Feature
HOW DO HEATING AND
COOLING CHOICES
AFFECT YOUR GREEN BUILDING
CREDENTIALS?
By AHI-Carrier South Africa
One of the greatest challenges for the building industry today is attaining green
building certification.
U
We understand that HVAC costs go deeper than just the initial
purchase and installation. It extends into how the running of
our equipment either puts a load on energy resources or spares
them. We start to value reducing harmful gases more than just
servicing our own creature comforts.
GENERAL GREEN BUILDING REQUIREMENTS
Put simply, green buildings need to be resource and energy-
efficient, non-wasteful and non-polluting. They should be highly
flexible and adaptable for long-term functionality.
Green buildings should be easy to operate and maintain. Last
but by no means least, they ought to support the productivity
and well-being of the occupants.
Green buildings utilise a whole-building lifecycle approach.
Most especially, let us remember that no one has it all down.
Continued on page 43
nderstanding and implementing best practice in this
area is what will give us our ‘green credential’ status.
And as a company, we stand behind this progressive concept
wholeheartedly.
According to the Green Building Council of South Africa
(GBCSA), “A green building has to be energy-efficient, resource-
efficient and environmentally responsible. It must incorporate
design, construction and operational practices that considerably
reduce or eliminate the negative impact of development on the
environment and occupants.”
The HVAC industry has historically found itself in
contravention of green building criteria.
However, that was in the past. Well, at least for world leaders
in the industry who have since developed heating and cooling
systems which are now fully ‘green building’ compliant.
Those who have and are still developing the technologies
toward compliance deserve our every support.
www.hvacronline.co.za
The PwC Tower
RACA Journal I March 2020
41