EME Newsletter MEssage #1/2022
HVACR Industry news from Eurovent Middle East
HVACR Industry news from Eurovent Middle East
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NEWSLETTER<br />
MESSAGE<br />
NEWSLETTER FROM EUROVENT MIDDLE EAST<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01<br />
WHAT'S INSIDE<br />
INTERVIEWS<br />
th<br />
Eng. Abdesselam Benyaich<br />
Technical Regulations Head (GSO)<br />
Sylvain Courtey<br />
(Eurovent Certita Certification)<br />
Markus Lattner<br />
(Eurovent Middle East)<br />
FEATURE<br />
Members weigh in on…Certification<br />
GUEST ARTICLES<br />
Systemair: Performance<br />
Certification of AHUs<br />
BNC: The Awakening of the Demand<br />
Demons<br />
Dr Iyad Al Attar: Why the HVAC<br />
industry needs to step up<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
The importance of ventilation, IAQ in<br />
combatting TB<br />
PHOTO STORIES<br />
Anniversary<br />
Edition<br />
Annual Meeting<br />
International Women's Day<br />
6th World IEQ Forum<br />
TECHNICAL PAPERS<br />
Active Front End Drives (ABB)<br />
Test methods for VRF<br />
(Eurovent Certita Certification)<br />
EVENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
RAK summit<br />
www.eurovent.me
NEWSLETTER<br />
CONTENTS<br />
01<br />
Letter to the Industry<br />
MESSAGE<br />
02<br />
5 Years Anniversary Congress<br />
03<br />
Interview: Markus Lattner, Managing Director, Eurovent Middle East<br />
04<br />
Interview: Eng. Abdesselam Benyaich, Technical Regulations Head<br />
05<br />
06<br />
07<br />
Interview: Sylvain Courtey, President, Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
Feature: Members weigh in on…Certification<br />
Guest Article: Khalil El Ghazzi, Managing Director, Systemair Saudi<br />
Arabia on performance certification for AHUs<br />
LETTER<br />
TO THE INDUSTRY<br />
08<br />
09<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
16<br />
17<br />
Guest Article: Avin Gidwani, Chief Executive, BNC Network on<br />
awakening the demand demons<br />
Case Study: The importance of ventilation, IAQ in combatting TB<br />
Video: Why Middle East should incentivise ventilation retrofits<br />
Guest Article: Dr Iyad Al Attar, Associate Consultant, Eurovent Middle<br />
East on why the HVAC sector needs to step up<br />
Photo Story: Eurovent Middle East Annual Meeting<br />
Technical Paper: How can active front-end drives boost energy<br />
efficiency and save on capital costs?<br />
Technical Paper: Review of Certification Procedure for Inverter Air<br />
Conditioner<br />
Joint Eurovent Webinar on Energy Efficiency of Air Handling Units in<br />
Hot and Humid Climates.<br />
Photo Story: International Women’s Day and 6th World IEQ forum<br />
Event Spotlight: Ras Al Khaimah Municipality to hold inaugural Energy<br />
Summit<br />
5 Year Anniversary!<br />
In January 2017, representatives of 22 HVACR<br />
manufacturers established Eurovent Middle East as<br />
the region’s first industry association for heating,<br />
ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration. What<br />
started as an initiative to enable more coordination<br />
among industry stakeholders has become a real driver<br />
for knowledge transfer in energy efficiency and indoor<br />
air quality. The occasion calls for an outlook to the next<br />
five years at our upcoming event in September.<br />
Eurovent Middle East invites government<br />
representatives and executives of the industry to<br />
join our 5-Year Anniversary Congress “HVACR Next<br />
Generation. Rethinking policies and strategies”, taking<br />
place 13 and 14 September at the LeMeridien Dubai.<br />
Rather than looking back on our history, we want to<br />
take our work forward and highlight opportunities to<br />
support the region’s long-term development goals.<br />
Energy efficiency is one of the conditions most relevant<br />
for the prosperity of the Middle East in the future. We<br />
will outline aspects usually overlooked and showcase<br />
opportunities which could unlock immediate energy<br />
savings. As our credo goes: the technology is ready,<br />
it just needs to be utilised! How we can motivate<br />
this utilisation will be one of the main topics of the<br />
congress.<br />
The transition to low GWP refrigerants is a headache<br />
for governments and industries all around the globe.<br />
We will give an update on this transition, shine a<br />
light on policies from other regions and will outline<br />
a possible approach for regional governments to<br />
regulate the transition without limiting the availability<br />
of products and solutions.<br />
In the aftermath of the pandemic, it is of greatest<br />
importance to keep up the focus on Indoor Air Quality.<br />
The economic fallout from the past two years is too big<br />
to ignore the looming threat of future viral outbreaks.<br />
We will look at policies and strategies from various<br />
countries and discuss ways how to best approach<br />
ventilation retrofits and improvements in the building<br />
sector.<br />
Further topics include an outlook to future cooling<br />
trends based on patents filed in the past couple of<br />
years and how to organise market surveillance in the<br />
region based on transparency and fairness. Still too<br />
many players are bypassing regulations and manipulate<br />
conformity certificates. The damage caused to energy<br />
efficiency policies needs to stop. A level playing<br />
field for all is the only way to ensure the success of<br />
sustainability goals.<br />
I believe we have a great mix of interesting subjects to<br />
discuss on. We are looking forward to seeing you at this<br />
event and celebrate with you our anniversary in true<br />
spirit: with professional exchange on the key issues of<br />
our time!<br />
Kind greetings,<br />
Markus Lattner<br />
Managing Director<br />
Eurovent Middle East<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Eurovent Middle East at five<br />
years: Creating common<br />
grounds in the chaos of<br />
competition<br />
On Eurovent Middle East’s 5th anniversary Markus Lattner, Managing Director, fleshes<br />
out the long-term impact of an industry association and reflects on the Association’s<br />
early days, the challenges of fostering a spirit of cooperation, and the need to<br />
challenge the status quo in the region for the good of the industry.<br />
5 Years, congratulations on the<br />
anniversary! What does this<br />
milestone mean to you?<br />
To me, this anniversary is an<br />
excellent moment to briefly<br />
reflect on how this journey<br />
began and to remind us of the<br />
main objective of this initiative:<br />
Bringing the industry together<br />
and providing a platform for<br />
coordination and exchange in an<br />
environment that is notoriously<br />
chaotic and driven by competition<br />
rather than cooperation.<br />
The big challenges of our time,<br />
climate change, but also the<br />
well-being of our society can only<br />
be addressed by the industry as<br />
a whole. Governments react to<br />
these challenges with increased<br />
regulations, which equally<br />
demands coordination among<br />
industry players to ensure<br />
transparent and balanced stakeholding.<br />
At just 5 years, Eurovent Middle<br />
East is still very young, especially<br />
in terms of an association. But<br />
reflecting on the past years,<br />
I am very satisfied with what<br />
has been achieved and how our<br />
organisation evolved. Considering<br />
that the pandemic has significantly<br />
impacted two out of these five<br />
years, I think we can be more<br />
than happy. Perhaps the most<br />
noteworthy takeaway is that we<br />
have proven the sustainability<br />
of the basic idea of having joint<br />
activities in the region.<br />
We must thank our members,<br />
who supported and carried out<br />
our activities over these years.<br />
These companies demonstrate<br />
true commitment toward the<br />
region and show a high level of<br />
corporate social responsibility.<br />
They understand that sustainable<br />
business depends at large on a<br />
mature market, rules, and the<br />
ability to develop sustainable<br />
guidelines for an industry that<br />
is relevant to the region and its<br />
people.<br />
Speaking about the pandemic.<br />
In which ways have the last two<br />
years impacted and influenced<br />
your work?<br />
The essence of an association<br />
lies in its ability to bring all<br />
members together and find<br />
common grounds to work on.<br />
In every aspect of what we do,<br />
you will see hours of discussion<br />
and contributions of many people.<br />
Whether it’s a workshop, a webinar<br />
or the publication of a position<br />
paper or a guidebook. It is all based<br />
on the consensus and input of our<br />
members, which, naturally, was<br />
more difficult to manage throughout<br />
the pandemic.<br />
We have had so many online<br />
meetings in the past two years,<br />
trying to cope with the situation as<br />
best as possible, and I am glad that<br />
we managed till now. But online<br />
meetings can never replace physical<br />
exchange. It is the networking, the<br />
personal spirit, which brings life to<br />
our initiatives. We all hope to see a<br />
further weakening of the virus and<br />
be allowed to resume our previous<br />
style of work.<br />
But looking back, I am also proud<br />
of what we managed to do despite<br />
the restrictions. We reacted very<br />
quickly. We knew from the beginning<br />
that COVID-19 was airborne and<br />
published guidance based on<br />
this presumption. We pushed for<br />
governments to include HVACR<br />
related companies in their list of<br />
essential businesses to ensure that<br />
even amid a crisis, our industry<br />
could deliver crucial services and<br />
products.<br />
The pandemic highlighted the<br />
importance of Indoor Air Quality,<br />
ventilation, and air filtration<br />
in a way we could have never<br />
done ourselves. It begs the<br />
question now how the public<br />
and governments cope with this<br />
experience if we see a change in<br />
the attitudes regarding our indoor<br />
environments. This will also be our<br />
responsibility, our responsibility<br />
as an industry, to provide solutions<br />
and recommendations.<br />
From the start, IAQ has been at<br />
the forefront of our agenda. That<br />
shows that the industry was well<br />
aware of its importance. Only<br />
very few in the market really<br />
understood. If we do not see a<br />
change within the building industry<br />
and from the government side to<br />
treat IAQ with the same urgency<br />
as energy efficiency, then we won’t<br />
be prepared for the next viral<br />
outbreak. And that is just a matter<br />
of time as we have now come to<br />
fully understand.<br />
Looking back, what were the<br />
biggest challenges when you<br />
started, and how have the<br />
challenges shifted over the<br />
years?<br />
The biggest challenge in the<br />
region, in the beginning, continues<br />
to be the main one now, and I am<br />
afraid, will be the case for a good<br />
time to come: the understanding<br />
of the functions of an association.<br />
Mentalities in the region are very<br />
much focused on short-term<br />
profits. Making people understand<br />
the concept, the benefits, and<br />
the investment an association<br />
requires and provides is difficult.<br />
Our impact will be visible only in<br />
the future.<br />
While the region’s workforce is<br />
driven by short term targets and<br />
is highly volatile, it is difficult to<br />
find the ones who take a longterm<br />
view and interest in seeing<br />
the region develop into a sound<br />
and sustainable market. Given this<br />
environment, it is an even greater<br />
achievement, and our members<br />
should be praised and thanked<br />
Markus Lattner<br />
for their lasting commitment to<br />
contribute toward the greater<br />
goals of the region. They are the<br />
ones carrying the ideals of cocreation<br />
and cooperation for the<br />
benefit of all.<br />
What are the benefits of an<br />
industry association? And<br />
what can you do to highlight its<br />
importance for the industry in<br />
the long term?<br />
The Middle East is not a market<br />
characterised by trust. And<br />
unsurprisingly so. If everyone is<br />
out hunting for short term profits,<br />
quality and reliability fall victim.<br />
That again leaves everyone<br />
highly distrustful of each other.<br />
Government and industry,<br />
however, need trust as a basis to<br />
develop a regulatory framework<br />
that provides fair conditions<br />
for business while ensuring<br />
government policies are followed.<br />
If authorities rely on individual<br />
companies to assess standards<br />
and technical implications,<br />
the process will remain<br />
untransparent and inefficient.<br />
An association makes for a<br />
much better stakeholder, as the<br />
positions and opinions of the<br />
industry must first be consented<br />
to before they are delivered<br />
to an authority. Secondly, an<br />
association also ensures a<br />
balance between various interests<br />
at play.<br />
Then, aside from regulatory<br />
affairs, the industry is very<br />
interested in educating market<br />
participants on its technology and<br />
products. There is a big need for<br />
constant knowledge exchange<br />
to make sure new products are<br />
understood, accepted, and used<br />
on the market. While this is, of<br />
course, the responsibility of each<br />
manufacturer, an association<br />
can provide such education in<br />
a neutral, better-organised<br />
way, and in a highly credible<br />
environment.<br />
Can you name some of the<br />
biggest issues the industry is<br />
facing in the region?<br />
This is not specific for the Middle<br />
east only, rather a general picture<br />
we face all around the globe.<br />
• Fixation on prices and<br />
ignorance of life cycle costs<br />
• Lack of qualified personnel<br />
• Proliferation of regulations<br />
