Grundfos recently launched its Distributed Pumping System in Thailand, which can reduce energy consumption for cooling large commercial buildings by up to 50%, drastically cutting operational costs and helping Thai companies achieve their sustainability goals.
Temperature control is one of the most energy-intensive functions in commercial buildings with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems accounting for up to 40% of total energy used. Thailand’s tropical climate, the increasing effects of global warming and construction of large malls, office towers and commercial buildings across the country highlight the need for smarter, more efficient HVAC. Grundfos’ Distributed Pumping System, which uses intelligent decentralised pumping to reduce energy consumption, has met the cooling needs reliably across Southeast Asia over the past two years and has garnered a lot of interest in the region as well.
KenthHvid Nielsen, Grundfos’ Regional Managing Director, APAC, Commercial Buildings and General Manager for Grundfos Thailand, said, “Energy-efficient solutions can play an important role in managing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, which will help support Thailand to achieve its Net Zero Carbon Emissions target and its Paris Agreement commitments. Cooling is key to making our cities habitable, but as global temperatures continue to rise, relying on conventional solutions will only further contribute to global warming.
“Sustainability is a key part of Grundfos’ DNA and today’s launch demonstrates our commitment to create cleaner, more energy-efficient technologies to enable our customers to reduce their energy consumption and limit their impact on the environment,” said Mr Hvid Nielsen. “Sustainable cooling solutions are all the more important given growing demand for air conditioning alone in the world’s emerging economies will drive a 64% increase in household energy use and produce 23.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2040.”
Improving energy efficiency will become increasingly important for Thailand as it works to meet its targets and commitments established under the United Nations Development Plan, the Paris Agreement and the upcoming COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
Conventional cooling systems circulate chilled water throughout their system without considering fluctuating demand. Adjustments, when made, are often manual, which is an imprecise, time-consuming, and energy-wasting process. These inefficiencies have been amplified since the COVID-19 pandemic, as many companies have shifted to more flexible working schedules which resulted in more variable cooling needs.
In contrast, Grundfos’ Distributed Pumping System, which can be used in a diverse range of commercial buildings, including hotels, hospitals, office towers, schools, and airports, intuitively regulates water flow based on feedback from temperature sensors, meeting the exact requirements of different building zones and intelligently controlling energy consumption by delivering the right flow at all times.
Two notable sustainable cooling projects which highlight the solution’s high-performing energy efficiency are Grundfos’ Asia Pacific headquarters and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, both based in Singapore. Both projects reported that the novel system helped them achieve 55% pump system kWh energy savings, as well as a significant reduction in operational costs.
