plant Utilities, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, United States • Robert W. Yost, technical director, National Refrigerants, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States • Chariti Young, software product manager, Automated Logic, Kennesaw, Georgia, United States Distinguished 50-Year Member Award The Distinguished 50-Year Member Award is given to individuals who have been a member for a minimum of 50 years, and are a past Society president, Fellow ASHRAE or Distinguished Service Award recipient or who have performed outstanding service to ASHRAE or its predecessor societies – the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE), the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE), and the American Society of Heating and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHAE). Twentythree members were recognized: • Stephen A. Becker, P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, senior mechanical engineer, Fellow, Lawrence Engineering Group, Fresno, California, United States • John B. Bisset, P.Eng., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, founder, Chorley + Bisset Ltd., London, Ontario, Canada • Richard Burr, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, Spring, Texas, United States

ASHRAE Technical Paper Award The following papers received a Technical Paper Award, which recognizes the authors of the best papers presented at Society conferences.

• Charles D. Callahan, Life Member ASHRAE, retired general manager of commercial market, Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., Placitas, New Mexico, United States • Richard E. Cawley, P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Tyler, Texas, United States • Douglas Dewerth, Life Member ASHRAE, Cleveland, Ohio, United States • Francis Ferreira, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States • Robert H. Fuller, P.E., Life Member ASHRAE, mechanical engineer, Gutridge Mechanical, Dublin, Ohio, United States • David F. Geary, Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Annapolis, Maryland, United States • Ralph Goldman, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, Dedham, Massachusetts, United States • Mark P. Hershman, P.E., Life Member ASHRAE, consulting engineer, Mark P. Hershman, PE, Richboro, Pennsylvania, United States • Ronald H. Howell, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Meridian, Idaho, United States • H. Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Ph.D., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, retired, Ludwigshafen, Germany • John H. Klote, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, owner, SmokeControlExpert.com, Leesburg, Virginia, United States • Wichai Laksanakorn, P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, founder and chairman, W. and Associates Consultants, Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand • Valentine Lehr, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, Kings Park, New York, United States • Franklin Y.S. Lum, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, San Antonio, Texas, United States

• Stanley A. Mumma, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, professor emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States • Ramesh Paranjpey, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, Kothrud, Pune, India • Mirza Mohammed Shah, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, director, Engineering Research Associates, Redding, Connecticut, United States • Charles Simpson, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, Monroe, North Carolina, United States • Stanley Slabinski, Life Member ASHRAE, Monroe Township, New Jersey, United States • Frantisek Vaculik, Life Member ASHRAE, Nepean, ON, Canada Crosby Field Award Charles S. Barnaby, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE and Peter Simmonds, Ph.D., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, are recipients of the Crosby Field Award for “Development of a Unified Tool for Analysis of Room Loads and Conditions”, which was judged to be the best paper presented before the Society. The Crosby Field Award is named for a former Presidential Member. Barnaby is an independent consultant, Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Simmonds is president, Building Systems and Analytics, Los Angeles, California, United States. Willis H. Carrier Award Emily Ann Oldham received the Willis H. Carrier Award given to a member 32 years of age or younger for presenting an outstanding paper at a Society conference. The award is presented for “Energy Performance of an Occupancy-Based Climate Control Technology in Guest Rooms.” Oldham is designer, DLR Group, Washington, DC, United States.

• Di Lu, Dennis L. O’Neal, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, and Peng Yin, Ph.D., receive an award for “A Comparison of the Annual Energy Use of Fixed and Variable Airflow Parallel Fan-Powered Terminal Units in a Small Office Building.” Lu is a graduate research assistant, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States. O’Neal is Dean, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States. Yin is assistant professor of mechanical engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. • Lisa Meline, P.E., and Stephen Kavanaugh, Ph.D., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, receive an award for “Geothermal Heat Pumps: Simply Efficient.” Meline is owner and principal engineer, Meline Engineering Corporation, Sacramento, California, United States. Kavanaugh is professor emeritus, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. • Douglas Reynolds, Life Member ASHRAE, and Michael A. Schwob, P.E., receive an award for “The Effect of Length on the Insertion Loss of Fiberglass Lined Sheet Metal Ducts, Part I: Rectangular Duct.” Reynolds is director, Center for Mechanical and Environmental Systems Technology, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Schwob is president, Schwob Acoustics, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. • Ngoc Dung (Rosine) Rohatgi, Ph.D., receives an award for “Effects of System Materials towards the Breakdown of Lubricants and Low GWP Refrigerants.” Rohatgi is president, Spauschus Associates, Inc., Bethlehem, Georgia, United States. ASHRAE Journal Paper Award Gwelen Paliaga, P.E.; Hui Zhang, Ph.D.; Tyler Hoyt; and Edward Arens, Ph.D., Life Member ASHRAE; receive the Journal Paper Award for the article, “Eliminating Overcooling Discomfort While Saving Energy,” judged to be the best article published in ASHRAE Journal. The article was published April 2019. Paliaga is technical director, TRC, Oakland, California, United States. Zhang is professional researcher, Center for the Built Environment, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States. Hoyt is Staff Engineer, Comfy, Oakland, California,

