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Air-conditioner and refrigerator market account for a
whopping 65 to 70 per cent of all business in Oman’s
white goods market
Cooling solutions
The importance and size of
the global commercial air conditioning (CAC) market has
grown to prominence in recent years, gradually evading
the shadow of the residential air conditioning (RAC)
market. Such growth has not been limited by tempering
market conditions in the traditional CAC strongholds of
North America, Europe, and Middle East. With demand for
CAC products accelerating in other parts of the world,
other regions have now entered the fray.
However, Air conditioning is a necessity in the Middle
East, given its geographical location, climatic
conditions and the ever-evolving infrastructure. Massive
construction drives which spurred the development of
numerous residential and commercial real estate
projects, and high population growth have fuelled demand
for air-conditioners and cooling systems in the region.
The region’s annual commercial air conditioning (CAC)
market volume is expected to reach approximately $4bn, a
35 per cent growth from 2010.
Regional construction boom and increasing investments
from China have boosted the growth. Another factor is
the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which has greatly increased
construction in Qatar in preparation for the mega event
in the region. This directly translates to a need for
CAC in a region that experiences hot and humid
conditions for most of the year.
The boom in real estate development together with the
growing emphasis on greater cooling facilities and the
resultant increase in power demand have all contributed
to creating huge opportunities for manufactures and
distributors in district cooling. This trend has
received added impetus in recent years with the lack of
sufficient generation, transmission and distribution
infrastructure to meet projected power demands.
In Oman, the air-conditioner and refrigerator market
account for a whopping 65 to 70 per cent of all business
in the white goods market. The market size of
air-conditioning products is around 200 K units a year
in Oman. The market size for Refrigerators is around 80
K units a year. Also due to a very fertile commercial /
industrial projects scenario, there is also a great
business opportunity for different air-conditioning
concepts like chiller, ducted type or DVM(digital
Variable Multi. Traditionally, the Sultanate has been a
market for window ACs. That trend is rapidly changing as
improved standards of living and more sophisticated
lifestyles push customer preference to split and ducted
air-conditioners. This is in line with global trends.
Apart from lifestyle changes and economic development,
price reductions in split units have driven demand for
these models of air-conditioners. What’s more, the
air-conditioner which was earlier regarded as a seasonal
product now boasts decent sales figures even during
off-season. In Oman extreme temperatures and high levels
of humidity have spurred the demand for high quality,
energy efficient, environment friendly and reliable
cooling solutions. The Omani government, in keeping with
these trends and demands, has established the highest
standards in setting requirements for all new projects
being developed for both the tourism and real estate
sectors. In order to meet these requirements and to
reduce the demand on the governments for energy the
District Cooling solution has been developed and
implemented throughout the GCC.
Environmentally friendly
Industrial outlook has shifted towards a greener and
more sustainable future, requiring customers as well as
manufacturers to truly focus on environmentally-friendly
technologies.
In 2011, Sharp launched its latest AC technology in
Oman, with the addition of ‘All Aluminum
heat-exchangers’ and ‘Plasmacluster Ions’ into its
line-up of ACs. This innovation not only reduces the
unit’s weight by 40 percent, it also reduces its
refrigerant requirement by a staggering 50 percent.
“Sharp has always focused on improving customer’s lives
through its technologies and we used this launch to
showcase yet another innovation to the local and global
market, which we believe tackles some of the challenges
faced by the Air-Conditioning industry in the region,”
says AG Tony assistant general manager OMEC.
World’s first tropical inverter AC
Panasonic has recently introduced the world’s first
tropical inverter air conditioners which are designed to
specifically meet the climatic challenges of the Middle
East. The new range of air conditioners comes with the
Smart Inverter Compressor, which are powerful, fast and
extremely energy efficient. With searing temperatures in
the region, the new technology has made it possible for
an 18000 Btu air conditioner to reach up to 22000 Btu,
and a 24000 Btu model to reach up to 27000 Btu, based on
the requirements resulting in faster cooling.
Furthermore, the new technology precisely manages the
speed of the compressor, resulting in up to 30 per cent
less energy consumption compared to a non-inverter
model.
Crystal cooling
Samsung’s Crystal AC combines unsurpassed technology
and breathtaking beauty. The Crystal AC improves the
quality of air while cooling to provide the utmost in
comfort. Powered by Comfort Care technology, the Crystal
air-conditioned range features a Multi-Step filter which
dramatically improves air quality to protect health.
