ASHRAE Journal - March 2020 - 12

INDUSTRY NEWS

Sanford Blumenfeld, Jin Choi and Modesto Lora-all technicians with Gotham Air-examine Samsung HVAC of
America's DVM Maxheat heat recovery system.

move to all-electric is growing, it is
still in its infancy and natural gas
remains a prevailing option.
"That creates an immediate
challenge in HVAC system design:
How am I going to get heat into a
building without a gas boiler?" he
said.
The decarbonization trend challenges manufacturers and system
designers to rethink HVAC components. High-efﬁciency heat pump
technology, water-source heat
pumps, heat pump chillers and
combined heat and power systems
are viable options to reduce reliance
on fossil fuels, said DelPiano.
Heat pump technology can offer
low-ambient heating capability
and high equipment efﬁciency,
said Chester Biggs, a product
manager for LG Air Conditioning
Technologies.
"With the introduction of heat
pump technology taking a foothold
in the arena, this technology is
positioned to meet the needs of the
decarbonization and electriﬁcation movement and anticipated to
grow even more," he said.
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McNamara said inverter technology has moved from niche to mainstream to now the primary source
of cooling and heating in American
homes.
"The move from gas is unprecedented, with utilities and local
leaders deciding to embrace the
potential of inverter technology
and what it can do 365 days-a-year.
Homebuilders are helping to drive
the change and savvy contractors are
giving homeowners the best option,
instead of simply defaulting to a
traditional unitary application," he
said.
Suleiman, with PETRA Engineering
Industries Co., said PETRA has been
monitoring the industry shift.
"That's a little bit of a challenge to
make an air-cooled unit to provide
the heating," he said. "We are working on new designs and technologies
to see how we can comply."
Suleiman said manufacturers
must be able to adapt as the industry
shifts and cities want to be as clean
as possible.
Another regulation change
affects refrigerants. As the industry

MARCH 2020

transitions to low-global warming potential (GWP), alternative
refrigerants to follow the Montreal
Protocol and other regulations are
driving the change.
The industry is asking how these
refrigerant changes from different
entities will affect their solutions as
the market pushes the industry, said
Biggs.
Some exhibitors showcased solutions that work with these alternative refrigerants. Daikin displayed
new ultra-high-efﬁciency chillers that use the ultra-low GWP,
ASHRAE class A1, R-1233zd refrigerant, which offers low toxicity and
non-ﬂammability.
"We're continuing the push to
maximize comfort, performance
and efﬁciency while lowering climate impact," said Kirk Thorne,
executive vice president at Daikin
Applied.
The chillers closely follow Daikin's
move to R-32, another low-GWP
refrigerant for rooftop units and
other HVAC equipment, he said.

Integration

Technology will inform and adapt
the future of buildings and cities.
Joseph Oberle, vice president of
corporate development for Delta
Electronics, said the company is
thinking about the buildings, communities and cities of the future
and how technology will move these
ideas going forward.
"And I don't think it's a clear path
for anyone yet because the industry
continues to grow in different directions. But I think the idea of integration of products is going to be
really important," he said.
Delta's booth was "live" as it integrated multiple technologies into

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ASHRAE Journal - March 2020

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