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United States. Arens is director, Center for the Built Environment, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States. Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award Mehdi Mehrabi, Ph.D., P.E. and David Yuill, Ph.D., P.E. are recipients of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award for “Fouling and its Effects on Air-cooled Condensers in Split System Air Conditioners (RP-1705).” The article was published July 2019. The award is for the best paper published in the volume year of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment, the ASHRAE research journal. Mehrabi is mechanical engineer, Paradigm Consulting Engineers, West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. Yuill is Assistant Professor, Architectural Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Student Design Competition The 2020 Student Design Project Competition focused on building a new 17,500-squarefoot document storage and archive center in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The new facility’s purpose was to store rare documents, books, manuscripts, photos, and audio recordings in a manner that will ensure the preservation of historical items for future generations. First place in the HVAC System Selection category was awarded to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Team members are Ashley Everitt, John Kramer, Jessica Lee and Mitchael Sieh. First place in the HVAC Design Calculations category was awarded to Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Team members are Eslam Mohamed Ali, Ahmed Mohamed Soltan, Amr Gamal Fawzy, Moustafa Ahmed El-Saeid and Mark Magdy Fouad.

First place in the Integrated Sustainable Building Design category was awarded to Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom. Team members are Alekhya Yalamanchili, Amr Suliman, Jacob George and Mohamad Abdul Gaffoor Seyad. Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge The 2020 Setty Family Foundation Applied Engineering Challenge required students to design a system to be used by building occupants to report operational issues to building operators. First place was awarded to Bandung Institute of Technology – Wetonia, Bandung, Indonesia. Team members are R Muhammad Nadhir Nasrudin Tanujiwa, Alpinus Raditya Dewangga, Kamilita Hening Musono, Reza Dzikri Khusaini, Hilman Prakoso and Selvia Diwanty. The ASHRAE Technology Awards The ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize outstanding achievements by ASHRAE members who have successfully applied innovative building designs. Their designs incorporate ASHRAE standards for effective energy management and indoor air quality and serve to communicate innovative systems design. Winning projects are selected from entries earning regional awards. First place recipients for the ASHRAE Technology Awards are: • Kwai Ping Lau and Raymond M. H. Yau, Ph.D., commercial buildings – existing buildings commissioning, Two Pacific Place, Hong Kong, China. The building is owned by Swire Properties Limited. • Tomoaki Ushio, PE, P.Eng, Harunori Yoshida, Ph.D., and Shigemi Mori, existing commercial buildings category, Kyoto Station in Kyoto, Japan. The building is owned by Kyoto Station Building Development Company Limited.

• Shana Scheiber, PE and Roger W. Lautz, PE new commercial buildings category, American Family Insurance “The Spark,’ Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The building is owned by American Family Insurance. • Brian K. Rose, PE, existing educational facilities category, Historic Mercy High School Renovation/Cincinnati Public Schools Gamble Montessori project, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The building is owned by Cincinnati Public Schools. • Aaron Smith, P.Eng, BEAP, BEMP, Denis A. Morris and Andrew Bartlett, new educational facilities, the Dalhousie IDEA and Design Buildings project, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The building is owned by Dalhousie University. • Reece Kiriu, PE and Jeff Stein, existing healthcare facilities category, Kaiser Vallejo Medical Offices, Vallejo, California, United States. The building is owned by Kaiser Permanente. First Place and Award of Engineering Excellence The Award of Engineering Excellence was created in 1989 to recognize a first-place winner of the Society-level Technology Award competition for an outstanding application of innovative design and effective energy utilization. The recipient of the Award of Engineering Excellence will have demonstrated the best overall compliance with the judging criteria. First place and recipient of the Award of Engineering Excellence is: • Ned Greene, P.E., new health care facilities category, OHSU Knight Cancer Research Building, Portland, Oregon, United States. The building is owned by OHSU.

