UNEP DTIE OzonAction Programme
THEMATIC MEETING FOR BUILDING DESIGNERS &
ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND RAC EXPERTS
OHRID, MACEDONIA FYR, 24 MAY 2013
10 years of networking & mutual support
between Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Europe & Central Asia
MEDIA BRIEFING
‘
Montreal Protocol focal points, building planners & architects as well as heating,
ventilation & air-conditioning (HVAC) experts joining hands to protect the ozone
layer and the climate
Ohrid, Macedonia FYR, 24 May 2013 – Back-to-back to the annual meeting of the
Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia (ECA network) in Ohrid,
Macedonia FYR, 21-23 May 2013, UNEP DTIE OzonAction and the Macedonian
Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning conducted a thematic meeting with
Montreal Protocol focal points, building planners & architects as well as heating,
ventilation & air-conditioning (HVAC) experts from Balkan countries and Turkey on 24
May 2013 in Ohrid.
Prof. Susan Roaf of Edinburgh University highlighted the importance of building
planners & architects working with HVAC experts at the early design stage of sustainable
buildings to reduce the fantasy - reality gap between projected and actual building
performance and in particular to reduce the need for (or avoid) heating, ventilation & airconditioning and thus reducing the size of (or avoiding) HVAC systems. Smaller systems
are less costly and less energy consuming, have less refrigerant charge and thus less
emissions. Professor Norbert Lechner of Auburn University presented a wide range of
design option, starting with the lower-hanging and proceeding to the higher-hanging
fruits including building orientation, building color, window placement, window size,
dynamic solar shading, passive solar heating, day lighting & light shelfs, active solar
water heating and photovoltaic systems.
The choice of the HVAC technology should be ozone- and climate-friendly taking into
account building constraints. Off-the-shelf replacements for HCFC systems are often
based on hydrofluorocharbons (HFCs) which act as potent global warming gases if
released into the atmosphere. However, the Meeting of the Parties (Decision XIX/6)
encouraged the promotion of alternatives to HCFCs that minimize impacts on the
climate. Therefore, Parties are encouraged to consider ozone- and climate-friendly
technology options including the use of ozone- and climate-friendly refrigerants (e.g.
natural refrigerants), energy-efficient technologies (e.g. optimized design, performance
monitoring), integrated heating & cooling solutions (e.g. linking production of cold and
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UNEP DTIE OzonAction Programme
heat), not-in-kind technologies (e.g. free-cooling, absorption), use of waste heat or
renewable energies (e.g. heat pumps), district heating & cooling etc. The technology
choice has direct implications on the design of sustainable buildings and vice-versa.
Ms. Marija Todovic of Belgrade University shared her experience on integrated
refurbishment of large scale residential and municipal buildings. Mr. Tanmay Tathagat of
Environmental Design Solutions presented UNEP DTIE OzonAction’s publication on
HCFC phase-out in buildings which covers HVAC applications, foam and fire fighting
systems. The publication will be available shortly. Prof. Risto Ciconkov of Skopje
University focused on energy savings in buildings and Mr. Klas Berglöf of ClimaCheck
Sweden highlighted the importance of performance inspections of air-conditioning
systems in the context of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Other
excellent presentations were delivered by Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian experts. All
presentations can be made available upon request.
Contacts:
National Ozone Unit of Macedonia FYR: ozonunit@unet.com.mk
UNEP Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia: halvart.koppen@unep.org,
www.unep.org/ozonaction/ecanetwork/
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