- missing harmonisation and<br />
market surveillance<br />
• Lack of knowledge on<br />
standards<br />
• Lack of good practice and<br />
awareness on technical<br />
solutions<br />
• Administrative requirements<br />
without value<br />
• Copy-paste mentality among<br />
consultants carrying forward<br />
old habits and mistakes<br />
• Ignorance for IAQ and energy<br />
efficiency<br />
• Generally, a lack of<br />
cooperation and coordination<br />
among all stakeholders<br />
That gives a good picture and<br />
clarifies what we are trying to<br />
work on and achieve. No one<br />
can possibly work on these<br />
issues alone. If we want to see<br />
improvements, we better work<br />
together. Only then will we have<br />
the strength and the resources to<br />
achieve change.<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
GSO: Working<br />
towards regulatory<br />
harmonisation in<br />
the Middle East<br />
Eng. Abdesselam Benyaich, Technical Regulations Head,<br />
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), speaks to<br />
Eurovent Middle East and provides a comprehensive<br />
overview of the regulatory landscape in the region, the<br />
need to buildibridges through international partnerships,<br />
and opportunities for unification to ensure the safety of<br />
consumers and sustainability of the member states.<br />
Eng. Abdesselam<br />
Benyaich<br />
Assuming the pandemic is<br />
now fading, and restrictions<br />
are dropped, what are your<br />
plans for this year?<br />
Eurovent Middle East will<br />
celebrate its 5th anniversary<br />
with a major industry event.<br />
Our Eurovent Middle East<br />
Industry Summit, “HVACR Next<br />
Generation, Rethinking policies<br />
and strategies,” which will take<br />
place from 13 to 14 September,<br />
will be an excellent opportunity<br />
to bring government and<br />
industry together to highlight<br />
several of the most pressing<br />
issues while allowing us to<br />
celebrate with our members<br />
and partners appropriately.<br />
Aside from that, we are<br />
working on several projects<br />
in the field of education, IAQ<br />
and energy efficiency, which<br />
we plan to roll out later in the<br />
year. We also look to restart<br />
our physical workshops across<br />
the region. AHUs will get some<br />
more attention, partly due to<br />
the introduction of the Eurovent<br />
Certification for hot and humid<br />
climates and regulatory<br />
developments that will look at<br />
the ventilation segment for the<br />
first time.<br />
As the one who started this<br />
project, what is your personal<br />
takeaway from the last 5<br />
years?<br />
It has been very intense,<br />
challenging, and stressful<br />
years. However, it has been<br />
equally rewarding in terms of<br />
the relationships I have built<br />
and the tremendous range<br />
of knowledge I could gather.<br />
From wet-bulb temperatures<br />
to leakage rates, from volatile<br />
organic compounds to<br />
biodegradable plastic. I could<br />
not imagine a more diverse<br />
environment to be active in.<br />
I am very grateful for this<br />
experience.<br />
These five years we owe to<br />
the dedication, commitment,<br />
and support of many people.<br />
The work and time contributed<br />
by our members, our board<br />
and staff have made Eurovent<br />
Middle East a success. I do<br />
hope that this project will<br />
flourish and outgrow our initial<br />
expectations. May it live on<br />
to become an institution that<br />
thrives also when the founding<br />
generation has retired.<br />
Can you tell us a bit about the<br />
history of the GSO and the<br />
role it plays in the regulatory<br />
development of the Middle East?<br />
GCC Standardization<br />
Organization (GSO) is a nonprofit,<br />
inter-governmental<br />
Standardization Organization<br />
that was established by the<br />
resolution of the GCC Supreme<br />
Council (22nd Session, Muscat,<br />
Oman, 30-31 December 2001).<br />
GSO assumed its operation in<br />
May 2004 with the membership<br />
of the governments of The State<br />
of the United Arab Emirates,<br />
The Kingdom of Bahrain, The<br />
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The<br />
26524 Gulf Standard and<br />
Technical Regulations so far<br />
Sultanate of Oman, The State of<br />
Qatar, and The State of Kuwait.<br />
Furthermore, by resolution of<br />
the Board of directors in its 11th<br />
session (Doha, 22 November<br />
2009), pursuant to the decision<br />
of the GCC Supreme Council<br />
in its 29th session (Muscat,<br />
30 December 2008), GSO<br />
announced the official accession<br />
of the Republic of Yemen<br />
to the GCC Standardization<br />
Organization starting from 01<br />
January 2010.<br />
GSO aims to unify the various<br />
standardisation activities and<br />
follow up their implementation<br />
and commitment to them in<br />
cooperation and coordination<br />
with the standardisation bodies<br />
in the member states. We<br />
want to do this in a way that<br />
contributes to the development<br />
of their production and<br />
services sectors, supports the<br />
development of trade among<br />
them, ensures consumer<br />
protection, safeguards the<br />
environment and public health,<br />
and encourages Gulf industries,<br />
products and services in order<br />
to achieve support for the Gulf<br />
economy and preserve the gains<br />
of countries within the Council,<br />
which contributes to reducing<br />
technical barriers to trade in<br />
line with the objectives of the<br />
Customs Union.<br />
What would you name as the<br />
most significant regulations<br />
the GSO has pushed forward in<br />
relation to HVACR?<br />
GSO seeks mainly to address<br />
hazards and risks to safety arising<br />
from use of consumer products.<br />
Therefore a set of standards<br />
and technical regulations have<br />
been issued so far. In relation<br />
with HVACR, we can mention the<br />
following:<br />
• The General Product Safety<br />
Regulation (BD09100504): The<br />
purpose of this regulation is to<br />
ensure a high level of protection<br />
of the health and safety of<br />
consumers and to establish a<br />
legislative framework for any<br />
product placed on the market<br />
or supplied or made available<br />
or intended for consumers, or<br />
likely to be used by consumers<br />
under reasonably foreseeable<br />
conditions even if not intended<br />
for them. It also aims to ensure<br />
the safety of local or imported<br />
products placed on internal<br />
markets of the Member<br />
States.<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
• GSO Technical Regulation for<br />
Low Voltage Equipment and<br />
Appliances (BD142004-01):<br />
The regulationapplies to<br />
all electrical and electronic<br />
devices, appliances and fixtures<br />
that contain electrical and/<br />
or electronic components<br />
designed for use with a voltage<br />
rating of between 50 and 1000<br />
V for alternating current and<br />
between 75 and 1500 V for<br />
direct current. The regulation<br />
lays down the mandatory<br />
requirements for the safety and<br />
electromagnetic compatibility<br />
of electrical equipment with<br />
which all electrical equipment<br />
must comply before their<br />
placing on the market, and<br />
free movement within the<br />
Member States markets. This<br />
is the second edition of the GSO<br />
Technical Regulation on Low<br />
Voltage Electrical Equipment and<br />
Appliances, which includes an<br />
amendment and update of the<br />
first edition (BD07070503) dated<br />
on 27/11/2007.<br />
The most important amendments<br />
and updates are: (a) Clear<br />
definition and determining<br />
obligations of economic operators,<br />
Conformity Assessment<br />
Procedures and obligations of the<br />
Notified Bodies; (b) Obligation to<br />
the Manufacturers to carry out a<br />
risk analysis of all hazards that the<br />
electrical equipment may present,<br />
as well as an assessment of the<br />
potential exposure to such hazards;<br />
(c) Additional requirements related<br />
to electromagnetic compatibility of<br />
low-voltage electrical equipment;<br />
(d) Another important aspect is the<br />
presumption of conformity given to<br />
the IECEE-CB Scheme as per the<br />
technical aspects.<br />
This second edition has been<br />
approved by the GSO Board of<br />
Directors in its 20th meeting<br />
(Riyadh, 5th November 2014). The<br />
enforcement started from the 1st<br />
of June 2015 in an experimental<br />
way, while the full enforcement<br />
was on the 1st of July 2016.<br />
The Technical Regulation deals<br />
with safety essential requirements<br />
and EMC; while non covered aspects,<br />
such as Energy Efficiency are left to<br />
national Technical Regulations for<br />
some products including HVACR.<br />
GSO Standard for Energy Labelling<br />
and Minimum Energy Performance<br />
Requirements for Air-Conditioners<br />
(GSO2530:2016): This regulation<br />
specifies the energy labelling<br />
requirements and the Minimum<br />
Energy Performance Standard<br />
(MEPS) requirements for singlepackage<br />
of window type, splitsystem<br />
non-ducted air conditioners<br />
using air-cooled condensers, splitsystem<br />
ducted air-conditioners<br />
using air-cooled condensers,<br />
and heat pumps using air-cooled<br />
condensers for the residential,<br />
commercial, and industrial sector<br />
as applicable in accordance with<br />
GSO SASO Standards. It is applied<br />
to units designed to operate in AC<br />
single phase or three-phase circuits<br />
according to GSO 1899/2009 "GCC<br />
Standard voltages and frequencies<br />
for AC transmission and distribution<br />
systems". It covers units with<br />
capacities up to and including 70000<br />
Btu/h (20 kW). This standard is<br />
applied to the Sultanate of Oman and<br />
Yemen, while it does not apply to the<br />
rest of GSO Member States.<br />
What do you see as the bigger<br />
obstacles in harmonizing standards<br />
and regulations in the GCC?<br />
Harmonising standards and<br />
technical regulation is a longterm<br />
action calling for a clear<br />
vision as well as relevant tools for<br />
harmonisation. While the strategic<br />
and institutional framework<br />
including the GCC chart, which calls<br />
for integration between member<br />
states, and the economic agreement<br />
which aims at setting up a single<br />
market between member states and<br />
a single-entry point for customs,<br />
it is however much more difficult<br />
to reach a full harmonization of<br />
standards and technical regulations,<br />
This is due to a set of factors<br />
including: (a) the differences of<br />
economies among member states;<br />
(b) consequently, the institutional<br />
role and importance of national<br />
standardisation institutions, as<br />
well as the GSO; (c) consequences<br />
of the international crisis, which<br />
apparently did not help to support<br />
the trend to opening markets and<br />
integration.<br />
Opportunities for integration and<br />
harmonization still exist, further<br />
reinforced by the post-crisis<br />
situation, as the best response to<br />
the need for establishing the most<br />
suitable infrastructure system in<br />
the region while optimising costs<br />
and allowing for the best economic<br />
results.<br />
The GSO is cooperating among<br />
others with CEN/CENELEC. What<br />
are your impressions of this<br />
cooperation so far and what are<br />
your expectations for the future?<br />
65 MoUs and Cooperation<br />
Agreements<br />
GSO seeks to strengthen and<br />
sustain cooperation with its<br />
partners to exchange expertise;<br />
transfer international knowledge<br />
and practices in the field of<br />
standardization and related<br />
activities; link and integrate the<br />
work programmes of the GSO<br />
and Member States with those<br />
of relevant Parties. GSO has<br />
signed several of Memorandum<br />
of Understandings and Technical<br />
Cooperation Agreements with<br />
Standardization Bodies at national,<br />
regional, and international<br />
levels. The technical cooperation<br />
agreements with CEN / CENELEC<br />
open the door for large cooperation<br />
to facilitate the exchange of<br />
information and support alignment<br />
and harmonisation in the<br />
standardisation activities. The main<br />
objectives are: (1) to foster closer<br />
cooperation between GSO and<br />
ISO and IEC for the development<br />
of regional and international<br />
standards; (2) to provide European<br />
contribution to the development/<br />
revision/implementation of future<br />
Gulf technical regulations based on<br />
European legislation (such as Low<br />
Voltage, Toys, etc…); (3) to gather<br />
intelligence and exchange<br />
information on specific sectors.<br />
924 EU Standards adopted<br />
as Gulf Standards<br />
GSO is working closely with<br />
CEN/CENELEC to further<br />
strengthen this partnership<br />
and support key objectives<br />
and strategies, including<br />
the adoption of standards,<br />
harmonisation of technical<br />
committees, sharing of<br />
knowledge, experience, best<br />
practices, and other mutual<br />
benefits.<br />
Are there any regulations for<br />
HVACR in the pipeline at the<br />
moment?<br />
GSO is currently conducting<br />
consultation with member<br />
states to develop a harmonized<br />
single standard for Energy<br />
Labelling and Minimum Energy<br />
Performance Requirements<br />
for Air-Conditioners, which<br />
could allow for harmonising<br />
conformity assessment<br />
procedures based on their<br />
requirements.<br />
How do you decide to get<br />
active on a specific topic? How<br />
does the development process<br />
of a regulation look like?<br />
Developing Technical<br />
Regulations is one of the<br />
regulatory means of dealing<br />
with situations where consumer<br />
safety is at stake. Therefore the<br />
GSO's regulatory process is in<br />