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March 2021

GEA speaks of improving plant efficiency, reducing carbon emissions Company says its Sustainable Energy Solutions (SNnS) can help achieve up to 30% energy savings through integrating process and utilities (refrigeration and heating) solutions By CCME Content Team

Kai Becker

otential energy savings of up to 30% and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions by as much as 90% or even 100% – that’s what its Sustainable Energy Solutions (SEnS), which integrates processes and utilities (refrigeration and heating) solutions, can help in developing optimisation strategies for customers in diverse industries, GEA said through a Press release. Numerous successfully completed SEnS projects from GEA show that these optimisations reduce the customer’s energy footprint and running costs, without compromising output or the bottom line, GEA added. According to the United Nations, energy efficiency offers a potential 40% of the emission reductions required to help meet global climate goals, GEA pointed

out. Due to a growing number of rules and regulations and its own climate targets, there is an absolute need for the industry to reduce its carbon footprint and become more energy-efficient, overall, it said. With cooling and heating traditionally accounting for anywhere between 50% and 90% of a plant’s entire energy consumption, it’s the ideal starting point for GEA’s SEnS initiative, it added. GEA said its SEnS offering is a culmination of a broad processing portfolio and years of industry know-how, combined with extensive refrigeration expertise. “SEnS supports customers in the food processing, dairy and beverage industries, helping them achieve their climate goals by making them more sustainable,” said Kai Becker, CEO, Refrigeration Technology Division, GEA. As a global industrial technology provider, GEA said, it will continue to strengthen its SEnS offering in 2021. Using the SEnS approach, GEA said it will promote the increased adoption of sustainable solutions, which drive down energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions while helping customers from diverse industry sectors slash their operational costs. Typically, process plants are designed in a way that separates processes from utilities (cooling & heating), rather than considering them as a whole, GEA said.

Customers often place tremendous focus on the design or optimisation of a particular process, overlooking the bigger picture. GEA said it combines these two parts and ensures that they work well together. Ulrich Walk, Chief Service Officer (CSO) – Refrigeration Technologies, said: “GEA has developed a structured holistic and proven approach that begins with analysing the customer’s precise energy requirements, then making process optimizations and including utilities in the equation. By connecting heat pump technology to manufacturing processes, the GEA experts ensure energy is moving circularly, rather than being wasted.” According to GEA, each SEnS project includes a single point of contact, enabling customers to achieve genuine and proven reductions in energy consumption and their carbon footprint. The SEnS process, the company said, is backed up by a cross-functional engineering team, with experts from dairy, food or beverage processing, as required, as well as team members with refrigeration (heating & cooling) expertise in diverse processing industries. Each project, it added, considers the customer’s business parameters and ambitions, formulated as measurable KPIs, against which the installation must deliver.

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REGIONAL NEWS

Condair releases Turkish HVACR whitepaper on healthy companies develop buildings cooling units for storage and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines One of the aims of the publication is to promote dialogue amongst facility managers, users, and health and safety officers, enabling the right package of health protection measures to be considered, company says

By CCME Content Team

umidity specialist, Condair, which specialises in humidity management solutions in the builtenvironment, has released a whitepaper, titled Making Buildings Healthier. Making the announcement through a Press release, Condair said the paper contains information on how building managers can protect occupant health with a holistic approach to controlling their indoor environments. According to Condair, the pandemic instigated by SARS-CoV-2 has focused public attention on the risks posed by viral transmission in buildings. Contributory factors that have been known about for some time, have now been placed centre stage, emphasising the influence that elements such as fresh air, temperature, minimum relative humidity and even sunlight all have on the spread of viruses. The aim of the whitepaper is to provide an overview of these factors and promote dialogue amongst facility managers, users, and health and safety officers, enabling the right package of health protection measures to be considered, Condair said. The whitepaper also includes a checklist so that readers can take stock of their building’s current situation, discover the extent to which their premises protects against the spread of infections and identify where improvements could be made, the company added. Oliver Zimmermann, CEO, Condair Group, said: “The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist on humidity control, and for years, we’ve collaborated with scientists and healthcare experts to understand and promote the importance of optimal humidity for health. Through this research, we appreciate that humidity control is just one, but a decisive, weapon that can be used in the fight against respiratory infections. “Upgrading our built-environment to better protect human health from the current COVID-19 and future potential pandemics, whilst not sacrificing the important gains we have made in energy efficiency, is the single largest challenge the HVAC industry will face in our lifetime. To achieve this objective, we must act as a sector to educate, cooperate and implement practical solutions as rapidly as possible. This whitepaper presents a clear and concise overview of the steps building operators can and should be taking to enhance occupant health, using a holistic approach, rather than a one-sizefits-all, to indoor environmental management.”

