Ram Kodali

DUBAI, UAE, 10 December 2019: There is massive energy saving potential that can be achieved from integrating quality HVAC and lighting equipment across the built-environment, said Ram Kodali, Business Development Manager, Gerab Energy Systems, who highlighted the need for greater adoption of such solutions. He said that with these systems placing the highest burden on the GCC region’s energy grid, a more proactive and holistic move towards demand-side management is vital, with many countries, such as the UAE, moving towards a diverse renewable energy mix and with solar poised to be the future. “I see good opportunity to improvise and do more innovative solutions in the future for both new and retrofit projects,” he said.

Kodali emphasised that stakeholders must not forget that air conditioning and lighting accounts for 60-65% of the energy consumption of a typical 20- or 30-floor commercial or residential project, with other components coming from motors and lifts having only minimal impact. “If in a given project, we are able to reduce 65% to 30%, that’s a huge contribution,” he said. Kodali added that it is important to look at a building holistically and not only stop at addressing one aspect. “These lights, when you consume them, also radiate a certain amount of heat into the air,” he said, adding that inefficient lighting can also lead to greater requirement for cooling. As such, he said, Gerab recommends for building owners to switch to LED, which offers the same output at 120 watt compared to the 250-watt consumption of traditional systems. Kodali also emphasised sustainability should be at the forefront of every company philosophy. He said, “We are selling a technology, but we also have to keep in mind the importance of contributing to reduce the carbon footprint to enable us to reduce global warming, enable us to survive and keep the planet safe.”