accordance with the guidance<br />
document approved by the GSO<br />
Board of Directors. According<br />
to the said guidance document,<br />
GSO Technical Regulations<br />
are developed for high priority<br />
product categories for Member<br />
States. These are identified<br />
using feedback from the<br />
relevant activities such as the<br />
market monitoring by member<br />
states as well as the conformity<br />
assessment of products and<br />
other information from member<br />
states.<br />
The process includes: (a)<br />
preparing a draft of TRs by<br />
Working Groups under the<br />
Gulf Committee on Conformity<br />
Assessment (GCCA); (b)<br />
examining the draft by GCCA;<br />
(c) validation of the draft by the<br />
Technical Council (TC); (d) final<br />
approval of the draft by the Board<br />
of directors (BD).<br />
It is important to note that the<br />
process includes notification<br />
to the WTO once the draft is<br />
submitted to the TC, as to allow<br />
for receiving comments from WTO<br />
signatories and revision.<br />
Product quality, safety and<br />
energy performance are clearly<br />
the most important aspects,<br />
regulations must address. What<br />
industry segments in your mind<br />
are the most critical, or do you<br />
consider to be susceptible to<br />
poor quality and of potential risk<br />
to consumers?<br />
GSO established:<br />
• GCC Accreditation<br />
Center (GAC)<br />
• Gulf Metrology<br />
Association (GulfMet)<br />
• GCC Lab<br />
• GCC Standardization<br />
Training Center<br />
Considering the recent<br />
experience of member states<br />
in developing their quality<br />
infrastructure to support strong<br />
monitoring of products safety in<br />
the region, and mainly the various<br />
legal frameworks for safety and<br />
market monitoring, we should<br />
confirm that safety aspects in all<br />
fields, and energy performance<br />
to a lesser extent, are most<br />
important for the regulatory<br />
process. We may consider that<br />
quality aspects could be dealt<br />
with by voluntary tools, such as<br />
non-mandatory standards as well<br />
as awareness and education.<br />
The children's toys are considered<br />
one of the critical products to<br />
address, given the proportion<br />
of young under 14 in the Gulf<br />
population (above 30 %); the<br />
electrical products come in the<br />
second position as important for<br />
harmonizing safety requirements.<br />
Other fields include cosmetics, then<br />
machineries,<br />
Other fields that are not<br />
less important, but from the<br />
environmental point of view<br />
first and safety as well, includes<br />
energy performance for electrical<br />
products, water conservation<br />
devices, and the restriction of<br />
the use of Hazardous Substances<br />
in Electrical and Electronic<br />
Equipment.<br />
For more information:<br />
www.gso.org.sa<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
“Fostering trust<br />
is at the core of<br />
what we do”<br />
Sylvain Courtey, President, Eurovent Certita Certification,<br />
outlines the function of certification, how they differ<br />
from other schemes in the HVACR market and the<br />
organisation’s move to become more inclusive in<br />
accommodating conditions in warmer climates.<br />
Eurovent is one of the globally<br />
recognised certification<br />
schemes in HVACR. What<br />
functions does certification fulfil<br />
in our industry?<br />
The function of certification<br />
is to promote fairness in the<br />
industry - our core value is<br />
truthfulness. We are encouraging<br />
manufacturers to provide correct<br />
values to their customers. As we<br />
know, the HVACR industry can<br />
be very competitive, and even<br />
for an excellent product, it can<br />
be complicated, especially when<br />
it comes to navigating price.<br />
There are a lot of temptations<br />
to play a little bit with figures<br />
and numbers and be vague with<br />
technical specifications.<br />
We are here to make sure<br />
customers of the HVACR industry<br />
receive the correct performance<br />
data and are armed with the right<br />
figures to design and evaluate<br />
the energy efficiency of buildings<br />
effectively. Having accurate<br />
information is also essential<br />
for achieving better indoor air<br />
quality (IAQ), a crucial objective<br />
for Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
and the industry. With what we<br />
are doing, the customers will be<br />
empowered by having correct<br />
values that allow them to design<br />
and choose the right product for<br />
buildings that exactly match their<br />
requirements - not too small, not<br />
too big.<br />
Certification will also help them to<br />
better evaluate the performances<br />
of products in the market. There<br />
is a natural trade-off between<br />
price and quality depending on<br />
the building they want to have.<br />
Sometimes, buying decisions<br />
are price-driven. Sometimes<br />
they are quality driven. But with<br />
certification, quality-driven<br />
selections can be backed with<br />
factual data checked by a third<br />
party.<br />
How does Eurovent stand out from<br />
other certification schemes?<br />
As Eurovent, we have included<br />
unique and specific features<br />
across our programmes. For<br />
example, our certification takes<br />
into account sound power levels.<br />
As a European organisation, we<br />
have a long tradition of building<br />
equipment and buildings with good<br />
indoor environmental quality (IEQ),<br />
with a strong emphasis on comfort<br />
in terms of sound insulation,<br />
temperature, and humidity.<br />
Energy efficiency, of course, is<br />
a core priority. Europe has the<br />
highest standards in terms of<br />
Sylvain Courtey<br />
energy efficiency, and we have<br />
implemented energy labels to<br />
help customers select units based<br />
on their energy efficiency quickly<br />
and straightforwardly.<br />
Our proposed energy labels are a<br />
way for customers buying these<br />
products to compare energy<br />
performance quickly. The energy<br />
labels, from A+ to E, are evaluated<br />
under strict conditions, and we<br />
go to great lengths to ensure our<br />
energy labels have real value. In<br />
fact, only 1% of the best units can<br />
have the A+ classification, and<br />
only 5% can be A.<br />
Another feature that sets the<br />
Eurovent Certification apart is our<br />
tradition of implementing factory<br />
audits within our programme. It’s<br />
vital to check how the products<br />
are manufactured and ensure<br />
that what is delivered to the<br />
customers is the same product.<br />
We test independently as a third<br />
party while using independent<br />
laboratories. This is something<br />
that can be considered unique to<br />
us and not in other certification<br />
schemes, which tend to rely on<br />
participant laboratories, which<br />
are the laboratories in the factory<br />
of the participant. There are<br />
cases where we rely on those<br />
laboratories, but not as the sole<br />
source. We also ask for tests in<br />
independent laboratories to validate<br />
performances; we use a network of<br />
laboratories in Europe and we look<br />
forward to have strong partnerships<br />
with laboratories outside of Europe.<br />
As an organisation that is based in<br />
Europe, which is a region that is<br />
leading in activities related to energy<br />
efficiency and indoor air quality we<br />
bring the knowledge and expertise<br />
of our members to the further<br />
inform our activities.<br />
The Middle East lacks market<br />
surveillance; thus, regulatory<br />
bodies usually require premarket<br />
testing to ensure compliance with<br />
their regulations. Is that a safe way<br />
to go?<br />
Although premarket testing can<br />
be considered a traditional way of<br />
testing things, we don’t believe this<br />
is an efficient approach to ensuring<br />
the quality of the product that enters<br />
the market. When you test one<br />
product one time, it is not always<br />
the case the same product will have<br />
the same value and performance<br />
years afterwards. Because when<br />
you test one product one time, there<br />
is a possibility that the product<br />
tested was only a prototype or<br />
an item delivered straight from<br />
the R&D department. It does not<br />
guarantee that the same product<br />
will be provided to the market years<br />
afterwards.<br />
We believe in systems where<br />
there is a long-term and regular<br />
surveillance activity. For this reason,<br />
we have annual surveillance activity;<br />
there are tests and audits to ensure<br />
products delivered to the market<br />
remain compliant with what is<br />
declared. That is why it might not be<br />
sufficient to rely only on type tests<br />
for years.<br />
Would certification schemes like<br />
Eurovent be a viable option to<br />
ensure compliance, given the<br />
recurrent testing and auditing?<br />
What we do is a voluntary<br />
certification. It must be understood<br />
that manufacturers voluntarily<br />
come to us to be checked and<br />
evaluated and get a third<br />
party to verify their data. It’s<br />
not mandatory; we don’t want<br />
it to be mandatory. It is our<br />
mission to promote a part of the<br />
industry that make an effort to<br />
undergo voluntary certification,<br />
and we think our activities<br />
and initiatives would be of<br />
great value and help market<br />
surveillance authorities.<br />
Market surveillance authorities<br />
can rely on our activities,<br />
underpinned by technical<br />
expertise and a robust<br />
evaluation process, regular<br />
tests, and audits. As a result,<br />
these organisations can look<br />
at the demographic that is<br />
not certified to focus on their<br />
evaluation. Because certified<br />
products already undergo<br />
stringent processes, market<br />
surveillance can focus on<br />
specific areas of the industry<br />
which is not certified, which<br />
might need more attention.<br />
In the past, it was often argued<br />
that certificates would usually<br />
be based on T1 conditions and<br />
have less relevance in the<br />
Middle East. Eurovent is now<br />
shifting to an additional hot<br />
and humid condition. What<br />
are the reasons behind this<br />
decision, and what do you<br />
expect from this move?<br />
We are doing our part to<br />
be more inclusive of all the<br />
regions. Our decision to have<br />
the “summer label”, which<br />
includes hot and humid<br />
conditions in the air handling<br />
unit programme, was driven<br />
by this. It allows us to evaluate<br />
how efficient a unit can be in<br />
energy recovery in regions<br />
with a greater requirement for<br />
cooling and humidity recovery.<br />
We already include T3 condition<br />
in our certification programmes<br />
for chillers and VRF. Step by<br />
step, we are moving to include<br />
additional conditions that are<br />
relevant for those markets and<br />
these regions.<br />
There are still widespread<br />
misconceptions in the market<br />
when it comes to certification.<br />
What can be done to develop<br />
better awareness and<br />
understanding of product<br />
certification and what it actually<br />
stands for?<br />
It is our duty to communicate<br />
more about what we are doing to<br />
the market. There are inherent<br />
challenges when it comes to<br />
communicating the importance<br />
of certification. Often people<br />
think there is no need because<br />
it is evident manufacturer must<br />
provide the best performance.<br />
Still, people don’t realise the level<br />
of complexity of the products<br />
we are working with and how<br />
difficult they are to assess,<br />
individually and when comparing<br />
products. It’s not only a matter<br />
of avoiding cheating in terms of<br />
wrong or inaccurate data, it’s also<br />
about trying to help the market<br />
understand in an easier manner<br />
what’s behind these very intricate<br />
products.<br />
We work with standards that<br />
make it possible to compare<br />
products with each other, which<br />
is essential. As a certification<br />
body, we try to disseminate these<br />
standards and benchmarks so<br />
the industry can rely on them.<br />
Additionally, we provide the added<br />
value as a third party to verify<br />
these claims.<br />
We must communicate the<br />
value of certification to every<br />
stakeholder. Thanks to the<br />
certified manufacturers' efforts<br />
to raise awareness, the message<br />
is slowly coming through. Still,<br />
we must help them when it<br />
comes to educating markets.<br />
Certification provides confidence<br />
in products. This is relevant to<br />
not only the manufacturers but<br />
is also essential to all other<br />
stakeholders, from consultants to<br />
investors, contractors, the enduser<br />
and also the government.<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
FEATURE<br />
Members weigh in on…<br />
Certification<br />
Manufacturers weigh in on the ROI of investing in certification and what bodies need<br />
to do to raise awareness among consultants on what they stand for….<br />
Lubna Shaikh, Senior Manager -<br />
Business Development, Trosten:<br />
Product certification enhances<br />
confidence among all<br />
stakeholders. For a seller, the<br />
certification demonstrates<br />
standards of competence and<br />
provides competitive advantages<br />
on numerous parameters based<br />
on the certified results. For a<br />
buyer, the certification assures<br />
reliability and confirms that the<br />
products have passed and met<br />
the requirements of specific<br />
performance tests. Standards<br />
and certifications are available<br />
for holistic and component<br />
performance, and we need<br />
to choose appropriate ones<br />
recognised by the respective<br />
industry. Along with the product<br />
certification, it is also essential<br />
for the organization to have<br />
