ASHRAE Journal - May 2014 - 6

CREDIT: ANDREI LITIu/ REHVA

industry news

ASHRAE President William P. Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., cuts the ribbon to open ACREX 2014
at the Pragati Maidan fairgrounds in New Delhi alongside Dipak Barma, national president of ISHRAE, and Ashish Rakheja, chairman of ACREX India 2014. Thirty thousand
visitors attended from 25 countries to see offerings from 400 exhibitors at the 2014
edition of ACREX.

Efficiency Only Option
For India's Growth
Sheer numbers of people
NEW DELHI, India-Some
combined with improv30,000 attendees and more
ing levels of comfort will
than 400 suppliers from 25
countries gathered Feb. 27 to dramatically impact energy
consumption.
March 1 here at the ACREX
"Energy efficiency is no
trade fair to explore how to
capitalize on India's building more an option, but a necessity to prevent power crisis
boom.
as well as conserve
Consider this.
the environment,"
About 75% of the
said Ashish Rakheja,
buildings predicted
chairman, ACREX
to exist in India
India 2014. Rakheja
in 2030 have not
is a member of
been built. Analysts
ASHRAE and former
expect thermal
president of ISHRAE,
energy demand to
Rakheja
grow by nearly 700% by 2050 the Indian HVAC&R association that organizes the
compared to 2005 and resiannual exhibition. "Three
dential energy use to grow
more Indias will be built in
even faster. Between 2001
the next 20 to 25 years."
and 2011, India added 181
India is in the process
million people, nearly the
of implementing its first
entire population of Brazil,
and soon India will have the building energy code. First
issued in 2007 by the Indian
greatest share of the world's
Bureau of Energy Efficiency
building stock.
(BEE) and updated in 2008,
6

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construction and upgrading
the code remains voluntary
of hospitals. One of the most
until it is adopted by the
well-attended educational
individual Indian states. To
programs offered at ACREX
date, only a few of the 28
was an ASHRAE course on
states have done so.
health-care facility design.
Aimed at commercial
A visitor looking to build
buildings, the Energy
on demand for more
Conservation Building
Code (ECBC) sets minimum energy-efficient technologies was Ajay Kumar
energy standards for commercial buildings with loads Agarwal, a management
consultant from Resource
that are greater than 100
Management Associates.
kW or 120 kVA, but it can
"I'm working on cost savings
be applied to residential
in relation to using green
complexes as well. Because
technology. My model is to
the greatest growth in India
help my clients who will be
between now and 2050 is
expected to be in residential working in consultation with
engineers to know
floor space, engiabout the potential
neers say applicasavings from the
tion of the code in
design stage."
that sector is essenAgarwal thinks to
tial to control India's
save energy more
increasing energy
education is needed.
appetite.
"We need to learn
For suppliers in
Agarwal
from the Americans and
the construction market,
the rest of the world on how
India means opportunity.
to minimize demand-side
"The Indian HVAC market
losses," he says. He thinks
is expected to grow by 30%
not only is new technology
to over 2.35 billion Euro
and equipment needed but
over the next two years,"
also a change in behavior.
said Dipak Barma, ISHRAE
"Our behavior is not-sopresident. "Between 2005
good in terms of optimal use
and 2010 the HVAC sector
grew to be a 1.17 billion Euro of energy," he says. "We leave
the main on even when
industry."
the equipment is off. So we
Growth in the retail, hoswaste. We are champions of
pitality, health-care and
energy losses. I am trying to
commercial services sectors
wake people up to that."
are expected to fuel 15%
One designer bullish on
to 20% annual growth for
the Indian market is Satish
HVAC according to analysts.
N. Iyengar from Bangalore.
Plans by the Indian govern"The HVAC market is boomment to shift expansion of
ing. The residential market
the health-care infrastrucis booming. We are having
ture to private concerns
huge office towers installed.
and promotion of India
And a lot of VRF systems are
as a destination for the
coming. There are 15 players
medical tourism industry
now in this market. I was
especially have boosted the

ASHRAE Journal - May 2014

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