Comfort Care adjusts humidity while cooling in
conjunction with an Ideal Comfort Index, to ensure cool
comfort all the time. The Smart Saver function
automatically operates the AC in the least amount of
time necessary to cool the room, saving up to 31%
electricity while protecting the environment. The
S-Inverter aids this energy saving by ensuring less
fluctuation and motor running time, while maintaining
the optimum temperature.
General’s wall mounted split AC
Oman was the first country in GCC to have the honour
of launching “General” 5 speed control wall mounted AC
in May 2011. The new “General”, designed with its
innovative technology, reduces resistance to return air,
thereby allowing more air contact with the Heat
Exchanger which results in better cooling. This 5-speed
wall mounted split AC has a wide range of fan. ‘Airflow’
or quite simply Air movement inside a conditioned space
is one of the key factors that contribute to ‘comfort’.
The airflow reaches up to 15 metres, and gives a better
cooling effect in to unwieldy longish rooms. Besides
being environment friendly, this new model also
incorporates additional heat exchangers, which means
even better cooling performance, while consuming lesser
energy, giving users handsome savings in electricity
bills.
RF Systems and Multi V
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
industry has moved steadily beyond simple air
conditioning units for households and into more
intricate and sustainable systems that cover entire
buildings. Riding the wave of this trend, variable
refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioning systems have
proliferated widely. Despite their humble beginnings
more than 20 years ago, VRF systems have now evolved
into advanced air conditioning systems that provide
customizable temperature control for all occupants
within a building or building complex.
Speaking at the launch of LG’s VRF system Multi V III
commercial air-conditioner earlier this year, HS Paik,
President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE said, «As a company
with a strong focus on producing energy-efficient
products, we feel that the MULTI V III addresses all the
major HVAC requirements of businesses in the Gulf. With
this product, we are in a strong position to work with
our dealers and business partners in the region to make
LG the leading provider of smart and efficient HVAC
solutions. And, this has definitely proved to be the
case as the Multi V III has earned $15m so far since it
was released in the Middle East.
VRF sales in 2011 grew 500 per cent compared to the
overall single air conditioning market›s 21 per cent
growth. The sales of this system continue to grow
steadily as the expansion of the Middle East CAC market.
Advances in technology and growth in the HVAC market
have gone hand in hand as greater demands have
necessitated bright ideas and the effective
implementation of those ideas. This is reflected in the
growth of VRF systems worldwide. The VRF systems market
globally averaged an annual growth of 15 per cent over
the last five years and reached an impressive $4.3bn in
2010. Much of the initial growth was seen in major
markets, but there has been a noticeable shift to
emerging markets. This trend has led a growing number of
industry observers to predict considerable growth in the
future. According to research conducted by LG Air
Conditioning and Energy Solution Company, the VRF
systems market will reach a staggering $7.3bn by 2013, a
40 per cent jump from last year›s tot.
Midea has also emerged as a leader in variable
refrigerant flow (VRF) systems with most of the big
names in world buying from them under their brands. MDV-D
is Media’s range of VRFs which unlike many others is the
new generation of multi-modular systems for commercial
and residential air conditioners that uses the ‘digital
scroll’ technology. A digital scroll system is a multi
system with a DIGITAL SCROLL Copeland compressor which
is able to simplify air-conditioning systems, regulate
efficient performance and save more energy by digitally
regulating the output to the required capacity as
multiple indoor units can be connected to a single
outdoor unit and these indoor units can be controlled
independently and collectively.
Latest VRV
Daikin’s VRV III series has specially designed
models for high outdoor temperatures, with an extensive
capacity ranging from 8 to 36 HP. It was Daikin which
developed the world’s first variable refrigerant volume
system (VRV), maintaining a nearly constant room
temperature without the typical temperature fluctuations
It is equipped with advanced built-in intelligence and
flexibility. The unit can operate in adverse conditions
where the temperature reaches as high as 52°C. This
series incorporates Daikin’s latest technologies,
including long piping and high external pressure, to
meet the diverse needs of our customers.
Reliable compressors
Wansa air conditioners have silent and highly
reliable compressors. Their built-in air filter not only
kills bacteria but removes dust, pollen, mould and any
airborne particles. The active carbon filter eliminates
odours and deactivates harmful chemical gases in the
air. It also traps common household air pollutants such
as dust and smoke. The sleep /economy mode lowers or
raises the room temperature setting by one degree.
