One thing is clear; We must limit the long‐term increase in average global temperatures to 1.5 °C. Following the Paris Accords and the targets set by the International Energy Agency (IEA), most nations in the world now agree that a transformation of the entire energy system is the way to achieve this imperative goal.
Electricity from sustainable sources becomes the primary source of energy, and this also affects the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in buildings – small as well as large.
Design zero-carbon-ready HVAC systems
Following IEA’s charter ‘Net Zero Emissions by 2050’, buildings have to become ‘zero-carbon-ready’ by 2050. In order to become that, the building has to be highly energy efficient or solely depend on renewable energy sources, such as wind power or solar power. More and more private owners of residential houses install a reversible heat pump to become more energy efficient, and now the transformation of HVAC in larger buildings has begun too.
With an update of the OJ Air2 controller, developers and manufacturers can integrate ventilation, heating, cooling, and moisture control in one system and thereby help improve energy efficiency tremendously.
Earn the benefits of integrated systems
By integrating ventilation, rotary heat exchanger, heat pump, and heat recovery solution in one closed system, you obtain one very obvious aesthetic amendment.
“Most architects loathe having multiple outdoor units placed upon their building design, so by integrating everything, you make building HVAC almost invisible. But that is, of course, not all! By integrating everything, you can improve the overall COP/EER (Coefficient Of Performance/Energy Efficiency Ratio) significantly, and this is a great step towards becoming ‘zero-carbon-ready’.
Using the OJ Air2 to control your compressor and 4-way heat pump valve and placing the rotary heat exchanger between the condenser and the evaporator, you can gain significant carbon emission reductions and improve the indoor climate in the building – all in one step.“
Jens Antonsen, Product Manager, OJ Electronics
Transformation has begun
To underline the importance of the impending transformation, both the IEA as well as individual countries have taken measures to ensure speedy progress. By 2030 all new buildings must be zero-carbon-ready; from 2030 onwards, 2.5% of all old/existing buildings are to be retrofitted yearly to meet the zero-carbon requirements. Heating and cooling play a major part in this.
The OJ Air2 controller is ideal in both cases – establishing new HVAC solutions in new buildings and retrofitting existing systems – and there is much to achieve either way. In the EU, legislation gradually changes the requirements for energy efficiency. For example, the installation of new gas boilers will be banned by 2025. As a consequence, the conversion to electric HVAC solutions is accelerating.
Buildings hold great potential for improvements in energy efficiency
According to the IEA, buildings hold the greatest potential for improving energy efficiency before 2030. Today around 1% of all buildings within the EU are zero-carbon-ready. By 2030 that number is expected to be around 20%.
The number of countries to have pledged to achieve IEA’s net‐zero emissions now constitutes some 70% of global CO2 emissions. So, the task of retrofitting or installing new HVAC solutions in buildings across the globe is both substantial and terribly urgent.
By 2050, all zero-carbon-ready buildings will be marked ‘Zero Carbon’.
If you want to know more about OJ Air2 or OJ Air Cloud®, or want to talk about how your HVAC solutions can help make buildings zero-carbon-ready, please, don’t hesitate to contact Jens Antonsen.