ASHRAE Journal - March 2012 - 20

NEWS CONFERENCES

2012 AHR Expo
Smart Grid Becoming Critical
CHICAGO—Senior leaders of Danfoss talked about the market and policy outlook for 2012 during the company’s 17th annual press conference at the AHR Expo. Danfoss North America President John Galyen outlined three specific climate and energy challenges facing the industry— energy efficiency, the Smart Grid and refrigerants. Specifically, Galyen noted that the Smart Grid is becoming increasingly critical to HVAC since buildings consume 40% of all energy in the U.S. and demand is estimated to increase by 21% by 2030. “The way supply and demand are synced, the management of electrical power, and improving the efficiency of existing infrastructure, will continue to be critical issues moving forward. We’ll need to be aware of three main elements—demand response, energy efficiency and load management. Technologies like variable speed enable end users and utilities better load control and demand response benefits,” he said. Robert Wilkins, vice president, public affairs, said there is little change in policy expected at the national level. Meanwhile, manufacturers are moving ahead with developing equipment for hydrocarbons, using CO2 in supermarkets and industrial refrigeration, and considering HFC-32 for air conditioning. “The HVAC&R world continues to change,” Wilkins said. “It’s becoming more and more complex, with more refrigerants, more system types and new regional differences.”

LG introduced its new Multi V III VRF technology.

AHRI Product Certification Called Turning Point for VRF
CHICAGO—LG introduced its new Multi V III VRF technology and talked about the future of VRF in an interview with ASHRAE Journal staff. The Multi V III (http://tinyurl.com/7wghlvw) features a COP of 4.58 at full load, which translates to a 14% improvement over the Multi V II. The part-load COP for the V III is 5.3. In addition to gains in efficiency, the Multi V III creates less noise (77 dBA) and has a smaller footprint. As for the future of VRF, the VRF market in the U.S. is expected to reach $7.3 billion in 2013, a 40% increase over 2011. This expectation is being fueled in part because AHRI has added a Product Performance Certification Program for VRF manufacturers, said Teddy Hwang, executive vice president, global sales and marketing, and Kevin McNamara, vice president of commercial air conditioning. “I see this as a turning point in the industry,” said McNamara. “This is a performance-based certification done by a third party that enables engineers to see how VRF brands and technology compare with each other and with traditional HVAC technologies.”

Xylem Announces Apps
CHICAGO—Xylem’s Bell & Gossett, a water technology company spun off from ITT, announced at a press conference here that its ESP System Syzer® is now available for the iPhone and iPad. The free ESP-System Syzer includes a calculator for friction loss and velocity through pipe, based on fluid conditions. The application can be used to determine the relationship between fluid temperature, system flow and heat/cooling load. Also, a Cv tool can help in multiple ways. http://tinyurl.com/6lkepqc. Also, Xylem announced that the Bell & Gossett’s Little Red Schoolhouse® has been approved by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) as a provider of continuing education for LEED professionals. http://tinyurl.com/7dh2jp9
20 ASHRAE Journal

Daikin displayed multisplit systems, energy recovery ventilator, and many more products.

Daikin Says It’s Sales Leader
CHICAGO—Daikin AC (Americas), Inc., announced that it had achieved the position of number one in HVAC sales worldwide in 2011. In addition to this news, Daikin displayed a number of product line enhancements for 2012, and gave a series of live training presentations in its booth. Attendees stood three and four deep in the aisle as the new AHRI 1230 VRF standard was presented, along with the company’s announcements on the enhanced VRF product lines and new control offerings. On the residential side, Daikin displayed the new streamlined L-Series Single-Split products with efficiencies up to SEER 24.5, introducing a unique three-tier strategy that should resoashrae.org March 2012

ASHRAE Journal - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - March 2012