Dubai, UAE, 20 September 2018: Eurovent Middle East discussed the inroads VRF technology is making in the market, during the latest installment of its ‘HVACR Leadership Workshop’ series, on September 19, in Dubai. During the opening address, Markus Lattner, Director, Eurovent Middle East, spoke about the association’s recent milestones, and its profile of activities as a voice for manufacturers “for the region, out of the region and in the region”. Lattner outlined the agenda of the seminar, which featured presentations from multiple stakeholders on key issues regarding VRF technology.

Omar Dawood, Technical Sales Manager- System Air Conditioners, Samsung Gulf Electronics, kicked off the seminar with a comprehensive presentation on the benefits of VRF technology and the need for better performing equipment following consumer demand for energy-efficient solutions. Dawood spoke on the merits of VRF technology, with regard to addressing temperature fluctuations, its architectural benefits and highlighted how the system offers itself as a modular equipment solution. Dawood stressed that increasing awareness of global warming, and the need for environmental protection, have paved the way for the technology in the region.

Dr Asit Kumar Dutta, Manager, Technical and Engineering Department, Fujitsu General (Middle East), delved deep into VRF specifications in the move to unravel the misperceptions associated with the technology. Dr Dutta touched on issues related to key components, such as the compressor, expansion valve, fat motors and the printed circuit board (PCB). Dr Dutta also highlighted the main criterion driving the selection of VRF technology, such as energy efficiency, installation freedom, ease of transportation, availability of software and user-friendly controls. Dr Dutta, concluded his session by highlighting how preventive maintenance can increase the longevity and extend the lifetime of the unit up to 15 years. Proper tuning of the main parts can also determine best cooling performance, he added.

Bibin Thomas, Business Development Manager, Adel Electronics, spoke on how VRF installers can add value to the overall operation and efficiency of the technology, providing audiences with a step-by-step overview of the installation process and best practice in this regard. Thomas provided a number of installation recommendations, in relation to testing and commissioning reports, alternative piping and insulation materials. Thomas stressed that demand for qualified installation professionals is growing, citing the 17% increase in VRF jobs between 2015 and 2017 as an example of the gap in the market. He emphasised that skilled installers play a vital role in optimising product performance.

Michel Farah, Vice-Chairman, Eurovent Middle East, Director – Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility, Daikin Middle East and Africa, provided a comprehensive overview of VRF regulatory requirements in the GCC region, in a move to provide attendees with greater clarity on the different parameters being specified by respective authorities. In discussing current regulation and labels of countries in the region, Farah emphasised the burden of cost placed on manufacturers that look to enter new markets, driven by the need to comply with the spectrum of labels and regulations. This, he said, is why the Eurovent supports efforts to unify regulations in the GCC region. Farah also spoke on how MEPS regulations and labelling programmes help shift the market towards higher efficiencies, why revisions of GCC regulation need to involve stakeholders to be efficient and how air conditioning variable speed trends can play an important role in achieving energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets. Farah also called for a gradual move from EER to SEER for T3 conditions, to demonstrate the real year-round energy efficiency and savings.

Dharmesh Sawant, Senior Manager, LG Electronics, spoke on the feasibility of VRF in residential applications, urging stakeholders to look beyond capital cost and take into account other factors that offer long-term gains. He presented a case study of a luxury villa to highlight how VRF technology was able to address client requirements, including compliance with Green Building guidelines, system longevity and latent load control, especially as the villa, being close to the sea, suffers from humidity and reduced electricity consumption. Sawant also highlighted the considerable opex savings the technology offers, the importance of redundancy, in the event there is a failure in a module, as well online remote monitoring features, in order to reduce service downtime.

To conclude the event, Midea also provided an overview of numbers and figures related to the uptake of VRF technology in the context of the global HVACR market and made a case on how the product can be optimised as a retrofit solution to address inefficiencies in existing building stock.

Hannah Jo Uy is Assistant Editor at Climate Control Middle East magazine. She may be contacted at hannah@cpi-industry.com