The HVAC industry impacts the environment severely in two ways – poor quality refrigerant damages the ozone layer, and the excessive energy consumed by these systems is mostly produced from fossil fuels which are not a clean form of energy. 

HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) industry in India is expected to become a $7.7 billion industry by 2022. It will grow at a CAGR of seven per cent. This growth is propelled to address rapid urbanisation, drastic climate change and include government initiatives that are promoting the use of energy-efficient products. 

The HVAC industry impacts the environment severely in two ways – poor quality refrigerant damages the ozone layer, and the excessive energy consumed by these systems is mostly produced from fossil fuels which are not a clean form of energy.  

The number of air conditioning units installed globally is set to jump from 1.6 billion units today to 5.6 billion by 2050. With this, the electricity demand is also expected to increase proportionally by 140 per cent. This will lead to more harmful emissions and even hotter temperatures in the future. 

Resolution at a macro level
Sensing this mounting challenge, in 2016, countries such as India, China, United States and Europe came together and committed themselves to reduce the use of potent greenhouse gas, known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), by 85 per cent by 2045.  In line with this, the Indian government launched ‘ECO Niwas Samitha’ in 2018, an energy conservation building code for buildings.

Adoption of cleaner energy
Apart from this, usage of alternate power sources, such as solar and wind, ensures zero negative impact on the planet.  

Why does the HVAC industry need to adopt energy-efficient solutions?
Outdated heating systems and air conditioning units can consume energy excessively, resulting in increasing the carbon emissions of buildings. Newer technologies built by HVAC manufacturers have solutions that bring about the highest levels of energy efficiency.

Pumps are the heart of any circulation system, and accurately controlled circulation is the key to the users’ comfort and efficiency of the entire system. Globally, pumps are responsible for a staggering 10 per cent of global electricity consumption. However, around four to five per cent of this energy can be saved, if energy-efficient pumps are used. This has urged the HVAC market to adopt intelligent pumping solutions. 

Advantages offered by Grundfos
With the world moving towards sustainable innovation, Grundfos’ electronic speed control pumps give HVAC customers intelligent pump operations that match system loads. They guarantee maximum efficiency at a minimum consumption of energy. With sustainability at the core of its business, Grundfos has been working towards pioneering intelligent, reliable, highly efficient, sustainable and quality pumps for HVAC applications. These pumps can be controlled in a way that it can be adjusted to climate and weather changes. This conserves energy and minimizes wastage, as different situations will have varying demand. 

Pumps equipped with a variable frequency drive (VFD) will allow adjustment of the speed and flow, remotely, on the basis of demand. This would provide better energy savings than mechanical means and can potentially reduce overall system costs and improve overall life. Data collected from the pump via sensors can be used to provide actionable insights that can be used relevantly.

Grundfos MAGNA3
This circulator pump is the most efficient circulators available in the market today and has redefined the HVAC industry. With an Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) well below the EuP benchmark level, it enables energy savings up to 75 per cent, compared to a typically fixed speed circulator installed. These pumps can also be augmented with Grundfos’s digital frontrunner, iSOLUTIONS. The in-built duo-sensors collect actionable data on temperature, time, pressure, energy consumption and enable remote monitoring and predictive maintenance. 

Grundfos TPE3
While MAGNA3 is a wet runner circulator pump, TPE3 pump is a dry runner. It is a vertical in-line pump with extensive applications for heating and cooling processes in commercial buildings. It can approximately conserve 85 per cent more energy than a typical circulator pump in the market. Additionally, its easy interface, performance and adaptive controls make it a preferred choice. 

Other solutions
We also offer end-suction pumps, from ‘Small intelligent circulators’ to ‘Big Skid Mounted Systems’ and from ‘Remote Monitoring & Wireless Transmission’ to ‘System Manager & Optimizer’. The company has some of its new digitally-driven technologies like Grundfos iSOLUTIONS, which ensure sustainability and minimalise environment impact. We also offer NBE Skid Mounted Systems, an easy plug and play, pre-fabricated pumping system, differential pressure sensors, MAGNA 3, variable primary flow controller and many more for the entire spectrum of customers in the HVAC industry. 

Digital transformation
Digital transformation is happening in most markets and industries. The HVAC industry is without any doubt one of them. This transformation requires a great effort which should be shared across the complete value chain.

Grundfos aims to help this Digital transformation – HVAC appliances will be able to collect and utilize data from the system and its surroundings, and based on that, the system could be optimized, predict faults, control remotely, alert in case of abnormalities, monitor and many more things. 

HVAC systems in Commercial Building consume around 40 per cent of the building’s energy. Any optimization of these systems will result in making the building more sustainable and also reduce their OPEX.

For more details, contact:
Ajit Jainath Singh,
Senior Vice President – Sales (Commercial Building Services & Industry),
Grundfos India