HVACR Leaders Discuss Possible Solutions to U.S. Energy Situation

Twenty-five experts from the HVACR industry addressed growing concerns about the U.S. energy situation at the fifth Danfoss EnVisioneering Symposium, “Making Dollars and Sense of Energy Efficiency: A Focus on Conservation,” June 5, 2007, at the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, CA.
“Without question, there is a growing need for a solid assessment of the economic payback of energy efficiency,” said John Galyen, host of the symposium and president, Danfoss Refrigeration Air-Conditioning, North America.
“One of the key questions the HVACR industry needs to ask is: Can total lifecycle costing help to significantly change buying practices in energy efficiency solutions?”
Mark Bernstein, visiting professor, Future Fuels and Energy Initiative, at the University of Southern California, said the U.S. would require "a sustained period of high energy prices and reliability problems," before it changed its attitudes and behaviors about energy use and efficiency.
Bruce Manning, chief engineer and operation for the Operating Engineers Trust Funds (OETF), Pasadena, CA, which owns, develops, and manages U.S. commercial real estate properties as investments in future pensions, said the Energy Star Portfolio Manager is one example of an accurate energy utilization benchmark.
"Energy rebates are ‘free’ money," said Maning, "which lowers ROI and gets projects moving. A reasonable ROI can vary based on the long-term goals of ownership and current revenue generation potential of each asset.”
Henry Lau, 2006-08 Emerging Technology program manager, Southern California Edison, notes that California is saving millions of dollars through energy efficiency programs.
“The objectives of our program are to 1) provide new technologies to the energy efficiency programs so they can achieve their energy savings goal, and 2) create a balancing portfolio for the various market segments. We select new technologies based on the following criteria: large energy savings, great demand reduction, large market potential and minimum market barriers,” said Lau.
Kent Peterson, president-elect, ASHRAE, and vice president, principal and chief engineer, P2S Engineering, Long Beach, cited a recent U.S. Energy Information Administration report projecting a 71 percent increase in worldwide energy consumption between 2003 and 2030. Currently, buildings account for 40 percent of U.S. energy consumption, industrial (32 percent) and transportation (28 percent).
“We’re (the HVACR industry) being forced to seek dramatic solutions in energy efficiency in the built environment, energy efficiency should always be the elegant alternative to fuel consumption,” said Peterson.
The June 5 symposium was the fifth in a series of conferences that comprise the EnVisioneering Symposium series. The event was sponsored by Danfoss, a world leader in research, development and production of mechanical and electronic components for applications in refrigeration and air conditioning, heating and motion control.
The sixth symposium is scheduled for October 23, 2007, in Washington, D.C. For more information about the Danfoss EnVisioneering Symposium Series, visit http://www.envisioneering.danfoss.com/symposium.