an active Quality Management<br />
System (ISO 9001:2015) in place<br />
to demonstrate the commitment<br />
to consistency and sustainable<br />
quality.<br />
Acceptance from the consumers<br />
is the major driving force for<br />
all manufacturers to get their<br />
products certified. A reputable<br />
certification trademark is a clear<br />
indicator that the product has<br />
gone through proper evaluation<br />
as per international standards<br />
and practice and tested to verify<br />
that the product will perform<br />
to the selected conditions. For<br />
HVAC equipment manufacturers,<br />
product certification is a<br />
prerequisite to starting the<br />
marketing campaign with the<br />
MEP consultants/clients. To prequalify<br />
the products, it is essential<br />
Lubna Shaikh<br />
manufacturers carry the right<br />
certification for their products<br />
However, certification bodies<br />
need to create more awareness<br />
of the certification and its scope<br />
through seminars and knowledge<br />
programmes, quality is generally<br />
ignored in the certification, and<br />
we strongly feel that quality<br />
should be considered as<br />
a vital parameter in the<br />
product performance<br />
certifications. It would<br />
provide more confidence<br />
to the customers and<br />
improve the level of<br />
competence in the<br />
market. Certification<br />
bodies should create<br />
awareness on how to<br />
verify the certification<br />
of a brand and its<br />
products online on<br />
a real-time basis.<br />
This is the only way<br />
the certification bodies<br />
can work along with<br />
the MEP consultants/<br />
clients avoiding abuse of any<br />
certified claims.<br />
Good certification and<br />
accreditation come at a cost<br />
and consume more time with<br />
their audits and recurring tests.<br />
Respective certified bodies<br />
should bring these topics<br />
for discussion in a group of<br />
HVAC forums, which includes<br />
HVAC manufacturers and<br />
MEP Consultants to arrive at<br />
a consensus. We should try<br />
to reach such an agreement<br />
among HVAC professionals,<br />
starting from UAE and then<br />
can take up with the entire Gulf<br />
region.<br />
Nodirjon Rasulov, Business<br />
Development Manager, Camfil<br />
Middle East FZC:<br />
Air filters without proper<br />
certification to verify<br />
their claims could have a<br />
devastating effect on the<br />
indoor environment and<br />
the health of people. So,<br />
ensuring safety is a critical<br />
component of investing in<br />
product certification. However,<br />
compliance should not only be<br />
confined to the requirements<br />
of the certification scheme.<br />
The certification of products<br />
must also consider certain<br />
industry guidelines defined<br />
by experiences in a similar<br />
industry. There are standards<br />
and regulations set by the<br />
country’s government to<br />
protect employees and the<br />
environment from harmful<br />
dust, mist, and fumes.<br />
Lack of education on<br />
certification programs<br />
and differences between<br />
certification bodies create<br />
many drawbacks in the<br />
Nodirjon Rasulov<br />
industry, leading to the selection<br />
of products being solely based on<br />
certificate brands, instead of a clear<br />
understanding of what it stands<br />
for. In air filtration, there are also<br />
distinctive certifications preferred<br />
by those used in different parts<br />
of the world. Hence, people who<br />
come from different regions go with<br />
preferred or familiar certification<br />
brands during their product<br />
selection. Lack of awareness of the<br />
scope and criteria of the basis of<br />
certification is a big problem that<br />
leads to confusion in the market.<br />
The confusion in the market,<br />
further aggravated by the high<br />
number of different certifications,<br />
also gives way to some suppliers'<br />
unethical or abusive use of<br />
product certifications. To avoid<br />
this, each country’s standard and<br />
meteorology association should<br />
have a separate department to<br />
investigate and upgrade local<br />
standards as per the latest<br />
innovations. Eurovent Middle<br />
East can play an essential role in<br />
synergising all necessary actions<br />
and delivering them to the local<br />
government bodies.<br />
Essentially, the certification<br />
process of any product should be<br />
based on a thorough analysis that<br />
considers future requirements<br />
and not only on existing issues. If<br />
certification of products is based<br />
on the latest scientific innovation<br />
or has a futuristic approach, it<br />
would be beneficial for humanity.<br />
It can help us prevent devastating<br />
effects on human life and the<br />
environment.<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
GUEST ARTICLE<br />
Let´s get the facts straight<br />
regarding performance<br />
certification for AHUs<br />
Khalil El Ghazzi, Managing Director, Systemair Saudi Arabia, discusses misconceptions<br />
related to performance certification circulating in the market, factors stakeholders<br />
should keep in mind when assessing existing schemes, and what lies behind the<br />
Eurovent mark…<br />
Are tests conducted by third-part certification bodies?<br />
This marks the difference whether the performance<br />
tests are conducted in independent laboratories or the<br />
manufacturers’ laboratory.<br />
Is the certification body accredited?<br />
Same as a laboratory, the certification body should<br />
also be accredited to fulfil the ISO/CEI 17065 standard<br />
requirements.<br />
What are the test parameters for mechanical<br />
performance?<br />
The certification body’s website should include information<br />
on whether test parameters consider, for example, EN<br />
1886 mechanical performance classes such as deflection<br />
and leakage classes.<br />
Are regular software selection audits conducted as<br />
part of the certification process?<br />
This is important to ensure that manufacturers<br />
do not change data or software outputs. If such a<br />
process is in place, any change in software and the<br />
addition of new equipment must be approved by the<br />
certifying body. The software check also takes into<br />
consideration the allowed deviations in the certified<br />
data coming from the software.<br />
Does the certification programme offer an energy<br />
labelling scheme?<br />
An energy labelling scheme serves as a useful<br />
means to identify better performing units instead of<br />
solely verifying published performance values. This<br />
means, for example, that a unit can be ranked on A+<br />
(best) to E (worst) scale.<br />
Performance certification schemes are valuable tools as<br />
they help empower customers with the correct data by<br />
validating the information declared by manufacturers.<br />
This is useful for customers choosing Air Handling<br />
Units (AHUs) with specific requirements in mind.<br />
However, there are misconceptions and flaws related to<br />
certification circulating throughout the Middle East that<br />
need to be addressed.<br />
When it comes to performance certification, it is essential<br />
to remember the following:<br />
• Being certified does not guarantee a high-quality AHU.<br />
It simply proves that the manufacturer’s catalogue<br />
data and, if applicable, selection software output data<br />
is correct. It also does not necessarily mean that a unit<br />
complies with minimum performance regulations.<br />
• A certification body typically does not tell companies<br />
how to manufacture products unless explicitly<br />
specified. Certification generally aims to validate<br />
claims against the allowed deviations set within this<br />
certification company.<br />
• Performance certification schemes by different<br />
certifying companies are not at par with each other.<br />
Therefore, it is essential to raise awareness of the<br />
true implications behind each certification programme<br />
and differentiate between the processes behind<br />
certifications circulating in the market.<br />
We recommend using the following (non-exhaustive)<br />
checklist of questions as a reference to assess a<br />
certification scheme:<br />
Does the certification cover the performance of the AHU<br />
or just the components individually?<br />
This is key to ensuring the performance meets the<br />
declared parameters and meets requirements related<br />
Khalil El Ghazzi<br />
to air quality, cooling or heating capacity, energy<br />
recovery, power consumption, air/water side pressure<br />
drop, and the like.<br />
Separate certifications of components cannot be<br />
qualified as consolidated certification of the AHU.<br />
Does the certification programme certify units<br />
keeping hot or humid climates in mind?<br />
Certification that takes into consideration the<br />
performance of units in warm climates is a valuable<br />
tool that provides an easier and more inclusive<br />
reference for customers in the warmer regions to<br />
choose the most suitable equipment in a simple and<br />
more straightforward manner.<br />
Is the certified AHU listed in the online directory of the<br />
respective certification body?<br />
Any quality performance scheme should have an online<br />
certification directory. If the AHU range and its test<br />
results are not mentioned in this online directory, it is not<br />
certified. Always verify this first.<br />
Are performance parameters periodically validated by<br />
way of factory audits?<br />
This ensures that the independent certification<br />
organisation can check if products continue to be<br />
manufactured under the same parameters.<br />
Eurovent: What’s behind the mark?<br />
Eurovent Certified Performance “Air Handling Units”<br />
Not all certification schemes are made equal.<br />
It is critical to assess the processes behind the<br />
certification to ensure the integrity of the mark.<br />
Below are the features of the Eurovent certification<br />
for air handling units that serve as a reference guide<br />
to evaluate whether similar certifications in the<br />
market conduct equal due diligence.<br />
Mechanical performance certified with addition of filter bypass leakage and sound insertion loss.<br />
Rating and performance certified with strict deviations.<br />
Performance test of real unit conducted in a laboratory.<br />
An energy labelling scheme that helps identify better performing units on a scale from A+ (best) to E (worst).<br />
Energy Efficiency Classes for Summer Application (EECS) label for air handling units for warm<br />
weather conditions and humidity recovery<br />
Eurovent Certified Performance option for “Hygienic Air Handling Units”<br />
Annual factory visits.<br />
Annual selection software audit to guarantee validity of output data<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
GUEST ARTICLE<br />
<strong>2022</strong>: The Awakening of the<br />
Demand Demons<br />
Avin Gidwani, Chief Executive, BNC Network<br />
Can you tell us a bit about the<br />
history of the GSO and the<br />
role it plays in the regulatory<br />
development of the Middle East?<br />
Many HVAC suppliers still<br />
have balance sheets that are<br />
positive and cash flows that are<br />
manageable - the core issue<br />
remains the waning backlog on<br />
their order books. While some<br />
businesses grapple with critical<br />
supply chain issues, the problem<br />
is still operational, not existential<br />
and poses a new dynamic<br />
that creates opportunities for<br />
businesses that manufacture<br />
locally, maintain stocks and know<br />
how to hedge their bets on raw<br />
materials as they bid work.<br />
The region imports from almost<br />
every country in the world,<br />
guaranteeing that materials<br />
are almost always available -<br />
not necessarily the material of<br />
preference, but there are almost<br />
always viable options available to<br />
keep the project trains running.<br />
While the supply chain doomsday<br />
commentary may have you believe<br />
otherwise, the challenge for<br />
construction businesses in the<br />
region is clearly still demand<br />
and not supply.<br />
Demand is a set of<br />
unpredictable demons that<br />
appear to be awakening. The<br />
fear is always that they could<br />
be feigning or just be stretching<br />
before falling back asleep. The<br />
more likely scenario would<br />
be that the demand demons<br />
are awake and just lazing as<br />
they carefully and cautiously<br />
consider the chaotic geopolitical<br />
world around them.<br />
At the beginning of <strong>2022</strong>, the<br />
GCC BNC Urban Index fell by<br />
9% over the last two years,<br />
bringing the index to 12.6%<br />
below the BNC 100 line (which<br />
indicates the average urban<br />
project market size from 2015<br />
to 2018). This contraction<br />
has not been felt evenly by<br />
all companies because it is<br />
dependent on various factors<br />
like where they stand in the<br />
project cycle, their geographical<br />
business mix, and their energy<br />
vs. urban projects sector-mix.<br />
Avin Gidwani<br />
This is particularly significant<br />
because while the urban sector<br />
contracted over the course of<br />
2021, the energy sector expanded<br />
by 5.2%.<br />
In the UAE, the demand demon<br />
is eager to start a new day and<br />
the country has seen three<br />
consecutive quarters of Q-on-Q<br />
growth in project awards and<br />
new project announcements<br />
have followed the same trend. As<br />
for Saudi Arabia, it has multiple<br />
demand demons - the one in<br />
Riyadh is sprightly, eager and<br />
raring to go, while the ones in the<br />
Western Province, which have a<br />
long, hard and exciting journey<br />
ahead, are still pondering and<br />
planning their path. In the East of<br />
the Kingdom, the demon is still in<br />
hibernation.<br />
Qatar’s demon resides in its North<br />
Sea and awoke in 2021 with an<br />
