Decarbonization and the HVACR Industry
The Challenge Ahead
Almost 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions stem from the built environment, positioning the HVACR industry at the forefront of efforts to confront climate change. The pursuit of ambitious decarbonization goals will continue to impact every facet of our industry, encompassing the design and production of new equipment, the establishment and implementation of evolving regulations and standards, the incorporation of enhanced materials and technologies like refrigerants, building automation systems including AI & Controls, and more. It will involve managing energy sources and consumption, addressing distribution and supply chain challenges, ramping up communication and education industry-wide, assessing the financial viability and sustainability of proposed solutions, and a myriad of other aspects. It’s a daunting challenge. Amid fast-paced and unprecedented change, one thing is certain…
To succeed, it’s going to take all of us.
Insights from Industry Leaders on Decarbonization
(Excerpts from the 2024 AHR Expo Trend report)
“ASHRAE had taken a proactive approach to advancing building decarbonization efforts through the development of comprehensive standards and guidance. The ASHRAE Task Force on Building Decarbonization published the Building Performance Standards: A Technical Resource Guide, which was developed to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy.”
— Ginger Scoggins, ASHRAE
“Building owners around the U.S are fighting to show their C-suite or Board the expected ROI of decarbonization & this is a pain point we recognize. Using tools like BEST software help building owners make informed decisions about their buildings systems by modeling lifecycle costs and predicted usage. You cannot fix what you don’t measure and with decarbonization, the progress will be incremental at first but will provide exponential change to our buildings.”
— John Mullen, IAPMO/RPA
“Earlier this year, New York became the first state to officially ban natural gas connections in new construction and is following California’s lead in phasing out the use of gas and liquid fuel appliances in the next decade. These are policies designed to leverage these states’ market power to force a shift from products using carbon-based fuels to those using heat pump technology.”
— Cindy Sheridan, PHCC
“Digitalization is critical to opening new opportunities for decarbonization, in addition to other important areas of building performance like IAQ, cost management and business continuity. Net zero leadership is easier than ever with our OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings offering, which is a proven path for organizations to reliably reach decarbonization and renewable energy goals, while optimizing building performance.”
— David Budzinski, Johnson Controls
“The latest advancements in heat pump technology illustrate how the industry has changed in recent years to move towards new technologies and point towards a future of HVAC with sustainability as a cornerstone of design. The energy-efficient nature of heat pump technology is revolutionary, and recent innovations, combined with public interest and incentives for widespread adoption by government agencies, are driving the industry forward and expanding the implementation of more electrified solutions. This will not only change the HVAC industry but will also make contributions to decarbonizing our communities and reducing emissions overall for the built environment.”
— David Rames, Midea
Decarbonization Sessions from the 2024 Chicago AHR Expo
-
![]()
Navigating to a Greener Future: How Decarbonization and Innovation is Leading Our Markets
Monday, Jan. 22 / Presented by BSRIA Ltd.
Aline Breslauer, Lone Hansen, Nicola Fallowfield-Smith, Socrates Christidis -
![]()
Decarbonization to Use Less Electricity - In Budget
Monday, Jan. 22 / Presented by RPA - IAPMO
Rick Bostian -
![]()
Revolutionary Energy Management: Rethinking the Paradigm
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by LonMark International
Tracy Markie -
![]()
Navigating to a Greener Future: How Decarbonization and Innovation is Leading Our Markets
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by BSRIA Ltd.
Aline Breslauer, Lone Hansen, Nicola Fallowfield-Smith, Socrates Christidis -
![]()
The Future of Energy Management: ESG, Decarbonization, and Electrification
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by AutomatedBuildings.com
Brad White -
![]()
Adiabatic Humidification Technologies for Decarbonization
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by AHRI
Nicholas Lea -
![]()
Redefining Comfort: Decarbonization's Impact on the HVAC Industry
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by Women in HVACR
Karen Meyers -
![]()
Decarbonizing Building Space Heating In Cold Climates: Air-Source VRF Heat Pump Systems
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by ASHRAE
Dave Lis, Hugh Henderson, Kevin Frost, Mohammad Heidarinejad -
![]()
Leveraging Radiant and Hydronics to Achieve Decarbonization Goals
Tuesday, Jan. 23 / Presented by RPA - IAPMO
Hailey Mick -
![]()
The Decarbonization Countdown: What’s in Store for Commercial HVAC Systems
Wednesday, Jan. 24 / Presented by Women in HVACR
Kimberly Llewellyn
New products and technology that address Decarbonization continue to be a main area of focus on the AHR Expo show floor.
