International.
Technavio conducted an analysis on the global commercial air conditioning market and the most important trends that are expected to impact the outlook of the sector between 2016 and 2020.
The three main emerging trends according to research analysts:
- Integration with the Internet of Things (IoT).
- The emergence of smart technology.
- The growing preference for interoperability.
Integration with the Internet of Things (IoT): The emergence of IoT platforms allows the control of various air conditioning equipment. IoT is used for effective energy management and to support preventive maintenance and remote diagnostics. The framework consists of two components, an IoT platform for the cloud and an IoT gateway. The platform enables services such as smart building management and gateway components to provide connectivity to HVAC equipment.
The emergence of smart technology: Despite the high upfront cost, smart HVAC systems are increasingly a necessary expense for large buildings. There is a perceptible shift in the market towards smart grids, smart metering and building automation. Smart grids enable smart distribution that helps minimize energy losses, while smart meters provide real-time measurement and reporting of electricity consumption. As HVAC systems are among the largest consumers of energy, these smart technologies can accumulate good savings by detecting faults while improving overall performance.
The growing preference for interoperability: Interoperability ensures effective integration and ease of use of the different components into a particular system supplied by several manufacturers. Building owners are increasingly calling for interoperability of commercial air conditioning components as it eliminates the need to engage with a single supplier. Therefore, manufacturers are using LonWorks or BACnet to make their systems open and ready for interoperability. However, open protocols in terms of interoperability apply only at the field level and have not been fully implemented at the management level.
