Contribution by GreenDKinSEA member, Ramboll
Owners of commercial buildings in Southeast Asia face similar challenges to those encountered by their European counterparts—escalating energy costs, intensified investor focus on green, sustainable properties with documented energy efficiency, and stricter regulations on energy consumption and performance.
In September 2024, Ramboll Denmark collaborated with the Danish Trade Council at the Embassy of Denmark in Singapore to conduct six energy surveys in commercial buildings across Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These buildings, spanning an age range of two to 15 years, are classified as "new" or "newer."
The project included a close collaboration with Danish solution providers and aimed to realize energy savings by applying a range of solutions in a holistic approach.
The surveys all showed plenty of room for energy savings—up to 12-25%—even in the newest buildings. These savings come from aligning energy use more closely with actual cooling and ventilation needs. Practical steps to get there include using ultra-efficient pumps, fans, and valves, insulating cooling pipes, and bringing in smart meters and AI-powered energy management.
In large commercial buildings, chillers cool water that’s sent to Air Handling Units (AHUs) or Fan Coil Units (FCUs). To keep chillers running efficiently, it’s important to maintain a big temperature difference between the outgoing and returning water—both on the cool and warm sides. Chillers also use less energy at slightly higher water temperatures: raising the chilled water temperature by just one degree Celsius can save around 5% on energy. There are several ways to help keep this temperature gap steady so the chiller meets the building’s real-time cooling needs efficiently.
Here’s a breakdown of specific recommendations targeting the energy used for cooling, which makes up close to 50% of the total energy consumption in many commercial buildings:
Proper insulation of chilled water pipes is critical in humid and hot climates to curtail thermal losses and prevent humidity from condensing on the pipes—an issue that causes increased cooling demands and losses. The Danish company Rockwool offers efficient solutions for insulating chilled water pipes.
Circulation pumps circulate chilled and condensate water in tall buildings. They are often very large and sometimes oversized to avert operation complications. Many modern buildings now employ variable Speed Drivers (VSDs) to modulate pump speeds according to the actual cooling needs. Upgrading to high-efficiency, correctly sized pumps with direct VSD responding to the building's actual need for cooling, such as those by the Danish company Grundfos, can yield substantial energy savings.
Air Handling Units provide fresh air to the building occupants. Optimally, fresh air supply should be limited to occupied areas only. Occupancy can be detected using PIR sensors or CO2 sensors that can give a signal to highly efficient Axial fans with VFDs. The current AHU fans are typically belt-driven, leading to energy losses and the need for frequent maintenance. Transitioning to High Efficiency Axial Fans can substantially boost energy efficiency by 80-85% and cut maintenance costs by up to 80%, as there's no need to service belts or bearings. An example is the ventilation fans from the Danish company Novenco.
Fan Coil Units (FCUs) rely on chilled water for localized cooling and usually require several valves for flow control. A single pressure-independent Control Valve (PICV), like those from the Danish company FRESE, can replace traditional multi-valve setups, reducing pressure losses and enabling circulation pumps to operate at reduced pressures, thus conserving energy.
Smart Meters are advanced meters that register the flow of chilled water can be used for energy distribution analytics within a building or to internally bill energy consumption. They can also send signals to regulating valves to maintain the highest possible temperature difference for the chilled water, thus conserving energy. This project included a collaboration with the Danish metering company Kamstrup for providing super reliable hydronic meters.
Energy Management and Building Management Systems: Most commercial buildings are equipped with a Building Management System (BMS), which allows the building managers to set required temperatures and operating parameters for pumps, fans, etc. Some BMS also track energy consumption and equipment efficiency over time, although not as a primary function. Installing a smart energy management system offers real-time monitoring of actual energy consumption and technical system efficiencies and can directly alert management or adjust valves or other installations to optimize energy use. This project included a collaboration with the energy management system developer Digital Commissioning, which specializes in providing sophisticated real-time energy management systems.
Bringing these tried-and-tested Danish energy tech solutions to commercial buildings in Southeast Asia can lead to big gains in energy efficiency and cost savings, all while contributing to a greener built environment.
With Danish tech like advanced chiller insulation, high-efficiency pumps and fans, and smart water circulation, energy costs can drop significantly. Upgrades in air handling, like using High Efficiency Axial Fans, make operations smoother and cheaper. These improvements not only boost energy performance but also meet the region's growing push for sustainable building standards and investments.
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