Training the building owners

This, as we know quite well, creates a worrying feedback loop, as higher energy consumption contributes to further climate change, ensuring a continuum of rising temperatures and increased demand for cooling solutions. Given this context, it is important to address HVAC inefficiencies, not only towards the goal of saving energy but also towards mitigating the impact of climate change in the region.

The fact that the Middle East region’s HVAC market is valued at nearly US 1 trillion underscores the immense significance of the sector in the context of sustainable development.

And from a global perspective, air conditioning already accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity used in buildings. By 2050, the global population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion, and the need for air conditioning equipment will rise from 1.5 billion units to nearly 4.5 billion units. This surge in demand places a tremendous responsibility on the industry to find green solutions.

Sustainability includes several, several aspects, including refrigerant management.

Training of technicians is seen as a vital cog in properly and effectively addressing inefficiencies in a wide profile of buildings – with refrigerants an important area of focus – plus Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, and acoustics- and vibration-related issues. Training them is seen as quite the silver bullet that can fix nagging issues.

Now, a well-considered initiative of training technicians to execute low-hanging-fruit solutions cannot be undervalued, but then building-related interventions for better energy efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) also involve costly investments, and that’s where training of technicians only partly addresses the problem. Indeed, it is equally important to train building owners – and the CFOs that advise them – to a high point of awareness and strategic direction.

In the February 2025 issue of Climate Control Middle East, I spoke of the extent of loss of valuable thermal energy owing to grossly inadequate attention being paid to fixing leaky ducting systems. In most instances, we are seeing leakage rates of even 40% in New Construction. Whilst properly trained technicians can help curb losses, it is simple logic that a project with high standards of materials and workmanship can drive the percentage lower. And that is directly related to the sustainability mindset of the building owner and well-honed leadership.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Would you agree that we need to widen the scope of training? And that building owners, broadly speaking, need to attend structured courses with an open mind and intent to match?