Energy efficiency: is the tail wagging the dog?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”, so begins Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, one of his very few historical novels with a plot that centres on the years leading up to the French Revolution. Circumstances today are very different of course and yet I have heard these same words used to describe the ACR industry’s predicament in today’s energy conscious, low carbon driven market.

There is little doubt that air conditioning and refrigeration systems consume an awful lot of energy. It has even been estimated that refrigeration systems could use as much as 15 percent of the total energy consumed world wide. For many end-users, their total energy cost is dominated by that consumed by ACR systems and with energy prices continuing to rise, it is hardly surprising that they are looking at energy saving schemes.

Energy efficiency is now widely regarded as not only making sound economic sense, but also as the most important first step in making a transition to a low carbon environmental policy. As a consequence, there is a general enthusiasm and interest shown by many end-users in improving energy efficiency and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So, it would seem natural to assume that as the experts in the systems that are amongst the largest consumers of energy, the air conditioning and refrigeration sector, should be set to reap the benefits of its expert knowledge and be achieving unprecedented demand for its services. It is true that we are often the first port of call for enquires of this nature but all too often this turns out to be an initial picking of our brains for ideas and then an ‘energy assessor or consultant’ or called in to provide a report.

The growth in the number of energy assessors and energy consultants is staggering. It is rare to find an end user who has not had an energy audit carried out by one of this growing breed. There are also ‘low carbon consultants’ and the very soon to be, ‘air-conditioning inspectors’, to meet the air conditioning inspections requirement of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

For the ACR industry, this raises a number of important questions, for whilst there is a role for these energy professionals, surely the best advice will come from ACR contractors and designers who know how to reduce the energy consumption of the systems, backed by the specialist industry knowledge of the many suppliers who are now able to deliver energy efficient components? Is the ACR industry not best placed to be carrying out these audits and carrying out the often lucrative modifications? Many end-users think not, but why is that?

Integrated Approach

Perhaps the EPBD holds one key to the answer to these questions. It covers all aspects of energy efficiency in buildings in an attempt to establish an integrated approach to reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint. It is intended that this integrated approach will take account of aspects such as heating and cooling installations, lighting, the position of the building, heat recovery, etc. Here in lies perhaps one answer as to why ACR professionals can only form one part of the solution that clients are now looking for. Energy assessors look at the whole site energy consumption of which the ACR system is always only a part, even if it is a large chunk.

Opportunity

However, very few energy assessors are air conditioning and refrigeration experts and all too often, reports are written in very general terms and concentrate on other energy consuming items; lighting is always a popular area for them, even when the refrigeration systems on the site is the largest energy consumer. To have an energy saving initiative driven in this way feels like the tail wagging the dog.

However, there is a quiet revolution taking place led by companies such as The Integrated Energy Partnership who will support air conditioning and refrigeration contractors in preparing a comprehensive energy audit complete with a detailed report and proposal which covers all site services. This puts the ACR contractor back in the driving seat and able to offer their clients the benefit of their unique site knowledge and expertise.

Charles Dickens’ tale ends with one of the main characters losing their head by Guillotine, and whilst nothing quite so drastic awaits the ‘heads’ of ACR companies who fail to move with the times, the ‘best of times’ surely awaits those that offer the integrated energy approach.