LG steps up its campaign for green buildings

As governments in the Middle East explore ways of building more eco-friendly constructions and investing in sustainable development, LG will be putting its highly developed technology towards introducing solutions by which buildings can use their energy and water requirements efficiently.

Speaking at a press conference in Dubai, Mr. K.W. Kim, President of LG Electronics - Middle East & Africa, said that the company has invested heavily in developing technologies that have a huge impact on human health and the environment, not only in the Middle East but throughout the world.

'LG believes in a holistic approach towards creating green buildings,' Kim said.

'Rather than putting together a bunch of eco-friendly solutions to express environment credentials, we work hand-in-hand with developers at the construction stage itself to ensure that the buildings can sustain the complete lifecycle. We believe that we can achieve this through better design and technology.'

Kim pointed out that LG works with its clients through the entire process of establishing an energy system for public buildings, from suggestion to planning, ordering, operational supervision and maintenance of the energy system.

He added that green buildings can also significantly minimise the energy load on the power stations, which are facing the challenge of satisfying the growing power demands from the region's population. Recent statistics by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) show that the demand for energy had increased by 24% in 2007, though power station capacity grew only by 20%.

Commercial and residential developments were responsible for most power consumption at 42% and 31% respectively. Air-conditioners accounted for the bulk of the power consumption at 60%, followed by electronics equipments at 17 per% and home appliances at 15%

'Due to the climactic conditions prevalent in the Middle East, it is natural for this huge power consumption for air-conditioners,' Kim explained. 'The key then is to invest in initiatives that can ease the burden on both the consumer and the power stations. On an optimistic note, we are seeing a growing number of consumers and developers actively taking up the campaign and incorporating green practices in their operations.'

As part of this endeavour, LG introduced its line of energy-efficient air-conditioners called Tropical Multi V, which has been found to curtail power consumption by a whopping 70%. The Tropical Multi V system employs a heat recovery process that can operate both cooling and heating simultaneously, using only one outdoor unit and effectively serving both cost and energy efficiency needs. Unlike conventional, first and second generation air-conditioners, this third-generation air-conditioner is especially suitable for hotels, hospitals and buildings where space-specific heating / cooling control is essential.

The development come close on the heels of LG's announcement last month that it would be expanding into the energy solution business to actively respond to energy and environmental issues by launching energy efficient solutions. Through this move, the company expects to achieve global sales of $7bn by 2010.

'By combining our new energy solution business with our industry-leading air conditioners, we are responding to the greatest challenge of our generation - creating alternative sources of energy that are sustainable. The energy-efficient and eco-friendly needs of the region are also developing a new growth engine for future business,' Kim added.

LG has already developed innovative hybrid energy solution systems such as Hybrid COGEN and Hybrid XEO, which has demonstrated the company's capabilities in energy savings and cost reduction. Recently launched, Hybrid COGEN simultaneously generates electricity and heat utilising liquefied natural gas (LNG). Hybrid COGEN uses 32 per cent less energy while also reducing the emission of environmental pollutants such as CO2 gas.

In addition, LG will reinforce its research and development capabilities by collaborating with other companies and academic institutes, and will increase the number of sales personnel specialised in engineering and research and development personnel by 40 and 70% respectively.

LG has showed enormous growth in the air conditioner market, especially in overseas markets, and has been the world's largest air conditioner manufacturer for seven consecutive years. LG has also expanded its market share in commercial air conditioner markets, thanks to its high energy-efficiency technology.