almost insatiable appetite as<br />
the country saw a record streak<br />
of project announcements and<br />
awards, almost exclusively in the<br />
hydrocarbon sector. In Kuwait<br />
and Oman where the demand<br />
demons were all but dead, there<br />
is finally a rumbling of activity<br />
in the energy sector, which one<br />
can only hope is the tossing and<br />
turning before demand rises and<br />
shines. Meanwhile, in Bahrain, the<br />
demon’s urban appetite doubled<br />
over the year, settling at close to a<br />
billion dollars in new projects.<br />
With this lay of the land, putting<br />
aside global politics and<br />
pandemics, there is still reason<br />
to be cautiously optimistic about<br />
the awakening of a GCC market<br />
that will consume more than you<br />
can produce.<br />
About BNC Network<br />
BNC (Building and Construction)<br />
Network, is the flagship<br />
construction market digitization<br />
initiative of Industry Networks<br />
FZC. BNC was launched in<br />
2003 to create a digital network<br />
that connects the construction<br />
industry in creative new ways<br />
to increase transparency and<br />
efficiency. Used worldwide<br />
by thousands of industry<br />
professionals everyday, BNC<br />
offers a state-of-the-art projectsales<br />
CRM system pre-integrated<br />
with its project database - the<br />
largest in Middle East & Africa.<br />
With over 29,000 live construction<br />
projects estimated at US$ 11.1<br />
trillion, BNC’s coverage spans<br />
72 countries and 5 sectors - the<br />
urban, oil & gas, transportation,<br />
utilities, and industrial sectors.<br />
BNC publishes a quarterly<br />
construction report called the<br />
BNC Projects Journal and the<br />
BNC Bulletin, a daily construction<br />
newsletter.<br />
About the Author<br />
Avin Gidwani, the CEO of BNC, is<br />
a serial entrepreneur who has<br />
worked in leadership capacities<br />
within the construction industry for<br />
over 20 years. He launched BNC<br />
in 2003 with the vision to create a<br />
digital network that connects the<br />
construction industry in creative<br />
new ways to increase transparency<br />
and efficiency. Returning to the<br />
business after a decade in 2014, he<br />
transformed BNC into a technology<br />
business. With Avin as its lead<br />
architect, BNC created its state-ofthe-art<br />
project-sales CRM system<br />
pre-integrated with its project<br />
intelligence database - the largest<br />
in the Middle East and Africa.<br />
www.bncnetwork.net<br />
PLEASE FOLLOW US ON<br />
OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
Study shows the importance<br />
of ventilation, IAQ in<br />
combatting TB<br />
Taiwan study offers empirical data that improving ventilation to CO2
NEWSLETTER<br />
CASE STUDY<br />
interventions in University A were<br />
less successful than what should<br />
be expected. The role of poor<br />
ventilation in this outbreak was<br />
discovered precisely because<br />
of the ongoing occurrence of<br />
tertiary cases despite early<br />
removal of the index case 1 year<br />
ago. The worsening situation<br />
in October 2011 prompted<br />
investigations of indoor<br />
ventilation and the subsequent<br />
ventilation engineering.<br />
In retrospect, infectious aerosol<br />
accumulated in the poorly<br />
ventilated environment. Without<br />
the ventilation improvement, the<br />
outbreak in University A would<br />
be more prolonged and more<br />
difficult to control.<br />
A major strength of this<br />
study is the comprehensive<br />
epidemiological investigation.<br />
The outbreak investigation team<br />
found that TB transmission<br />
can occur following exposure<br />
to shared air for as short as 30<br />
hours under poorly ventilated<br />
environments.<br />
Another strength is the<br />
comprehensive contact tracing<br />
and long-term follow-up based<br />
on Taiwan's highly effective<br />
public health system.<br />
The NIOSH and other<br />
governmental agencies had<br />
recommended indoor air quality<br />
standards based on CO2 levels<br />
of 600-1500 ppm for schools and<br />
workplaces.<br />
The considerations for these<br />
recommendations are for comfort<br />
and learning/working efficiency.<br />
Our results support the hypothesis<br />
that there is a threshold of<br />
ventilation rate that stop TB<br />
epidemic."<br />
However, our data are not<br />
precise enough to exactly define<br />
this threshold, which could be<br />
in between 600 and 1000 ppm<br />
CO2 in this outbreak. Moreover,<br />
the threshold could vary across<br />
different TB outbreaks — a higher<br />
ventilation rate would be required<br />
to neutralize the hazard from a<br />
more infectious index case.<br />
In conclusion, the study shows<br />
that maintaining adequate<br />
indoor ventilation could be a<br />
highly effective strategy for<br />
controlling TB outbreaks. Our<br />
findings highlight the need to<br />
assess indoor ventilation status<br />
in TB outbreak investigation. In<br />
congregate settings where there<br />
is known to be a high risk of TB,<br />
it may be beneficial to make<br />
pre-emptive improvements to<br />
building ventilation. A refocusing<br />
on the importance of adequate<br />
ventilation in TB control may<br />
prevent hundreds of thousands<br />
of TB cases and be the gamechanger<br />
for achieving the global<br />
End TB target.”<br />
Source of study:<br />
Chun-Ru Du, Shun-Chih Wang,<br />
Ming-Chih Yu, Ting-Fang Chiu<br />
Pei-Chun Chuang, Ruwen Jou,<br />
Pei-Chun Chan, Chin-Tai Fang.<br />
Effect of ventilation improvement<br />
during a tuberculosis<br />
outbreak in underventilated<br />
university buildings. Indoor Air.<br />
2020;30:422–432. https ://doi.<br />
org/10.1111/ina.12639<br />
Why Middle East should<br />
incentivise ventilation<br />
retrofits<br />
The pandemic has shown how dependent our life and businesses are on our built<br />
environment. Eurovent Middle East is calling on all governments to provide incentives<br />
to retrofit existing buildings with better ventilation and air filtration systems, to avoid<br />
similar situations in future crises. The stimulus to the economy stemming from such<br />
incentives is considerable and would offset the costs.<br />
PLEASE FOLLOW US ON<br />
OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
GUEST ARTICLE<br />
Why the slow move back<br />
to normal should be an<br />
opportunity for the HVAC<br />
sector to step up<br />
Dr Iyad Al Attar, Independent Air Filtration Expert and Associated Consultant for<br />
Eurovent Middle East, calls on the HVAC sector to challenge conventional philosophies,<br />
outlining what the industry should keep in mind to truly improve IAQ and avoid the<br />
outdated thinking that prolonged Covid-19...<br />
It is good to get back to “normal”<br />
slowly, but not back to the practices<br />
that have led to and delayed our exit<br />
from the Covid-19 pandemic. The<br />
importance of air filter performance<br />
in enhancing air quality has been<br />
belittled for decades and perceived<br />
as an acquired luxury. The pandemic<br />
finally brought the air quality<br />
narrative from the backburner to<br />
the news headlines. The scale and<br />
scope of losses in human lives and<br />
economic setbacks have scrutinised<br />
air quality and filter performance.<br />
Yet, despite all our technical knowhow,<br />
knowledge, and collective<br />
experiences, we aimlessly wander<br />
in our HVAC systems, washing coils,<br />
dedusting filters, and cleaning ducts,<br />
believing that we have satisfied our<br />
air quality obligations.<br />
It is time to get it right; we ought to<br />
focus on what is effective, not what is<br />
in fashion. We need to admit that our<br />
conventional philosophies trapped<br />
us in the pandemic and delayed our<br />
exit from it. If our literal adherence<br />
to filtration and HVAC standards<br />
has contributed to the deterioration<br />
of indoor air quality, we certainly<br />
need to check the metrics of these<br />
standards.<br />
The pandemic is a prime time<br />
to revolt against outdated and<br />
conventional practices that have<br />
failed to protect our respiratory<br />
systems and instead participated in<br />
spreading the coronavirus. COVID-19<br />
has now showcased compelling<br />
economic reasons for resolving air<br />
quality issues. The objective here is<br />
not just to avail the best Indoor Air<br />
Quality (IAQ) possible but to address<br />
all relevant matters influencing the<br />
built environment. HVAC systems<br />
must step up, and we should think<br />
beyond thermal comfort. That would<br />
include rewiring our buildings and<br />
cities to place IAQ at the forefront<br />
of national priorities by employing<br />
continuous aerosol monitoring and<br />
the corresponding filtration solutions.<br />
Conventional maintenance<br />
measures thwart any endeavour to<br />
attain better air quality.<br />
Raising the bar of air quality is an<br />
engineering approach. Currently,<br />
predetermined ways of doing things<br />
and conventional practices continue<br />
to risk IAQ; the game is the same.<br />
The addiction to using washable and<br />
reusable filters has compromised<br />
any indoor air quality and filtration<br />
upgrades. The villain in the story is<br />
the tremendous reliance on saving<br />
cost rather than lives by dedusting<br />
a clogged filter by compressed air,<br />
washing coils and cleaning dusts.<br />
Dr Iyad Al Attar<br />
These maintenance measures thwart<br />
any endeavour to attain better air<br />
quality. Therefore, it is time to bend<br />
the arc of conventional practices<br />
toward professional, thorough, and<br />
preventative maintenance programs<br />
to take air quality to the next level.<br />
The mindset of maintenance<br />
shortcuts will never position air<br />
quality to be a pressing issue in the<br />
built environment. Underutilising air<br />
filtration technologies and settling<br />
for what we can do rather than what<br />
we must have led to the inheriting<br />
poor IAQ and contributed further to<br />
the spread of microorganisms. It<br />
is time to make filter performance<br />
the driving force of the built<br />
environment, not an accessory of the<br />
entire HVACR system.<br />
Any cost of filtration upgrades is<br />
infinitesimal given the cost of the<br />
lockdown<br />
To achieve leaps and bounds as<br />
far as IAQ is concerned, we must<br />
consider new ideas and adopt<br />
innovative approaches. We need to<br />
consider appropriate filter selection<br />
that can accommodate all types of<br />
pollutants once their physical and<br />
chemical characterisation has been<br />
completed. To implement proper<br />
corrective measures, we ought<br />
to highlight the air quality issues<br />
and determine whether they are<br />
ventilation or filtration issues or if it<br />
is a bit of both. For example, to lower<br />
the concentration of CO 2 , ventilation<br />
techniques are necessary, but<br />
both filtration and ventilation<br />
solutions can reduce Particulate<br />
Matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants<br />
concentrations.<br />
Recently, there has been a great<br />
deal of hype on moisture control,<br />
and several studies and scholars<br />
correlated humidity control and<br />
virus survivability in an indoor<br />
environment. Ironically, the sole<br />
reliance on a single stage of an<br />
inch thick washable filter in Fan<br />
Coil Units (FCU) and installing<br />
these filters before they are<br />
completely dry - not to mention<br />
their poor filter efficiency - may<br />
counterproductively affect the IAQ.<br />
Air handling units use the second<br />
stage of filtration (Pocket Filters)<br />
in addition to the primary filters.<br />
The agony is that these secondary<br />
filters occupy tremendous space<br />
in the air handling units compared<br />
to their modest performance.<br />
Unfortunately, although these filters<br />
are disposable, maintenance teams<br />
re-stall them after attempting to<br />
regenerate them by water-washing<br />
or compressed air.<br />
It is impossible to embark on air<br />
quality enhancements if these<br />
practices exist. There are a lot<br />
to tweak in terms of IAQ, not just<br />
Figure A & B: Scanning electron microscopic images of filter media used<br />
in air filters.<br />
to hike the filter efficiency and<br />
install High-Efficiency Particulate<br />
Arrestance (HEPA) filters, but<br />
to consider the entire HVAC<br />
systems and built-in environments<br />
holistically. Satisfaction is gained<br />
through increased productivity and<br />
levitating dull buildings through<br />
IoT. Therefore, enticing HVAC<br />
engineers to design systems that<br />
would respond to variations in indoor<br />
air quality will prove invaluable<br />
in confronting a wide array of<br />
pollutants, not just PM.<br />
Air filter media, design, and<br />
performance have advanced<br />
tremendously. Addressing only the<br />
associated rise in pressure drop<br />
when selecting air filters with higher<br />
efficiency is yesterday’s argument.<br />
The optimised performance of<br />
modern aerodynamic filter design<br />
can spark a new beginning to attain<br />
cleaner air at a much lower pressure<br />
drop.<br />
Figure C: Typical installation of<br />
secondary stage filter “pocket type”<br />
in an air handling unit<br />
Reimaging Air Quality<br />
Today, existing and new buildings<br />
are subject to tremendous<br />
pressure to provide healthier<br />
indoor environments. However,<br />
any cost of filtration upgrades is<br />
infinitesimal given the cost of the<br />
lockdown. Although COVID-19 has<br />
brought immense suffering, it has<br />
highlighted the primary deficiencies<br />
in terms of the tools and conditions<br />
of our indoor environment.<br />
Globally, the pandemic pushed air<br />
quality to the centre and forced<br />
everyone to reimagine air quality<br />
given the incredible growth in<br />
