Environment & Energy | Thursday 4 May, 2017 3:45 am |

 

As the summer approaches, conversations about energy consumption and efficiency arise, especially as the climate in the Kingdom prompts the search for solutions to alleviate the burden of the extreme heat and to help reduce electricity bills that tend to rise. Climate change in the Kingdom has raised the attention of many stakeholders as the country is witnessing an upsurge in the demand for air conditioners during the summer season as the temperatures shoot up to as high as 46° Celsius or sometimes even higher.

 

Under such extreme conditions, air conditioners have emerged as a necessity in the nation, and industry reports confirm a robust and growing residential air conditioning market in the coming years. According to “Saudi Arabia Air Conditioners Market Forecast & Opportunities 2017”, the air conditioning market in the Kingdom is expected to grow at the compounded annual growth rate of around 8.7 percent for next five years, making it a whopping 7 billion SAR market by 2017.

 

Saudi Arabia dominates the GCC air conditioning solutions market. The central and western regions of Saudi Arabia have the highest demand for air conditioners in the country, and their dominance is expected to continue until 2021. Continuing growth in infrastructure developments, the industrial and housing sectors are also augmenting the sales of air conditioning systems in Saudi Arabia. The emphasis on energy efficiency in air conditioning systems has played a major role in the search for solutions that are more compatible with the Kingdom's climate. Another factor complementing the positive impact on the country's air conditioners market in the coming years is the implementation of the energy efficiency labelling system and standardization for air conditioners.

Considering that the standards of energy efficiency in air conditioners in the Kingdom were only modified recently, air conditioning currently consumes about 70% of the total electricity consumption in buildings, which is equivalent to more than two thirds of the electricity consumed in the Kingdom. The specifications have been modified based on the Saudi Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality System, the Commercial Fraud Control System, internationally agreed technical standards and procedures that take into account the local conditions of the private sector.

With this booming market for air conditioning solutions and with the demand expected to accelerate in the coming years, there is a growing need to find solutions to advance energy saving, reduce energy consumption apart from awareness campaigns that have been sought by many stakeholders in the Kingdom. These campaigns present solutions to the community by enabling measures while using traditional air conditioning systems. Nowadays, it is of the utmost importance to invest in the next generation of solutions of air conditioning: air conditioners that are not only energy efficient but also utilize the latest technology.

LG Electronics was one of the first companies to invest in technology to address environmental and energy issues. In an effort to provide residents within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an optimal air conditioning solution that saves energy while maintaining cooling performance, LG is introducing its latest air conditioners using DUAL Inverter technology. This new technology helps reduce energy consumption and is the ideal solution for air cooling, working at temperatures as high as 65 degrees Celsius. The solution offers 60% faster cooling with high energy efficiency, providing 53% energy consumption compared to conventional air conditioners. Other key features include: quiet and fast cooling, dual protection filter, automatic cleaning, and smart display which allows users to check the condition of the air conditioner easily.