March 2021

ISIB says that solutions were created to meet -78 degrees C cold chain requirements of the Pfizer and BioNTech SE vaccine

By CCME Content Team he Turkish HVAC&R Exporters’ Association (ISIB) announced in a press release that Turkish companies have developed cooling units specifically designed to meet the -78 degrees C storage and distribution requirements of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE. Mehmet Şanal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish HVAC&R Exporters’ Association, stated that manufacturers are aware of their role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “The COVID19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE must be transported and stored in very low temperatures of -78 degrees C,” he said. “Such a requirement is way beyond the ordinary practices of the sector. For such storing units, you need very special solutions in mechanical installation, electrical installation and insulation. Cooling companies in Turkey have come together and developed such special storage and transportation units. Thanks to these advances, we will secure the safety of vaccines and, thus, public health as these systems will enable safe transportation and storage of the COVID-19 vaccines without any defect in the cold chain.” ISIB said that manufacturers are offering three main solutions to help secure the vaccine cold chain. The first solution relates to units designed for long-term storage of large quantities of vaccines at -78 degrees C. The release said these units are available in different sizes and designed to address various requirements and space constraints. The releases said that the units are suitable for demounted transportation and can easily be mounted in hospitals and health centres. The release further added that that this type of storage unit can store up to 1.5 million doses of vaccines. The release said companies also developed solutions for short-term storage of vaccines in the health centres and hospitals where they will be used. These units, resembling vertical refrigerators, come with special insulation features, and can provide ultra-cooling up to -78 degrees C, the release said. Depending on the capacity options, the release said these units can store up to 100,000 doses of vaccines. Lastly, the release said the companies are also offering a solution related to the transportation of the vaccines. The release explained that manufacturers offer a system where the vaccines will be placed in the transfer boxes with special insulation features and carbon dioxide dry ice with a temperature of -79 degrees C. In this way, the release said, vaccines can be stored for five days and transported to the vaccination centres without any problem. The release further said that all of the solutions are now being sold and are meeting market demands in Turkey. The organisation said that it foresees an increased sales volume in the coming period and that Turkish manufacturers are well-equipped to export to the rest of the world according to the requirements.

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GLOBAL NEWS

ASHRAE 2021 Annual Conference to be held virtually To be held in Phoenix, in the US state of Arizona, the event will provide actionable and innovative content to support HVACR and building systems professionals, Society says

By CCME Content Team

SHRAE said its 2021 Annual Conference, scheduled to be held in Phoenix, will now take place virtually. Making the announcement through a Press release, ASHRAE said the event (2021 ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference ) is designed to provide the latest insights from industryleading expert in the built environment. It will provide focused, actionable and innovative content to support HVACR and building systems professionals, it added. “Our pivot to virtual conferences over the past year has been met with great success,” said 2020-21 ASHRAE President Charles E Gulledge III. “Engagement from members and industry professionals from around the world in these events is a testament to the quality of our conferences and the importance of staying connected within the ASHRAE community. The 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference will be a wonderful forum to share fresh ideas and unique approaches to tackle the challenges of our rapidly

changing world. I look to extending our digital connection, and I anticipate an immense level of interest and participation.” According to ASHRAE, conference attendees can expect: • Technical sessions from industry experts and thought leaders • Online networking and social opportunities • A chance for professionals to come together and connect with collaborators around the world • A keynote presentation, roundtable decisions and expanded learning opportunities • Updates and announcements from Society leaders ASHRAE said additional information on the conference, including committee meetings and registration details, will be made available in the coming weeks. It recommended that those interested in the event could visit ashrae.org/2021annual for more information.

Eurovent publishes recommendation on air leakages Document presents guidelines for improving Indoor Air Quality and reducing energy consumption, HVACR industry association says

By CCME Content Team

he Eurovent Product Group, ‘Air Handling Units’ (PG-AHU) published the first edition of Eurovent Recommendation 6/15 – Air Leakages in Air-Handling Units, Eurovent said through a Press release. The Recommendation presents guidelines for improving Indoor Air Quality and correcting the performance of air-handling units due to internal leakages. Eurovent Recommendation 6/15 is the first comprehensive publication that gives an in-depth overview of the issue of air leakages in Air Handling Units, including: • Explanation of leakage types • Reference to related standards and regulations • Clarification of leakage indicators

March 2021

• •

•

Typical leakage rates for various design options Guidance on design, commissioning and maintenance for eliminating or minimising leakages Correction of Air-handling unit performance due to internal leakages

Igor Sikonczyk, Secretary of the Eurovent PG-AHU, said: “The fundamental role of mechanical ventilation is to renew polluted indoor air with fresh outdoor air, in order to provide a safe and healthy indoor environment. One of the problems

in achieving this objective is air leakage occurring in the duct network and in the airhandling units. Our new Recommendation sets out the principles for good practices to limit air leakages to ultimately improve Indoor Air Quality and reduce energy consumption.” According to Eurovent, Recommendation 6/15 is addressed to all ventilation and air conditioning professionals, including system planners, installers and manufacturers. The association added that It is available for download free of charge at the Eurovent Document Web Shop.

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March 2021