industrialisation; however, at the<br />
same time, it also shed light on the<br />
lack of effective regulations. Today,<br />
technology has provided us with<br />
tools and the resources to attain<br />
the best air quality, and now the<br />
pandemic has given us the business<br />
case to act swiftly.<br />
We must unweave every strand of<br />
conventional practice that led to<br />
the spread of the virus. We ought to<br />
admit that maintenance programs<br />
in place are, at best, modest, if they<br />
exist at all. It is time to certify HVAC<br />
systems, air filter performance, and<br />
maintenance programs and teams<br />
to take air quality to the next level.<br />
It is now time for the global<br />
government to legislate rules<br />
and regulations that match the<br />
importance of outdoor and indoor<br />
air quality and allocate budgets<br />
and plans to improve IAQ. The bill<br />
that can come due is horrendous if<br />
we do not make air quality a global<br />
priority.<br />
www.eurovent.me<br />
MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
PHOTO STORY<br />
Eurovent Middle East<br />
Annual Meeting<br />
On March 22, <strong>2022</strong>, Eurovent Middle East held its first physical Annual meeting since the<br />
pandemic. The meeting attracted 40 member representative and confirmed the re-election<br />
of Tariq Al Ghussein (CEO of Taqeef) and Rafaël Van Eijcken (General Manager Middle East<br />
of Baltimore Aircoil Company <strong>EME</strong>NA as President and Vice-President. Further Board<br />
members are Frank Taaning Grundholm (ABB), Andrea Cavalet (EPTA Middle East), Dani<br />
Elamana (Camfil Middle East & Africa), Ismail Serhan Ozten (Danfoss Turkey, Middle<br />
East & Africa), Marco Duarte (ebm-papst Middle East), Matteo Zanesco (CAREL), Morten<br />
Schmelzer (Systemair), and Srinivasan Rangan (Rheem Middle East and Africa).<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
How can active front-end<br />
drives boost energy efficiency<br />
and save on capital costs?<br />
Harmonics are troublesome for electrical networks as they can cause unreliable<br />
operation and overheating as well as requiring expensive oversizing of equipment to<br />
handle them. But local energy losses through waste heat are only part of the reason<br />
why harmonics are bad for energy efficiency. They also cause a poor power factor<br />
that brings down the energy efficiency of the whole network. Frank Taaning Grundholm,<br />
Vice President, Global HVACR Sales, ABB Motion, explains why harmonics occur and<br />
how active frontend (AFE) drives can eliminate them at source.<br />
Variable speed drives (VSDs) play a<br />
critical role in improving the energy<br />
efficiency of motors, pumps, and fans<br />
across a wide range of industries<br />
such as water, HVAC, oil and gas,<br />
power, pulp and paper, marine, food<br />
and beverage, metals and mining.<br />
They save energy by controlling<br />
the speed of electrical motors to<br />
match the needs of the application.<br />
This is particularly important as<br />
many industrial motors are running<br />
at well below their peak load for<br />
most of the time. However, with the<br />
many advantages of VSDs comes<br />
a potentially troublesome power<br />
quality issue known as power line<br />
harmonics that can have an adverse<br />
effect on both system reliability and<br />
energy efficiency.<br />
If these harmonics are not<br />
addressed, they can cause damage<br />
to sensitive electronic equipment,<br />
interference in communication<br />
equipment, and false readings on<br />
measurement devices. Harmonics<br />
can trip circuit breakers, blow fuses<br />
and cause capacitor bank failures.<br />
The effects also include overheating<br />
of transformers, cables, motors,<br />
generators and capacitors, wasting<br />
energy and shortening their life.<br />
Equipment must be designed to<br />
tolerate harmonics in the network<br />
and oversizing leads to higher<br />
investment costs and underutilized<br />
capacity.<br />
Harmonics arise from non-linear<br />
loads<br />
In an ideal situation, the alternating<br />
current (AC) power supply serving<br />
industrial facilities shows a pure<br />
sinusoidal wave form – see Figure<br />
01. It has a frequency of either 50<br />
or 60 Hertz (Hz), depending on the<br />
region of the world.<br />
In practice, this pure sine wave is<br />
never present, amongst other due<br />
to the industrial use of non-linear<br />
loads that create harmonics. These<br />
harmonics cause the sine wave to<br />
deviate as shown in Figure 02.<br />
VSDs are not the only equipment<br />
that create harmonics. They result<br />
from all loads supplied from a<br />
rectifier, which for example includes<br />
EC (electronically commutated)<br />
motors, LED or fluorescent<br />
lighting, mobile phone chargers,<br />
computers, uninterruptible power<br />
supplies (UPS) and Wi-Fi routers<br />
- basically every single type of<br />
modern electronic device. Direct<br />
on-line (DoL) motors and oldfashioned<br />
light bulbs do not cause<br />
Frank Taaning<br />
Grundholm<br />
harmonics as they are linear loads,<br />
but DoL motors cause phase angle<br />
displacement issues, which is just<br />
another kind of power quality issue.<br />
Harmonic disturbances should not<br />
be confused with radio frequency<br />
interference (RFI). Harmonics are<br />
multiples of the base frequency<br />
and are therefore relatively low in<br />
frequency, typically below 2,500<br />
Hertz (Hz). In contrast RFI is usually<br />
above 150 kilohertz (kHz). RFI<br />
disturbances can be radiated and/<br />
or conducted. Harmonics are<br />
always conducted.<br />
The impact of harmonics on<br />
the network is measured as a<br />
percentage value known as the<br />
total harmonic distortion (THD).<br />
This is the ratio of the RMS<br />
(root mean square) harmonic<br />
content to the RMS value of the<br />
fundamental frequency. Where<br />
no voltage or current harmonics<br />
exist the THD is 0%. As the level<br />
of harmonics increases, the THD<br />
value increases. THDi is the total<br />
harmonic distortion on current<br />
and THDu or THDv is the total<br />
harmonic distortion on voltage.<br />
The higher the harmonic current<br />
content (THDi), the higher the<br />
losses in the power network – for<br />
example, a 40% THDi results in<br />
16% higher losses than a network<br />
with no harmonics. That means<br />
increased energy costs. And it also<br />
requires the electrical system to<br />
be dimensioned to carry the excess<br />
current.<br />
A single 4 kW drive, even with<br />
100% THDi, will not necessarily<br />
cause problems for the whole<br />
network. But it is important to<br />
consider the cumulative effect<br />
of harmonic distortion of a<br />
number of drives at the point of<br />
common coupling (PCC) – where<br />
the network serving the facility<br />
connects to the local utility<br />
distribution network.<br />
Methods for tackling harmonics<br />
Oversizing of critical electrical<br />
equipment is one approach to<br />
tackling the overheating created<br />
by the harmonic current. As<br />
an example, transformers and<br />
cables may be increased in size.<br />
Oversizing of backup generators<br />
is also a common way to mitigate<br />
some of the challenges created by<br />
harmonics.<br />
This approach to tackling<br />
harmonics can be expensive, and<br />
often ineffective. Instead, it is<br />
better to use equipment that does<br />
not cause harmonics in the first<br />
place. That is why the industry is<br />
now adopting a new generation of<br />
ultra-low harmonic drives.<br />
Drives that produce exceptionally<br />
low levels of harmonics<br />
Ultra-low harmonic (ULH) drives<br />
have harmonics mitigation<br />
built in. This includes an active<br />
front end (AFE) and integrated<br />
low harmonic line filter. There<br />
is no need for external filters,<br />
multi-pulse arrangements or<br />
special transformers. The simple<br />
installation offers significant<br />
savings in space, time and money.<br />
Compared to a conventional drive,<br />
the harmonic content is reduced<br />
by up to 95%. The total harmonic<br />
current distortion (THDi) of a ULH<br />
is typically 3%. In contrast, with an<br />
external passive filter the typical<br />
total harmonic distortion is between<br />
5 to 10%.<br />
Furthermore, as the risk of<br />
overheating is reduced with the<br />
reduction of harmonic currents,<br />
there is no need to over-dimension<br />
equipment, such as transformers<br />
and cables.<br />
Power factor is the important factor<br />
Harmonics also affect the power<br />
factor (PF). This describes how<br />
effectively an electrical network<br />
uses the power it draws. True<br />
power factor considers both the<br />
displacement power factor (also<br />
known as CosΦ) and distortion<br />
power factor (that is a function of the<br />
amount of harmonic current). In the<br />
very best case, a network will have a<br />
PF of unity (1).<br />
In some cases, utilities impose<br />
penalty charges on buildings<br />
with a poor power factor. Adding<br />
a standard VSD to a motor will<br />
improve its displacement power<br />
factor, which is an issue with all DoL<br />
motors, but add to the distortion<br />
due to the drive rectifier. ULH drives<br />
mitigate harmonics which positively<br />
affects the true power factor. They<br />
also have the ability to compensate<br />
reactive power which improves the<br />
displacement power factor of the<br />
installation.<br />
To illustrate the difference, a<br />
standard 6-pulse drive might<br />
have a true PF of around 0.78,<br />
Figure 01 – the ideal electrical supply has a perfectly sinusoidal wave form.<br />
Figure 02 – in practice, the wave form is often distorted by harmonics, this example being from a VSD with three phase diode<br />
bridge rectifier and DC coils.<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
Review of Certification<br />
Procedure for Inverter Air<br />
Conditioner<br />
Dr A. Nour Eddine, Air-Conditioner program manager, Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
Figure 3 – Comparison of the overall system costs with a standard drive and a ULH drive with an active front end (AFE).<br />
causing it to draw an increased<br />
line current of 128% of the<br />
nominal. In contrast, a ULH<br />
drive with a true PF of 1 will<br />
draw only the nominal current<br />
(100%).<br />
Essentially, ULH drives not only<br />
optimize the energy efficiency<br />
of the applications, but they<br />
also help make the overall<br />
power network more efficient.<br />
The result is lower electricity<br />
bills.<br />
Why system efficiency is more<br />
important than component<br />
efficiency<br />
The benefits of ULH drives<br />
must be viewed in the context<br />
of a complete system, as shown<br />
in Figure 3. The standard<br />
6-pulse drive on its own has<br />
a higher efficiency. But the<br />
efficiency drop in the filter<br />
added to address harmonics,<br />
and the lower motor voltage<br />
(370 V as opposed to 400 V),<br />
make the overall system<br />
efficiency lower. Therefore, the<br />
system with the ULH drive has<br />
lower operating costs.<br />
Boosting reliability while<br />
saving capital costs<br />
There is a further reason for<br />
specifying ULH drives, which<br />
is the very significant cost of<br />
process downtime that can<br />
result from the failure of<br />
critical electrical assets. Some<br />
estimates suggest that the average<br />
cost of a downtime incident is USD<br />
16,000 (source: Garvey). In the<br />
automotive industry, the costs are<br />
even higher - up to USD 48,000 per<br />
minute, the equivalent of over USD<br />
2.7 million per hour.<br />
It might seem counter-intuitive to<br />
suggest that selecting ULH drives<br />
could impact the capital costs of<br />
a facility. However, the situation<br />
becomes clearer when you consider<br />
that the electrical systems are<br />
accountable for a large proportion<br />
of the cost of a new facility.<br />
Deploying ULH drives means<br />
that the key electrical assets<br />
will not have to be over-sized<br />
to accommodate the potentially<br />
harmful effects of harmonics.<br />
Rather, they can be optimized to<br />
match the actual load more closely,<br />
and therefore their capital cost<br />
is lower. This ‘right-sizing’ effect<br />
ripples through the facility. For<br />
example, with ULH drives, cable<br />
costs can be reduced by about 10%<br />
compared with using standard<br />
6-pulse VSDs. Furthermore,<br />
distribution transformer costs<br />
are reduced by 20%, generator<br />
costs are reduced by 50%, while<br />
switchgear and circuit breaker<br />
costs could be cut by 10–30%.<br />
A proactive approach to harmonics<br />
pays dividends<br />
When designers and operators of<br />
buildings and industrial systems<br />
take appropriate action to address<br />
harmonics in their electrical<br />
networks, they soon experience<br />
a positive return on investment.<br />
This comes in terms of improved<br />
reliability, longer equipment life,<br />
lower energy bills and reduced<br />
capital costs.<br />
A particularly elegant and costeffective<br />
solution is to deploy<br />
ultra-low harmonic (ULH) drives<br />
such as ABB’s ACS880 range<br />
that mitigate harmonics at<br />
source. ABB has also developed<br />
Industry-specific ULH drives for<br />
the HVAC and water industries.<br />
For further information: https://<br />
new.abb.com/drives/segments/<br />
hvac<br />
Considerable technology<br />
advancement in comfort airconditioners<br />
designs over the past<br />
few decades have seen a substantial<br />
development in the variable speed<br />
compressor operation (inverter airconditioner).<br />
Most of the current<br />
international standards allows the<br />
intervention when testing these units<br />
to provide the setting parameters,<br />
while some still forbid it to prevent<br />
