DUBAI, UAE, 6 December 2023: India was ‘Country of Honour’ during the 13th Edition of the Climate Control Awards, popularly known as the ‘Oscars of the HVACR Industry’. Held on 6 December 2023 in Dubai, UAE, the Awards ceremony was an occasion to recognise India for its multi-dimensional accomplishments in the fields of HVACR and allied industries, CPI Industry, publishers of Climate Control Middle East magazine, and producers of the Climate Control Awards, said.

Moan Abraham, President, ISHRAE (Indian Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers), UAE Sub-Chapter, and Dr Rajendra Shende, Former Director, UNEP, received the iconic CCA Trophy, as representatives of India. Surendar Balakrishnan, Co- Founder & Editorial Director, CPI Industry, and Frederic Paille, Co-Founder & Commercial Director, CPI Industry, presented the trophy. Abraham is a veteran of the HVACR industry in the GCC region. Dr Shende is a Former Advisor to the Government of India and the Coordinating Lead Author of IPCC-2007, which won the Nobel Peace Prize for its impact- filled work on mitigating climate change.

While presenting the trophy, CPI Industry read a citation, which noted that the construction sector in India is predicted to become the world’s third largest by 2025, primarily driven by residential construction. This factor will ultimately push the Indian HVACR market to a massive 16% CAGR till 2030, the citation highlighted.

L:R: Surendar Balakrishnan, Moan Abraham, Dr Rajendra Shende and Frédéric Paillé

India also has a Cooling Action Plan, the citation pointed out. Air conditioners operating in India in 2022 consumed about 175 Tera Watt Hours (TWH) of energy. That figure is expected to grow to 600 TWH by 2038, as per the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), released by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, in 2019, the citation noted.

India is also at the very top of the green building movement, the citation pointed out, adding that since the founding of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), in 2000, it has reached a significant milestone by registering over one billion square feet of green building area across over 1,500 projects. Additionally, various other green rating agencies have certified hundreds of buildings for their sustainable and environmentally friendly features, underscoring India’s growing emphasis on green and sustainable construction practices and net-zero buildings, the citation noted.

In terms of regulation, the Government Regulated Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), released by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in 2007, and updated in 2017, has been adopted by most Indian State Legislatures, the citation pointed out. In addition, BEE had set up the hugely successful Star Labelling of air conditioners as a voluntary programme in 2006 and made it mandatory in 2009, the citation noted, adding that in 2019, the BEE began a voluntary Chiller Labelling Programme, which will become mandatory in January 2024.

India is one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the world, and the government target of installing 100 GW of solar power by 2022 created a massive demand for solar panels, inverters and other solar technologies, the citation pointed out. In addition, the Government of India had set a target of installing 60 GW of wind power by 2022, which has contributed to the growing demand for wind turbines, generators and other wind power technologies in the country, the citation highlighted.

While there isn’t a specific policy exclusively for HVAC initiatives in the country, compliance with the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is essential, and it encompasses various regulations and incentives to promote greener and more energy-efficient products and practices, the citation pointed out. In short, the citation noted, we are talking of a turbo- charged economy, with a vibrant HVACR ecosystem, and that is why India is the ‘Country of Honour’ of the 2023 Climate Control Awards.