Globally, ductless heat pumps are the standard method of heating and cooling residential and commercial buildings. In North America the post-war building boom favoured ducted systems but we since realized there are advantages to ductless systems, especially to cool.

For commercial applications, Variable Refrigerant Volume (or Flow) systems are quickly becoming an option of choice in North America. In Japan where VRV/F was invented in 1982 half of all small commercial buildings use this ductless system.

If you are in Ontario contact me at ductlessontario@gmail.com for design, pricing, selection, installation, or technical assistance. Posts here are provided for information purposes only and not necessarily endorsed.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

North America Will Lead the World in Building Commissioning Services Revenue Through 2020


March 22, 2013
Unlike automobiles, which are tested and tuned up on a nearly annual basis, buildings – which consume far more energy – often go through their entire lifecycles without ever being tuned, let alone re-tuned.  According to a new report from Navigant Research, the demand for building commissioning services, which ensure that a commercial building’s equipment and control systems are performing as designed, is accelerating worldwide.  North America will lead the world in this expanding market, accounting for $13.8 billion, or nearly half, of the $28.8 billion in total worldwide revenue for building commissioning services during the period from 2012 to 2020, the study concludes.
“Concerns about the initial costs of commissioning, as well as a lack of understanding and awareness of its benefits, have kept the practice of commissioning relatively rare in the construction industry worldwide,” says senior research analyst Eric Bloom.  “In the long term, however, these barriers will start to fall as the concept is further proven and as green building certification and other high-performance building standards become more commonplace and desirable.”
Over time, the delivery of commissioning services will be transformed through the advent of building energy management systems with continuous commissioning capabilities, according to the report.  These systems, which tie into a building’s existing building management system or building automation system , can continuously monitor and provide fault detection and diagnosis within a portfolio of buildings, enabling a level of continuous improvement that today’s commissioning services and solutions cannot.
The report, “Building Optimization and Commissioning Services”, examines the worldwide market for building commission services, including initial commissioning, recommissioning, retrocommissioning, and continuous commissioning.  Market drivers and barriers are explored in detail, along with global demand-side dynamics. The report analyzes future technology trends in continuous commissioning and profiles 22 key industry players. Market forecasts, segmented by region and by type of commissioning, are provided through 2020.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.
Contact: Richard Martin
+1.303.493.5483
* The information contained in this press release concerning the report, “Building Optimization and Commissioning Services,” is a summary and reflects Navigant Research’s current expectations based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report’s conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Navigant Research nor Navigant undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report.