manufacturer interference.<br />
This study reviews the testing<br />
methods of the two types of airconditioners<br />
in the different<br />
scientific literature and international<br />
standards. The results showed that<br />
Figure 1: Simple Refrigeration Cycle<br />
it is not possible to test the IAC unit<br />
on a fixed rating capacity without<br />
providing the setting parameters<br />
such as the compressor speed and<br />
frequency and the fan speed. To<br />
guarantee no further interference<br />
from the manufacturer, using a<br />
third-party certification body has<br />
showed an efficient solution until<br />
further development of the testing<br />
methods…<br />
Introduction<br />
Interest for air-conditioning (AC)<br />
systems has exponentially expanded<br />
worldwide throughout the most<br />
recent couple of decades. The global<br />
Dr A. Nour Eddine<br />
market size was valued at 106.6<br />
billion USD in 2020 with an expected<br />
compound annual growth (CAGR) of<br />
6.2 % until 2028[1]. The expanding<br />
rate of electricity and aggressive<br />
effect on the environment from<br />
power generation pushed to<br />
substantial developments in<br />
the variable speed compressor<br />
(inverter). The inverter segment<br />
account for 50% of the market in<br />
India [2] and is projected to expand<br />
globally at a CAGR of 7.7% [1] in<br />
a 6-year period. This growth is<br />
attributable to inverter AC’s (IAC)<br />
due to the difference in operation<br />
comparing to conventional AC’s.<br />
An AC is a mechanism designed<br />
to maintain and control the air<br />
temperature and humidity<br />
within an area. The operation is<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
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TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
Figure 3: Calorimeter room method<br />
schematic<br />
Figure 4: Enthalpy difference method schematic<br />
Figure 2: Room Temperature<br />
Operation for AC and IAC<br />
typically performed by a simple<br />
refrigeration (vapor compression)<br />
cycle (Figure 1).<br />
A typical refrigeration cycle uses<br />
an electric motor to drive the<br />
compressor. The two most<br />
common types of compressors<br />
are the ‘fixed speed’ type and the<br />
‘variable speed’ (inverter) types.<br />
With conventional ‘fixed-speed’<br />
air conditioners, the compressor<br />
is either on (working to 100%<br />
capacity) or off. An inverter in an<br />
air conditioner is used to change<br />
the compressor’s motor speed to<br />
drive variable refrigerant flow in<br />
an air conditioning system to<br />
achieve the desired temperature<br />
conditions in indoor space. It<br />
maintains the desired<br />
temperatures without wild<br />
fluctuations. Figure 2 shows the<br />
difference in room temperature<br />
fluctuation between fixed speed<br />
and IAC units. IAC provide ability<br />
to control the speed of the<br />
compressor motor which helps in<br />
continuous regulation of<br />
temperature. It also helps in<br />
saving energy and power with<br />
the help of a variable speed<br />
compressor. Additionally,<br />
other benefits such as no<br />
temperature fluctuations,<br />
longer durability, faster<br />
cooling, and reduced noise in<br />
comparison with non-inverter<br />
ACs are expected to fuel the<br />
demand for inverter technology.<br />
The fundamental difference<br />
in operation required further<br />
investigations through the<br />
years to validate the efficiency<br />
of testing and rating IAC units<br />
using the same methods of<br />
conventional AC’s. Mavuri<br />
et al. [3]tested IAC using the<br />
calorimeter test method. The<br />
results showed that to test the<br />
IAC on part load on specific<br />
room temperature conditions,<br />
it should either be in a locked<br />
mode where the instruction for<br />
fixing the compressor speed is<br />
supplied by the manufacturer<br />
and the capacity is directly<br />
proportional to the compressor<br />
speed, either testing the IAC<br />
in a field operation mode by<br />
fixing a thermal load instead<br />
of fixed room temperature or<br />
capacity. The dependency of the<br />
unit capacity to the compressor<br />
frequency has also been showed<br />
in a thermal model created<br />
by Hui et al.[4]. Another study<br />
[5] on the effect of unlocked<br />
test using the calorimeter<br />
room method on the Minimum<br />
energy Performance Standards<br />
(MEPS) on IAC results in some<br />
unit failing to comply with<br />
the MEPS requirements and<br />
consumed much higher level<br />
of electricity compared to a<br />
fixed load or locked capacity<br />
test. This result is far from<br />
real life performances since<br />
it was proven by several field<br />
studies that IAC enormously<br />
reduce power consumption in<br />
comparison to conventional AC’s<br />
such as Almogbel et al. [6] who<br />
studied the energy consumption<br />
of an AC and an IAC for 108<br />
days, and showed 49% less<br />
energy consumption of the IAC<br />
comparing to conventional AC.<br />
Despite clear scientific evidence<br />
of the difference in operation<br />
of the conventional AC and IAC,<br />
there is no definitive solution<br />
in the international regulation to<br />
differentiate the testing<br />
procedure of these two types<br />
of units. This article presents the<br />
adopted solutions of the<br />
regulation’s commissions in<br />
different countries and the<br />
feedback and experience of<br />
Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
(ECC) body for this matter.<br />
Inverter Air-Conditioner Testing<br />
schemes<br />
For a variety of HVAC equipment,<br />
many testing methods have been<br />
developed. Heating balance<br />
method (calorimeter room<br />
method) and enthalpy difference<br />
method are commonly used for<br />
testing HVAC equipment.<br />
Calorimeter Room (Figure 3) test<br />
heat balance test device<br />
is a room air conditioning<br />
performance test device. The<br />
method of calibrating the<br />
performance of air conditioner<br />
with calorimeter test bench<br />
is called Room heat balance<br />
method. The basic principle is<br />
based on the law of conservation<br />
of thermodynamics (the first law<br />
of thermodynamics): that is<br />
Input Energy = Output Energy<br />
The air enthalpy difference<br />
method (Figure 4) is a way<br />
to test the performance<br />
of the air conditioner by<br />
measuring the enthalpy and<br />
the circulating air volume<br />
of the air at the inlet and<br />
outlet of the air conditioner.<br />
It consists of measuring the<br />
enthalpy difference of the<br />
inlet and outlet air inside the<br />
air conditioner chamber and<br />
calculate the air conditioner<br />
capacity through the heat<br />
exchanger air flow. The<br />
enthalpy is measured by<br />
measuring the temperatures<br />
of dry and wet bulbs (T-Ts<br />
method).<br />
When testing the IAC freely<br />
without setting the parameters<br />
from the manufacturer, the<br />
capacity of the unit would not<br />
be constant even if the ambient<br />
temperature is constant.<br />
The internal control of the<br />
unit will compensate for the<br />
thermal load of the room.<br />
The IAC unit will be checking<br />
the air temperature from<br />
time to time using its own<br />
censor and will adapt with the<br />
capacity being delivered to<br />
compensate the thermal load.<br />
If the unit determine that the<br />
temperature is going down in<br />
a cooling capacity test then<br />
the unit will realize that the<br />
capacity delivered is too much<br />
and it will reduce the capacity<br />
by reducing the compressor<br />
frequency. On the opposite<br />
side, if the ambient conditions<br />
are going up, then the unit<br />
would increase the capacity<br />
by increasing the compressor<br />
frequency and the fan speed and<br />
the electronic expansion valve<br />
on both sides of the unit. During<br />
the test of IAC, to maintain the<br />
unit on a fixed capacity, the<br />
operational parameters of the<br />
unit should be fixed (compressor<br />
frequency, electronic expansion<br />
valve and the fan speed).<br />
As one can see from how both<br />
testing methods function, the<br />
IAC with a variable capacity<br />
could not be tested using the<br />
calorimeter room method and<br />
is too difficult to test using the<br />
air enthalpy method. Therefore,<br />
in the current state of available<br />
technology, testing an IAC<br />
should require setting fixed<br />
parameters such as compressor<br />
speed and frequency and in<br />
some cases fan speed and the<br />
expansion valve opening. This<br />
could be done by manually<br />
involving a thermostat included<br />
in the unit or automatically<br />
with a preset parameters in<br />
what is called testing mode.<br />
This procedure aims to convert<br />
the IAC unit into a fixed speed<br />
compressor unit for testing<br />
purpose.<br />
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TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
International regulations and<br />
standards for testing IAC’s<br />
The test procedures for Air<br />
Conditioners are slightly different<br />
between each governing body.<br />
With different climates and<br />
equipment markets in each<br />
country, the high and low<br />
temperature test conditions<br />
each test procedure are slightly<br />
different. This section discusses<br />
the scope of each test procedure<br />
and reviews their similarities<br />
when testing the IAC’s[8].<br />
• ISO<br />
The ISO standard 5151, which is<br />
incorporated either by reference<br />
or in full by many countries,<br />
applies to non-ducted air-cooled<br />
ACs and air-to-air heat pumps,<br />
and small ducted ACs and heat<br />
pumps. The scope of the standard<br />
covers both packaged and split<br />
systems but limits the split<br />
systems to multi-split systems<br />
controlled by a single thermostat.<br />
The standard specifies that single<br />
capacity, variable capacity, and<br />
multiple capacity units are also<br />
covered.’<br />
• Australia<br />
The Australian standard, AU/<br />
NZ 3823.4.1, covers air-cooled<br />
ACs and air-to-air heat pumps.<br />
This test method is the ISO 16358<br />
standard, which incorporates<br />
the entire scope of ISO 5151, ISO<br />
13253, and ISO 15042. ISO 13253<br />
covers ducted air-cooled air<br />
conditioners and ducted air-to-air<br />
heat pumps. ISO 15042 is the test<br />
procedure that covers multi-split<br />
and multi-circuit non-ducted<br />
systems. Both single and variable<br />
capacity systems are covered.<br />
• China<br />
The Chinese standard GB/T 7725-<br />
2004 test procedure applies to<br />
non-ducted units with a cooling<br />
capacity below 14 kW. The units<br />
can be either water-cooled or aircooled.<br />
• European Union<br />
The EU test procedure covers<br />
both packaged and split system<br />
ACs and heat pumps. These<br />
products can be variable<br />
capacity by any means, ducted<br />
or non-ducted, single-split<br />
or multi-split systems. The<br />
definition for multi-split<br />
from the EU aligns with the<br />
US definition (below). As for<br />
IAC’s the EN 14511 clearly<br />
states that the setting of the<br />
frequency shall be done for<br />
each rating condition. The<br />
manufacturer shall provide in<br />
the documentation information<br />
about how to obtain the<br />
necessary data to set the<br />
required frequencies and/or<br />
the fan when different from<br />
the maximum one to set on the<br />
control device for a given rating<br />
condition.<br />
It even allows when skilled<br />
personnel with knowledge of<br />
control software is required<br />
for the start of the system, the<br />
manufacturer or the nominated<br />
agent should be in attendance<br />
when the system is being<br />
installed and prepared for tests.<br />
- Japan<br />
The Japanese standard JIS<br />
B 8615-1:2013 and JIS B<br />
9612:2013 applies to packaged<br />
and split system ACs with a<br />
rated cooling capacity of 10<br />
kW or less. Japan references<br />
ISO 5151 for its standard, with<br />
country specific adjustments to<br />
the testing conditions.<br />
• Korea<br />
Korea’s standard KS C 9306<br />
2017 test procedure is limited<br />
to packaged and split systems<br />
with a rated cooling capacity<br />
of 35 kW or less. The main<br />
deviation in scope from the<br />
other countries is the exclusion<br />
of split systems with multiple<br />
indoor units.<br />
• United States<br />
The test procedure established by<br />
the United States was updated in<br />
2017, and a new test procedure<br />
will go into effect in 2023. The<br />
current test procedure covers<br />
both heat pumps and ACs<br />
configured as single package<br />
units and split system units. The<br />
standard specifies that the split<br />
system units can be designed as<br />
multi-head mini split, multi-split,<br />
and multi-circuit systems.<br />
As a US certification body,<br />
the AHRI standard 1230-2010<br />
allows skilled personnel from<br />
the manufacturer to intervene<br />
to set the control software for<br />
an IAC. In addition to setting the<br />
compressor frequency needed<br />
to operate at targeted nominal<br />
capacity.<br />
- Canada<br />
The Canadian testing procedure<br />
are presented in the CSA EXP07<br />
SCOP, ICOP. It allows using both<br />
air enthalpy and calorimeter room<br />
methods depending on the type of<br />
the unit. It covers both fixed and<br />
variable speed compressor types.<br />
In all the presented standards,<br />
variable capacity units are<br />
currently tested at fixed<br />
compressor speeds. When<br />
installed, the speed of the<br />
compressor increases/decreases<br />
dynamically to condition the<br />
space. To test these units in<br />
a fixed-speed mode, a lab/<br />
testing body must contact the<br />
manufacturer to upload specific<br />
software or connect specific<br />