How to make your AC energy efficient
A few handy tips to increase the life and improve the
efficiency of your AC
The maintenance of an AC is an area that most consumers
and commercial clients need to learn about. It is not
always necessary to order dealer service when a little
bit of care and maintenance on your part will go a long
way in improving the working life of your air
conditioner. Simple things such as regular cleaning of
the filters, helps increase the life of your AC.
However, it is more prudent for you to enter into an
annual maintenance contract with the authorised service
centre of your brand of AC, so that the units are
maintained at a nominal cost with little hassle. The
following few tips will help one maintain an
air-conditioner in an easy simple way:
Understand that an air conditioner, apart from cooling,
also conditions the air inside your room like humidity,
dust, order, fungus, bacteria, etc. All good quality ACs
have cooling, humidity control, dust removal, anti
fungal and anti-bacterial functions and these need to be
used properly. Split ACs are now affordable, very quiet
and energy saving as compared to window ACs. They are
also more hygienic and prevent birds from making their
nests in air gaps, rodents creeping in and air from
leaking.
Clean the filter of your AC once a fortnight, or when
the indicator lamp on the front panel lights up. Dirty
air filters force your system to work harder to push
cool air through your home. This uses more energy and
places extra strain on the air conditioning system. Take
the filter(s) out and hold it to the light. If the dust
on the filter is so think that you can’t see much light
shining through the filter, it’s time for new filters. A
clean air filter, unobstructed by the dirt and other
debris, will save you money on energy costs and prolong
the life of your air conditioner. If you do not know
where your air filters are or how to replace them, ask
your HVAC technician to show you during an inspection.
Keep the doors of your rooms open for a few minutes
every day to allow some fresh air to enter. Do not spray
any type of deodorant or perfume into your split ACs.
Doing so will result in foul smell, necessitating a
cleaning of the indoor unit. Avoid smoking in an AC room
as indirect smoke can harm other family members and it
is very difficult to remove the odour even by servicing.
For safety, always turn the thermostat and outdoor
unit’s breaker off before doing any work around that
outdoor unit. The coil can be cleaned using a
soft-bristle brush to gently sweep the fins. Always
brush in line with the fins, and be gentle because the
fins can bend easily. Because the fan pulls air through
these fins, you can expect to find dust clinging to the
fins. Removing this dust and other debris will reduce
resistance and increase efficiency.
Choosing the right AC
A majority of buyers tend to choose an AC based on its
cooling qualities ignoring the quality of air
As the heat turns up and thermostats turn down, many
homeowners begin the process of choosing a new
air-conditioning unit or replacing an old one.
Purchasing an air-conditioner in a country such as Oman,
with high temperatures and humidity, is an important
appliance decision that affects the entire family or
office. When you buy an AC, make sure the unit is
tropicalised (designed for Middle East region’s high
ambient conditions), the after-sales support is strong,
the power consumption and noise level is low, the unit
has air-purifying capabilities, the design complements
the interior of the room and it matches your budget.
A majority of buyers tend to choose an AC based on its
cooling qualities and ignore the quality of air. Some of
the new ACs in the market provide air purifying
functions which also removes allergens from the air
thereby increasing the quality of air. Air conditioners
in the Middle East are used primarily for cooling.
Always consider the following main factors — the cooling
requirement, the room size (area, height and exposure to
sunlight), the climatic conditions and the number of
occupants in the room . The room size and climatic
conditions determines the BTU requirement to cool the
room. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, defined as
the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of
one pound of water by one degree. The heat gain added to
a room by a person at rest is about 230 BTUs per hour.
So a 10,000 BTU air conditioner is capable of removing
10,000 BTUs of heat per hour. The higher the BTU rating
of an air conditioner, the easier and faster it is to
cool a room.
International standards recommend approximately 30 BTU
per square foot of the room, but in Gulf weather
conditions at least 90-100 BTU per square foot are
recommended.
Split air conditioner
When cooling rooms with uninsulated ceilings, great
rooms, or southern or western room exposures, step up to
the next BTU size. If a building is not centrally air
conditioned, a customer has three options: a split,
window or portable air-conditioner. A window air
conditioner is a single unit with its components housed
inside the unit and it requires no inter piping for
installation. The AC can be installed through an opening
in the wall. The main benefit with this is the ease of
installation as the split air conditioner has two parts,
the outdoor condensing unit and the indoor fan coil
unit. A split air conditioner can be a single split unit
where one fan unit is connected to one condenser or
multi split unit where one condensing unit is connected
to more than one fan unit. Since the split units have an
outdoor condensing unit, they are quieter in operation.
Portable or self-standing units are small units used in
spaces where installation is difficult. |
