PEOPLE sweat and may dehydrate, especially during the summer months, in countries that have hot and humid climates with temperatures ranging from 24 degree Celsius (75.2 Fahrenheit) to 45 degree Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
Some can even suffer from heat stroke like in a tropical country, such as the Philippines. That’s why the use of air conditioners has become compulsory, even if it is one of the factors that impact electricity consumption.
Now that the real estate and tourism industries are flourishing in the country, the sales growth of air-conditioners has increased tremendously and it will continue to do so. On the other hand, air-conditioning will also use great amounts of power and according to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley Lab, use of air-conditioners means more refrigerants that are potent greenhouse gases.
The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency predicts that in a warming world, the increase in emissions from air-conditioning will be faster than the decline in emissions from heating; as a result, the combined greenhouse impact of heating and cooling will begin rising soon after 2020 and then shoot up fast through the end of the century.
Daikin, a leading global air conditioning manufacturer, has strived to solve the problems by reducing the environmental impact of their products through the use of energy-efficient inverter technology and HFC-32, a refrigerant with low global-warming potential. Since their market introduction in 2012, HFC-32 air-conditioners have sold 10 million units worldwide and, combined with inverter technology, which contributed to a reduction of 45 million tons-carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to half the amount of CO2 emitted by passenger cars in Japan in one year.
In a recent news conference held at Conrad Manila, Daikin introduced the VRV X and the VRV A Series—the VRV system air conditions each room individually. Hence, it is ideal for the constantly changing occupancy of a typical building. Even further, precise level control is possible that reacts to the exact conditions in each room. Individual control promotes a far more economical and efficient system. “At Daikin, we have a strong advocacy in promoting the use of AC products that are ‘future proof,’ promote energy savings and preserve the environment,” Daikin Philippines President Lee Wai Kok said.
Using data gathered from actual operation, Daikin discovered that air-conditioning systems operate at partial—half or less than 80 percent of their annual operation period. This inspired Daikin to develop new technologies to enhance energy efficiency when operating only with few units in a multiple air-conditioning system.
Utilizing these technologies, Kok said that Daikin’s new VRV X and VRV A series raise the standards for energy efficiency. By uniting advanced software and hardware technologies, these greatly increased the energy saving during operation.
The VRT smart control technology optimizes the compressor speed by calculating the required cooling for the entire system and optimal refrigerant temperature based on data sent by each air-conditioning unit. With its air-volume control, it reduces compressor load and minimizes operation loss. VRT control ensures energy savings and comfortable air-conditioning to meet the needs of the consumers.
Daikin’s research and development team continuously improve the VRV system. By incorporating this new hardware technology, a new scroll compressor refrigerant leakage is minimized when operating only with few units in a multiple air-conditioning system.
On the other hand, Daikin Philippines also revealed its Fusion 20 strategic management plan, under the formulated Environmental Action Plan 2020 in their recent media briefing. Daikin aims to reduce worldwide greenhouse-gas emissions and achieve sustainable business growth, and protect the environment.
Under Daikin’s Environmental Action Plan 2020, Daikin is taking action based on three pillars:
1) By providing environmental friendly products and services;
2) By minimizing environmental impact through manufacturing and other activities; and
3) By expanding the Green Heart circle worldwide.
“Since air-conditioners emit a particularly large amount of CO2 during its lifecycle, we are focusing on disseminating the use of energy-efficient air-conditioners that use low-global-warming-potential refrigerants,” Wok added.
By penetrating the global market, the Daikin group sold about 6.5 million of RAC units in 48 countries, and about 15 million units with R32 refrigerants sold. Estimated 27 million tons of CO2 emission reduced. By converting to R32, Daikin projected the reduction of global warming impact in 2030 by approximately 800 million tons of CO2.
Daikin has identified R32 as a very beneficial refrigerant for single and multisplit type air-conditioners. R32 is the next-generation refrigerant that has highest cooling power, zero ozone-depletion potential and lowest global-warming potential versus other refrigerants in the market. When looking for a new air-conditioning for any application, Daikin believes that consumers should not only look for inverter, but consumers should look for R32 inverter.
Daikin believes that the transition to R32 will help to meet both the HFC phasedown schedule and the HCFC phaseout schedule of the Montreal Protocol. Daikin is now in the process of further study to identify a suitable refrigerant for the other applications.