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Taking a brief look in the rearview mirror helps us see the patterns and help us predict what challenges and opportunities we may face in the coming year in our industry. Judging from the very strong trends at the moment, in one way or another, everything will be about sustainability next year as we gain a more mature understanding of the many aspects thereof.
Energy efficiency and beyond
Traditionally, our industry has been greatly focused on one single aspect of sustainability, namely energy efficiency. Something that obviously has to continue. With energy prices soaring and the climate challenge becoming ever more urgent, the pressure to economise with energy has created a rare disruptive boost to our industry, away from fossil fuel. One result is the emerged curiosity in different heat pump solutions, a trend which will continue into 2024. As a manufacturer of these units, we need to help disseminate knowledge in this area on everything from hands-on aspects such as space requirements, to the energy saving potential in managing heat pumps as an integral part of an HVAC orchestra.
And speaking of the HVAC orchestra, as products get more efficient, the great remaining opportunity in energy savings is exactly this – how to make the different parts of our technical installations actually work in harmony. The potential here is great and with the rapid progress within digitalisation we now have the technical possibilities to effectively close the gaps within the HVAC system. With initiatives such as the EU Renovation Wave, we also have a golden opportunity to accelerate the implementation rate which is not only speaking to a sustainability agenda, but which is also making a huge change for the better in regards to the indoor climates where people spend nearly 90% of their lives.
The concept of sustainability has evolved at lightning speed in the building industry during 2023, with aspects beyond energy consumption becoming part of the agenda, and this will also shape next year. The topic of embodied carbon, which was not long ago somewhat of a niche subject, has gained huge interest in the real estate sector. Solutions come in many shapes, from low-carbon raw materials in the technical installations to alternative refrigerants, and solutions for revitalising and reusing installed products – all up and coming real fast. The recent agreement in the European Council and Parliament on the phase-out fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and what this means to the industry [link to new blog post], will be in the spotlight also in 2024 and generate great interest.
Indoor climate and air quality gaining interest
In our constant chase for kilowatt hours and carbon dioxide equivalents, it’s a clear risk that we forget our industry’s fundamental purpose – to provide healthy and productive places for people to spend their time in. And actually there is a strong trend to acknowledge this as well, even if it may be less obvious than the energy savings trend. We are right now in the middle of a post-pandemic indoor environmental quality (IEQ) revolution, with the first WHO Europe conference on indoor air quality being one of the most concrete examples. But there is more to it, research on topics such as acoustics is revealing the importance of all the parameters of the indoor environment.
Wrapping up, the challenge going forward will be to design buildings with the smallest possible embodied carbon footprint, which keeps energy consumption at a minimum, while ensuring a productive and healthy indoor climate for the people inside to thrive in. And if this wasn’t enough, we need to make sure this delicate balance is maintained over time, as tenants change, and we alter and renovate the building.
In conclusion – I have had the indoor climate as the explicit focal point of my work since the beginning of this century, and this is truly the most dynamic and compelling point in time so far. At Swegon, we have the chance to make great contributions to the green transition, and as we do so, we realise just how complex it is. Despite the challenges, one certainty remains: 2024 will present us with number of interesting and important opportunities to continue our impactful work.