The following is a small sample of the hundreds of manufacturers that will displayed decarbonization-related products and technology at the 2024 AHR Expo in Chicago:
Decarbonization Success Stories
Good things are happening! We hope to add many more positive case studies in the future. If you’re an AHR Expo exhibitor and would like to submit a success story, please let us know.
Decarbonizing the heat supply of a thriving port city
Heating Homes with Zero Carbon Emissions: Parker’s Heatric Heat Exchanger (PCHE) is a key component in Electro-Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) systems. This technology is being used to decarbonize the heat supply of Esbjerg, Denmark, where the port city’s thriving offshore wind infrastructure enables the use of renewable power as a source for the generation of heating energy. Due to the location of Port of Esbjerg, renewable power from nearby wind farms and seawater will be used as a heat source for the generation of heating energy, guaranteeing an emission-free alternative to the city’s current coal-fired power plant. Featuring two ETES heat-pump systems, it will supply around 100,000 residences with approximately 235,000 MWh of heat annually. Parker’s Heatric PCHE enables commercial-scale, sustainable clean energy systems by maximizing the output generated by renewables. Compared to energy-related coal burning each year, it eliminates NOx /SOx pollutants and 100,000 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Water source heat pumps revamp an iconic Seattle building
Bosch Home Comfort is bringing its innovative water source heat pumps to one of the most iconic buildings in Seattle—the Columbia Center. All 2,500 units in the building are being replaced with Bosch QV Series and LM Series heat pumps over the course of 7-10 years. The installation team is replacing the equipment floor-by-floor for all 76 floors of the building, which boasts 1.5 million square feet. Two other recent examples include two solutions that we will be featuring at AHR: the GreenTronic 7000 T Hybrid Electric Water Heater and the IDS Ultra Heat Pump, which recently met the DOE’s Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge.
A holistic approach to healing a sick building
When it began ‘raining’ in the Towson Court House a leaky roof was assumed to be the culprit, according to project leaders at the Maryland Department of General Services (DGS), the state’s property manager. For Courtney League, DGS’ Chief of the Facilities Engineering Division, and Harry Hughes, Project Manager for Design, Construction and Energy, the truth turned out to be much stranger.
There was such negative air pressure in the building from the HVAC system that outside water was literally being sucked in through the perimeter walls and joints,” said League. “Ceiling tiles were visibly billowing and warping even though the roof itself was fine.” All of this hinted at the ongoing internal climate battle the building team faced. With outside air constantly flowing into the building, it became impossible to maintain temperatures at comfortable levels; residents consistently complained about pockets of hot and cold air, as well as humidity and dampness throughout the building.
At first, DGS took a traditional approach to fixing the building, focusing on individual pieces of equipment like chillers, pumps and air handlers. DGS’ maintenance team replaced air handling units, many of which were several decades old. When that didn’t solve the comfort issues, the DGS engineering team invited Jae Chon, Director of Strategic Markets at Chesapeake Systems, a Maryland-based HVAC consultant and equipment distributor, to evaluate the building system. Chon soon discovered it wasn’t a few pieces of old and faulty equipment; the entire HVAC system was completely unbalanced - dampers blowing into empty ceiling spaces, vital equipment plated up, control switches inexplicably disconnected, tarps hidden in crawl spaces to redirect water and more. Each “fix” to a seemingly isolated part of the system was, in fact, impacting the entire building. Chon, League and Hughes determined that simply replacing the existing equipment would not heal this sick building. A more holistic approach was necessary, one in which each piece of equipment was viewed as a node in a larger, synergistic system.