EDITORIAL LETTER

But each new year, in addition to joy and expectations, brings with it changes and even new regulations, such as the one that went into effect in the United States on January 1, and which is known as the Energy Security and Independence Act of 2007, which was signed at the end of that year and that words plus words less intends to "lead the United States towards great energy security and independence, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels; protect consumers; increase the efficiency of products, buildings, vehicles; promote research on greenhouse gases, as well as on their use and storage; and increase the energy performance of the Federal Government, among other purposes."

This law has a direct impact on the CVAC/R industry, and as far as refrigeration equipment is concerned it has up to nine different requirements related to refrigerator door closers, insulation for ceilings, walls and doors (R 25 for chillers and R 32 for freezers), the use of evaporator fan motors, which when less than one horsepower must use electronically switched motors. There are also requirements related to lighting and the doors of supermarket displays.

In this determination there are several elements to analyze. On the one hand, it is very positive that the United States government promotes practices that lead to increase energy efficiency and, first of all, to optimize the use of the resources we have; ideally, this law is not just a dead initiative that remains like the typical hay ball in the middle of the desert.

On the other hand and no less important, is that this type of initiative echoes in Latin America and that hopefully these determinations will drive the region to consume more energy-efficient solutions. Nowadays it does not make sense that by saving a few extra pesos do not buy equipment with EFFICIENCY SEER 13 or higher, nor does it make sense that suppliers continue to fill Latino warehouses with inefficient units. Someone has to pay the cost, hopefully it won't still be the planet.

A cold greeting.

But for those who have not yet seen in this trend more than recommendations for end users, we invite you to look a little further and realize that this scenario poses a lot of opportunities for companies / people who have the knowledge required to be advisors in processes of good environmental practices.

The world today is at several interesting junctures. In the United States, for example, one of the biggest concerns today focuses on efficiency in water management, given that it is a scarce resource, that it is increasing in prices and that certain regulations are leading companies to question the impact of buildings on the environment.

The issue does not end here. Energy is a resource in crisis, because let us not forget that much of the world's energy is produced from oil, which is a non-renewable resource. The current economic situation suggests that for many countries that depend on hydrocarbons the coming winter will be quite hard, because the resources are there, but it is not certain that there is enough money to buy it in the required quantities.

Now, we might think that Latin America is out of this problem, but the truth is far from this optimistic approach. On the energy side, in many editions of AC/R we have already discussed this aspect and we already know that not all nations in the region would be self-sufficient in energy matters, and that many of them have experienced mini-crises to meet their demand for this essential public service.

On the subject of water, the picture is no less gray. Although we have many rivers and water sources, the generation of hydroelectric power is restricted to a few places, so this cannot be made cheerful accounts, especially when in the region we have about 60 million people who do not have access to drinking water.

As you can see, there is a possible business there. I think it can be an interesting source of income for the next few years, but this goes through education. You have to be trained, because every day there are more companies interested in being certified under the international standard ISO 14000. Think.

Nowadays, public relations has a great impact on the way we do business. The press releases published daily by the world newspapers about large ecological initiatives have no other objective than to generate a good image of X or Y company in the mind of the consumer, to promote a better willingness to buy against those companies that undertake these campaigns for the rescue of the planet.

Now, it should not be forgotten that sustainability, in addition to the impact it has on the image of companies, is also a way to obtain significant savings, this hand in hand with the conservation of non-renewable resources in organizations, but also the use of recyclable materials in the construction of buildings and other properties.

Unfortunately, companies that have dedicated themselves to the offer of services in this area have not had great financial support, but this trend is changing. Mexico, in early 2007, was one of the first countries in the region to open an office dedicated to boosting green businesses. Called New Ventures, the company initiated a business acceleration in order to promote those companies that respond to these environmental challenges and help generate in this country a culture of responsible production.

And so that there is no doubt about the relevance of these aspects today, since 2007 a company such as the Mexican multinational Bimbo began a program to self-supply wind energy, this to be able to supply the energy demand involved in producing foods with low fat content; the figures are staggering: América Económica says that the bread giant has reduced in the last seven years the consumption of 194 million liters of water and has reduced fuel consumption by 16%.

Thus, there is no doubt that sustainability pays and is a great alternative. After all I see that we were not in the wrong business.

A "cold" greeting