HVAC market trends which emerged at Euroshop
The EuroShop trade fair recently ended and the HVAC market trends it revealed are extremely interesting. The new ventilation, heating and air-conditioning systems are designed with the future in mind and make use of modern technologies to offer increasingly versatile services while respecting the environment.
The international fair, held in Dusseldorf from 16th to 20th of February, is a focal point for all sectors involved in retail, as well providing a launch pad for new ideas and trends. In the case of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning) sector, there are three main trends expected to dominate in the next few years.
HVAC and EuroShop: focus on the environment
The well-known journal Accelerate Magazine published a review of EuroShop 2020 (in this document), highlighting the three most significant trends. They are all inter-connected and that is why they are destined to play a fundamental role in the next few years.
The first trend that emerges if we compare the various panels and strategies of world leading HVAC companies is the strong move away from synthetic refrigerants towards natural ones.
This general trend started some time ago in the refrigeration sector, but now air-conditioning systems and heat pumps are also involved in the move towards a greener approach. The themes of the environment and pollution have become key ones in many sectors of modern industry and HVAC could not help but move with the times.
As this is a new approach, it should be noted that currently, the price of equipment which uses natural refrigerants is relatively high. This situation will no doubt become more balanced, as more and more companies start to offer this kind of solution.
HVAC as a service
The second trend is also very interesting and it is already provoking some concern among the sector’s market leaders. It is known as CaaS (Cooling as a Service) an it seeks to reinvent the way in which HVAC systems are supplied to clients.
The idea is to provide a new business model, which no longer includes a large, one-off purchase, but, to all intents and purposes, a rental service. Clients will be able to make regular payments (monthly or annual) in order to have top quality air-conditioning systems in excellent condition at all times, without needing to pay the usual charges for equipment and use.
This solution is still at an experimental stage and there is no shortage of controversy regarding it, but the potential is huge. In fact, this business model gives developing countries the opportunity to benefit from top quality air-conditioning, without being subject to prohibitive costs.
Digital cooling: towards smart air-conditioning
The third trend to emerge from EuroShop 2020 is the digitalisation of air-conditioning systems. Smart systems for homes and businesses are now ubiquitous and HVAC systems are also preparing to follow this current trend.
At the root of this trend is the enormous quantity of data which can be gathered from air-conditioning systems. By monitoring users’ habits, the average temperatures and any excess use of the systems, the right solutions can be found in order to optimise the performance of air-conditioning systems in any environment.
In future, artificial intelligence may be used to control room temperature settings according to the number of occupants, while cloud technology and the internet of things (IoT) will play a crucial part in data acquisition and management.
EuroShop and these market trends represent a solid framework, which, fascinatingly, is destined to change HVAC systems for the better.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
