HVAC motors with fixed speeds were replaced with ABB ACH550

ABB ACH550

A year after replacing its old HVAC systems with ABB engineering technology, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel has reduced its carbon-dioxide emissions by 35% and overall energy costs also by 35%.

“Considering this is only the first phase of the installation, we’re very impressed with the huge reductions in energy consumption we’ve experienced,” said the hotel’s director of engineering, Keith Tose. “Overall, we see this as the best solution to make Jumeirah Beach Hotel a more energy-efficient building.”

The hotel, which is the first property under the Jumeirah Group, has replaced its HVAC motors that ran in fixed speeds with ABB ACH550 variable speed drives.

HVAC motors with fixed speeds do not allow for adjustments in response to the varying demand for power with regard to the time of day, the time of year and environmental conditions.

“As HVAC motors account for more than 60% of a building’s total energy consumption, motors running at fixed speeds cause higher energy consumption,” the hotel said in a statement.

ABB drives, on the other hand, enable the motors to run efficiently at optimal speed, as and when required. These are connected to a state-of-theart control system, which is fully integrated into the building management system (BMS). The system allows a single-user interface, providing a onestop access to all the HVAC drives in a building.

The statement said the ABB’s ACH550 standard drive is the first dedicated AC drive developed for HVAC applications, and is known to reduce energy consumption by as much as 80%.