Boosting HVAC energy savings with benchmarking

Monitoring and measuring the energy savings of HVAC systems has become increasingly important.

Trident Maritime Systems director energy management & marine conversions Magnus Hansson said “To increase and maintain energy upgrades, sending data shoreside so they can measure the energy savings of the HVAC system has been happening more and more over the past two years.”

He explains that Trident’s strategy is to upgrade and improve the energy efficiency of the whole HVAC plant on a cruise ship, “and then everything is measured to make sure it stays sustainable – all data is collected so it can be benchmarked.”

He points out “Energy meters do not save anything themselves, they just measure but they are very important to invest in for sustainability. They show the system is saving the energy it is meant to. It is increasingly important for shipowners and vendors to safeguard the investment over time. The main benefit is to make sure savings are not deteriorating over time and to catch any gaps and maintenance needs as soon as possible.”

Mr Hansson highlights how using data to measure energy efficiency shows clearly whether an upgrade has been beneficial. “If you can use the data to prove making an upgrade has been good, you can do more projects and create more energy savings.”

Upgrading HVAC systems

Trident has developed a survey app that can benchmark HVAC condition and compare ships in a fleet.

Hand-in-hand with benchmarking data is an increased focus on upgrading HVAC systems on existing cruise ships. Mr Hansson says “More and more big drydocks are happening. It is a consequence of adding cabins and changing areas to work as different areas and themes, for example, new restaurants. Newbuild cruise ships are pushing older ships to be upgraded and meet the same standards.

Trident’s energy upgrades save millions of kWh annually on the HVAC plant, equating to a lot of money saved; one million kilowatt hours is US$100,000 in savings @ US$0.10/kWh. Mr Hansson adds that in most existing ships, up to 50% of HVAC energy can be saved. This is significant as HVAC equates to about 30% of total energy consumption on cruise ships.

Koja Marine has a busy orderbook when it comes to developing HVAC systems for cruise ships. It is providing the HVAC system for Wonder of the Seas, the fifth in the Oasis-class series. Koja Marine started working with the Oasis-class 11 years ago, when the first ship was delivered.

“We developed the concept with the owner and shipyard. There have been a lot of developments and ideas since Oasis first launched 11 years ago,” says Koja Marine director Esko Nousiainen.

Koja is also providing the HVAC system to the latest Quantum-class ship, two Global-class ships and an Icon-class vessel.

Helsinki Shipyard’s two expedition vessels are also on Koja’s orderbook. Mr Nousiainen said “We are providing the whole system and electrification, automation and installation. They are very energy-efficient vessels and we have innovations to save space and energy.”

The company is also busy with ferry newbuild orders. It is providing the HVAC for both Wasaline’s ferry and Tallink Mystar at Rauma Marine Constructions. Mr Nousiainen says “We are providing, installing and automating the whole HVAC packages. Nowadays ferries are very energy efficient and we are using the same components, automation and package we deploy in cruise ships in ferries too.”

Koja Marine has several other developments in place. It is integrating its cabin automation system with entertainment systems. “This package includes everything possible and is very interesting for the shipowner. Passengers wish control everything in the cabin, from lights, curtain, television and social media by iPad or smart phone. The air conditioning integration is a small part of this,” Mr Nousiainen says.