Dubai, UAE, 16 July 2018: Trane, the manufacturer of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, has shared best practices for the summer, in a Press communiqué.

Johan Samuelsson

Johan Samuelsson, Vice President MEA, Trane, has identified the four best practices that deliver 10–25% energy savings, the communiqué said:

1. System scheduling: System scheduling is setting the temperature up or down according to building occupancy schedules, the communiqué said. Flex time, work-from-home and busy travel schedules bring variability to building occupancy rates and, with fewer people using heat-generating computers and other equipment, there may be an opportunity to reduce HVAC system operation, the communiqué further said. Office managers and building operators are encouraged to check with department heads or HR to find out how many people are actually in the building at any given time to ensure the HVAC systems aren’t running wastefully for full occupancy, the communiqué added.

2. Don’t over-cool: Many commercial buildings are notoriously over-cooled, the communiqué said. Moving sensors around to get better readings can help, as a sensor placed in direct sunlight may give an inaccurate reading for a large open workspace, the communiqué further said.

3. Shift energy demand: While reviewing scheduling and setpoints, look for ways to shift energy use to off-peak hours, the communiqué said. In the UAE, this is between noon and 6 pm and this practice is also in line with DEWA’s annual Peak-Load Campaign and is being carried out in accordance with the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy, which aims to reduce energy demand by 30% by 2030, the communiqué further said.

4. Evaluate: The communiqué said it’s a good idea to give HVAC systems an overall review and restore them to the original performance standards. The communiqué further said, look for manual overrides keeping settings out of spec, outdated or poorly located sensors in reconfigured spaces and valves and dampers that are stuck open.