equipment to force the unit into<br />
a testing mode. The necessity of<br />
manufacturer intervention when<br />
testing these units opens up the<br />
procedure to interference by<br />
allowing changes to be made to<br />
the unit that are not present when<br />
operating in the field.<br />
While there is no other available<br />
solution in the present, both<br />
Canada and the EU are working<br />
to establish dynamic load-<br />
based test procedures for<br />
room air conditioners and heat<br />
pumps. These proposed test<br />
methods (CSA EXP07 and EN<br />
14825) use an adaptation of<br />
the psychrometric approach<br />
to introduce sensible and<br />
latent heat loads to the indoor<br />
room and test the unit’s<br />
control scheme for managing<br />
space temperature. The<br />
goal of developing these test<br />
procedures is to reflect the<br />
operation of a unit more closely<br />
in the field, which would better<br />
characterize unit operation at<br />
lower temperatures, better<br />
represent the efficiency gains<br />
associated with variable speed<br />
equipment and eliminate the<br />
ability to override controls.<br />
There are other initiatives such<br />
as keeping the same test method<br />
but introducing verification after<br />
or before the test to check that<br />
the inverter unit run at the same<br />
parameters in real life conditions<br />
than those used for the test.<br />
These test procedures are in the<br />
process of being developed, and<br />
some have raised concerns that<br />
the inherently dynamic nature of<br />
such test approaches may make<br />
them difficult to reproduce. Until<br />
one of these methods is valid<br />
enough, referring to a third-party<br />
certification body that controls<br />
the communication between the<br />
laboratory and the manufacturer<br />
could be the best available solution<br />
for testing an IAC by allowing<br />
Figure 5: Certified Air Conditioner by ECC following 2021 campaign<br />
Figure 6: test results for the 2020 qualification campaign<br />
the manufacturer to provide<br />
the required parameters for<br />
testing while ensuring no further<br />
modifications or intervention on<br />
the unit.<br />
Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
(ECC) feedback and experience<br />
Established in 1993, Eurovent<br />
Certita Certification is recognized<br />
as a world leader in third-party<br />
product performance certification<br />
in the Heating, Ventilation, Air<br />
Conditioning, and Refrigeration<br />
fields. In the Technical<br />
Certification Rules document<br />
(TCR)[9] for the Air-conditioners,<br />
it covers in its scope Comfort<br />
air cooled air conditioners and<br />
air/air heat pumps rated up to<br />
100 kW cooling capacity. The<br />
program follows the standards<br />
EN 14511 and EN 14825 for the<br />
testing methods and procedures.<br />
All the certified products and<br />
performances are available the<br />
ECC website [10].<br />
In application of the Certification<br />
Manual (CM) and the TCR of<br />
the program, ECC forbid any<br />
direct communication between<br />
the manufacturer and the<br />
laboratory. The communications<br />
should be restricted with those<br />
allowed by the standards such as<br />
installation/ start up procedure<br />
and information about the<br />
compressor frequency and fan<br />
speed for the case of inverter.<br />
This information is collected using<br />
a locked document provided to<br />
the manufacturer by ECC and the<br />
necessary information are then<br />
transferred to the laboratory. Any<br />
further required information by<br />
the laboratory should be acquired<br />
by the intermediate of the<br />
certification team.<br />
Currently ECC have 6217<br />
certified Air-Conditioner on its<br />
website. The IAC’s represent the<br />
larger part of these products<br />
(Figure 5). The control of all<br />
communication between the<br />
laboratory and the manufacturer<br />
guarantees the testing body<br />
should have all the required<br />
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TECHNICAL PAPER<br />
information for following<br />
the testing standards while<br />
restricting the intervention of<br />
the manufacturer not allowing<br />
any changes to be made to the<br />
unit that are not present when<br />
operating in the field. This could<br />
be visible in the results of the<br />
2020 surveillance campaign<br />
where 7% (Figure 6) of the<br />
tested seasonal efficiencies has<br />
been rerated, even though that<br />
the manufacturer provided the<br />
setting parameters for the IAC’s<br />
as allowed by the standards.<br />
Conclusion<br />
IAC and AC have a different<br />
type of compressor and though<br />
different functionality. According<br />
to the reviewed established test<br />
procedure, IAC’s are currently<br />
tested at fixed compressor<br />
speeds. To achieve that, the<br />
current test standards allow<br />
IAC manufacturer to lock the<br />
compressor speed for a desired<br />
rated capacity. This could be<br />
done by setting the parameters<br />
of the unit on each of the<br />
targeted capacity tests. This<br />
requires an allowed intervention<br />
of the manufacturer when<br />
testing these units which opens<br />
the procedure to interference.<br />
The EU and Canada are working<br />
on other test methods to<br />
prevent this intervention, in the<br />
meanwhile using a third-party<br />
certification body such as ECC<br />
proved to be an efficient method<br />
to perform the test while<br />
guaranteeing the minimum<br />
required intervention of the<br />
manufacturer.<br />
References<br />
[1 Grand View Research, “Air<br />
Conditioning Systems Market<br />
Size, Share & Trends Analysis<br />
Report By Type (Unitary, Rooftop,<br />
PTAC), By Technology (Inverter,<br />
Non-inverter), By End-use, By<br />
Region, And Segment Forecasts,<br />
2021 - 2028,” 2021. Accessed:<br />
Apr. 01, <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
[Online]. Available: https://www.<br />
grandviewresearch.com/industryanalysis/air-conditioning-systemsindustry#:~:text=Inverter%20<br />
segment%20dominated%20the%20<br />
air,share%20of%2065.6%25 %20<br />
in%202020.<br />
[2] Ankur Sharma, “Room air<br />
conditioners Focus shifting<br />
to inverters,” Motilal Oswal,<br />
Apr. 2017. https://www.<br />
motilaloswal.com/site/rreports/<br />
html/636288151341015916/index.<br />
htm (accessed Apr. 01, <strong>2022</strong>).<br />
[3] S. Mavuri, “Testing inverter type air<br />
conditioners for field performance,”<br />
Ecolibrium, pp. 44–49, 2014,<br />
[Online]. Available: www.gzlans.<br />
com<br />
[4] H. Hui, Y. Ding, and M. Zheng,<br />
“Equivalent Modeling of Inverter<br />
Air Conditioners for Providing<br />
Frequency Regulation Service,”<br />
IEEE Transactions on Industrial<br />
Electronics, vol. 66, no. 2, pp.<br />
1413–1423, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1109/<br />
TIE.2018.2831192.<br />
[5] S. Mavuri, “Field Behaviour of<br />
Inverter Air Conditioners Effect<br />
on Seasonal Performance,” I<br />
nternational Journal of Application<br />
or I nnovation in Engineering & M<br />
anagement (I JAI EM ), vol. 4, no. 8,<br />
Aug. 2015, [Online]. Available: www.<br />
ijaiem.org<br />
[6] A. Almogbel, F. Alkasmoul, Z.<br />
Aldawsari, J. Alsulami, and A.<br />
Alsuwailem, “Comparison of energy<br />
consumption between non-inverter<br />
and inverter-type air conditioner in<br />
Saudi Arabia,” Energy Transitions,<br />
vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 191–197, Dec. 2020,<br />
doi: 10.1007/s41825-020-00033-y.<br />
[7] G. Du, S. Zhou, Y. Zhou, and X.<br />
Liu, “ScienceDirect ScienceDirect<br />
Design of Performance Testing<br />
System for HVAC Based on<br />
Enthalpy Difference Method,”<br />
Procedia Engineering, vol. 205, pp.<br />
2156–2163, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.<br />
proeng.2017.10.035.<br />
[8 R. Carmichael, S. Widder, N.<br />
Baker, and J. Dewitt, “Domestic<br />
Air Conditioner Test Standards and<br />
Harmonization,” Washington, Mar.<br />
2020.<br />
[9] “AC | Eurovent Certita<br />
Certification.” https://www.<br />
eurovent-certification.com/<br />
en/third-party-certification/<br />
certification-programmes/ac<br />
(accessed Apr. 04, <strong>2022</strong>).<br />
[10]“Eurovent Certita Certification.”<br />
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[11]“Technologies | Daikin Reefer.”<br />
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technologies (accessed Apr. 01,<br />
<strong>2022</strong>).<br />
Webinar on Energy Efficiency<br />
of Air Handling Units in Hot<br />
and Humid Climates<br />
On 28 April <strong>2022</strong>, Eurovent, Eurovent Middle East and Eurovent Certita Certification<br />
hosted a joint webinar on energy efficiency of Air Handling Units in hot and humid<br />
climates, introducing the new energy label by Eurovent for AHUs for such conditions.<br />
Watch the recordings on our YouTube channel.<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
PHOTO STORY<br />
WOMEN’S DAY<br />
International Women’s Day is a strong reminder of the huge talent<br />
which still is largely untapped by our industry. Eurovent Middle East<br />
is grateful for the excellent contribution by its female members,<br />
partners and staff!<br />
WORLD IEQ<br />
Eurovent Middle East was happy to be a Knowledge Partner and<br />
panelist for the 6th edition of the World IEQ Forum of our media<br />
partner Climate Control Middle East.<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
EVENT SPOTLIGHT<br />
Ras Al Khaimah Municipality<br />
to hold inaugural Energy<br />
Summit<br />
• The first RAK Energy Summit will take place at the Al Hamra International<br />
Exhibition and Conference Center in Ras Al Khaimah on 4 – 5 October <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
• Event features international and regional experts and leaders from the<br />
government and the private sector to discuss emerging trends and initiatives in the<br />
field of sustainable energy.<br />
The Government of Ras Al<br />
Khaimah considers energy<br />
efficiency and adoption of<br />
renewable energy to be important<br />
drivers for the competitiveness<br />
and sustainability of its economy.<br />
In order to enhance dialogue<br />
within the industry and crosslearning<br />
opportunities across<br />
similar strategies in the region<br />
and in the world, Ras Al Khaimah<br />
Municipality announces the first<br />
RAK Energy Summit, held under<br />
the patronage of His Highness<br />
Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi,<br />
UAE Supreme Council Member<br />
and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.<br />
The first RAK Energy Summit<br />
will take place at the Al Hamra<br />
International Exhibition and<br />
Conference Center in Ras Al<br />
Khaimah on 4 – 5 October <strong>2022</strong>. It<br />
will bring together international<br />
and regional experts and leaders<br />
from the government and<br />
the private sector to discuss<br />
emerging trends and initiatives in<br />
the field of sustainable energy.<br />
The RAK Energy Efficiency and<br />
Renewables Strategy 2040 targets<br />
30% electricity savings, 20%<br />
water savings and 20% renewable<br />
energy in the generation mix<br />
by 2040. The Strategy, already<br />
Andrea Di Gregorio<br />
well underway through a<br />
multitude of programs and<br />
initiatives, connects with federal<br />
strategies and supports the<br />
UAE’s commitments to climate<br />
change mitigation as part of the<br />
UNFCCC.<br />
Reem, the Energy Efficiency<br />
and Renewables Office of Ras<br />
Al Khaimah Municipality has<br />
underlined its appreciation<br />
of HVAC technologies when it<br />
comes to meeting its targets.<br />
Andrea Di Gregorio, Executive<br />
Director, Reem, Ras Al Khaimah<br />
Municipality, said, “There are<br />
plenty of opportunities for HVAC<br />
manufacturers and distributors<br />
who can deliver high standards of<br />
product quality and service levels.<br />
We would like to have them more<br />
present here and help us develop<br />
the local market. Our office in<br />
the Municipality doesn’t typically<br />
buy their products directly but<br />
it is prepared to connect supply<br />
and demand. Therefore, industry<br />
players who want to have more<br />
visibility of areas of opportunity<br />
can reach out to us. We are here<br />
to support.”<br />
At the Summit, participants will<br />
discuss emerging trends in green<br />
buildings, building retrofits,<br />
efficient mobility, efficient<br />
water use and reuse, solar<br />
applications, energy from waste,<br />
and many other related topics.<br />
Besides presentations and panel<br />
discussions, the Summit will hold<br />
networking sessions and live<br />
demonstrations aimed at creating<br />
and contributing to the energy<br />
efficiency and renewable energy<br />
goals of the future.<br />
To find out more about the<br />
Summit, organised by Advanced<br />
Conferences and Meetings,<br />
you can visit http://www.<br />
rakenergysummit.com/<br />
www.eurovent.me MAY <strong>2022</strong> VOL. 01
NEWSLETTER<br />
ABOUT US<br />
Eurovent Middle East is the region's only industry association<br />
representing leading manufacturers of Indoor Climate (HVAC),<br />
Process Cooling, Food Cold Chain, Industrial Ventilation, and<br />
Building Automation Technologies, as well as sector associations<br />
and industry initiatives active in these fields. By thinking ‘Beyond<br />
HVACR', contributing manufacturers fulfil the highest requirements<br />
in terms of product quality and sustainability.<br />
CONNECT WITH US<br />
CONTACT OUR TEAM<br />
Dubai World Trade Centre<br />
Office 07, Dubai Association Centre, 2nd<br />
Floor, The Offices 2 at One Central<br />
P.O. Box 9292 Dubai<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
Phone (int.): +43 660 4012050<br />
Phone (UAE): +971 58 598 9931<br />
Email: office@eurovent.me<br />
Web: www.eurovent.me<br />
www.eurovent.me