Cool Buildings Heat the Planet – Start-ups have Solutions

Heating and Cooling Buildings has Massive Financial and Climate Costs

The impact of buildings is indeed huge. Around 28 percent of global CO2 emissions come from building operations due to the energy used for heating, cooling and power, according to the World Green Building Council. More narrowly, the WEF said heating and cooling technology for buildings creates around 15 percent of global carbon emissions.

Construction of new buildings will exacerbate that impact. Globally, Eco-Business found, the building industry pours 19,000 bathtubs of concrete every 10 seconds. Asia, the fastest growing built environment in the world, is expected to add more than 70 billion square metres of real estate in the next two decades.

Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid economic growth and urbanisation, the ASEAN Centre for Energy noted, leading to a significant increase in energy demand, particularly for space cooling in buildings. This surge in energy consumption poses challenges for sustainability and environmental impact, necessitating the exploration of innovative solutions.

National Strategies Push for Change

The ASEAN Centre for Energy expects passive cooling strategies in building design and construction to emerge to address these challenges, enhancing energy efficiency in buildings while reducing reliance on active cooling systems. High performance buildings with insulated roofs, walls, and window glazing offer the greatest benefits in maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures and reducing cooling loads. While active design provides the most consistent thermal comfort, it also leads to increased energy consumption.

In Singapore, said Climate Ambassador Ravi Menon, electricity generation accounts for about 40 percent of Singapore’s total emissions and the building sector accounts for one-third of that amount. Regulations require buildings with more than 5,000 square meters of floor area to achieve at least a 60 percent improvement in energy efficiency over 2005 levels by 2030. Achieving higher energy efficiency in buildings will require advances in automation systems, Menon said, with solutions including predictive controls that optimise and coordinate air-conditioning, ventilation, lighting and shading.

In Indonesia, according to Eco-Business, the total electricity consumed by space cooling in buildings and the food cold chain sector combined in 2020 was 79 TWh (terawatt hours), equivalent to 30 percent of the nation’s total electricity consumption. Without effective interventions in the building sector, electricity demand is expected to rise nearly 400 per cent, from 62 TWh in 2020 to 241 TWh by 2040. I-NCAP (Indonesia’s National Cooling Action Plan) aims to mitigate this rise, capping space cooling demand in buildings at 104 TWh by 2040.

Start-ups have Solutions to Transform the Sector

While the climate impact of buildings is huge, Eco-Business said there could be a US$47 trillion opportunity for decarbonising Asia’s built environment, assuming 75 percent of new construction and existing retrofits are green. Start-ups’ innovations are targeting this opportunity.

Ecoline in Singapore, for instance, says its proprietary cooling system applies solar thermal technology and incorporates a thermal collector to harness renewable solar and ambient heat throughout the day. It says its Therm-Aire, a solar thermal hybrid air conditioning system, reduces energy consumption by up to 45 percent and has an average return on investment (ROI) of 2 years.

Red Dot Analytics (RDA) in Singapore provides intelligent software for data centre management. Its RDA Energy Optimiser empowers customers to identify the most efficient control policies and fine-tune their operational energy consumption. RDA Eco Polit helps customers monitor carbon emissions and minimise the environmental impact by maximising energy efficiency. It specialises in cognitive twin solutions that focus on monitoring, optimising, and controlling physical processes and systems.

Resync enhances building operational efficiency with solutions that range from real-time energy management to dynamic optimisation. It says its solutions are designed to create intelligent, responsive, and sustainable spaces that benefit businesses and the environment. Its AI and IoT technologies optimise ACMV (air conditioning and mechanical ventilation) systems and other energy-consuming assets, By providing insights into energy usage via real-time data analytics, it enables proactive adjustments and better management of resources that help customers meet their sustainability goals. Customers can minimise energy waste, enhance overall efficiency, track their environmental impact, and monitor the performance of their renewable energy sources.

Tablepointer focuses on restaurants, which it says consume 4 times more energy than office buildings. Its AI platform offers automated and predictive energy-saving in a plug & play solution, with no renovations. Its platform gathers detailed energy consumption and operations data across the customer’s portfolio of facilities and equipment, then helps customers determine the energy baseline and savings potential of their facilities.

BBP, established in 2012, said it achieves up to 40 percent energy savings for air conditioning and cooling systems with its proprietary technology and software. It provides performance-based maintenance for cooling facilities, delayed CAPEX in equipment replacement and advanced data analytics for predictive maintenance as well as equipment life cycle extension of chiller plants and equipment.

At a broad level, CapitaLand Investment chief sustainability officer Vinamra Srivastava said he has also seen thin solar panels that can go on corrugated solar roofs so they don’t need the roof loading traditional panels require, heat-reflecting films that can be painted on the facades of buildings to reduce energy consumption, and non-chemical ways of treating cooling tower waters. Smart solutions provide shade to reduce heat absorption and are loaded with solar panels to generate renewable energy.

While buildings do have high costs and large climate impacts, start-ups’ innovations could well reduce the effects significantly and strengthen regional economies tremendously.