Saving energy and reducing carbon emissions is a topic of global concern. Figures show that buildings consume 90% of Hong Kong's electricity, mainly for central air conditioning. V Walk, located at Nam Cheong station, is committed to saving energy and recently introduced new technologies to greatly reduce the electricity consumption in its air conditioning system. SHKP News has recently done an interview with the property management team of V Walk to learn about the smart measures to save energy.

Q: Can you tell us more about the Building Management System? 

A: The BMS is a key tool for effective energy management of power electromechanical equipment in buildings. Increasing the efficiency of various equipment helps save energy. By introducing BMS, V Walk has saved over 1.9 million kWh annually, and with other technology, such as the Internet of Things, over 3.7 million kWh of electricity can be saved per year, which is equivalent to the total annual electricity consumption of more than 1,100 three-person households!

Q: BMS has long been used in various buildings in Hong Kong. What is the reason for the outstanding achievement of energy savings in V Walk?

A: Along with the BMS, we introduced Chiller Plant Optimization (CPO), which is advanced technology that uses artificial intelligence to control the operation of Chiller Plants in real time, continuously and automatically without the need to install additional equipment. This helps reduce another 5% electricity use in the air-conditioning system, further saving an additional 300,000 kWh of electricity per year.

Q: That's awesome! Since the Chiller Plant accounts for the largest amount of electricity consumption in buildings, can you tell us more about CPO?

A: The traditional system of Chiller Plant is inflexible in regulating cooling capacity, as it is based on pre-set values. By applying CPO, real-time operational data from the Chiller Plant is received every minute and taking into account the weather (e.g. greater cooling capacity is needed on sunny days than on rainy days), our team uses artificial intelligence to conduct big data analysis. The generated data from cloud computing allows us to set the operation mode of the Chiller Plant to the lowest energy consumption, and operational instructions are sent every hour for the automatic regulation of cooling capacity, thus greatly increasing energy saving's efficiency.

Q: What are the advantages of adopting this advanced technology?

A: The greatest advantage is that the control system of buildings with BMS can be automatically and continuously optimised based on the weather and other factors without the need to install extra equipment. Implementing the most effective operational plan maximises the efficiency of the Chiller Plant, reducing energy consumption and the operating cost. It is also easier for our technicians to conduct a system analysis, ensuring customers a comfortable indoor environment in the mall, and further contributes to environmental protection!

Q: As we all know there is no best, only better, any further energy saving measures to be exercised by the property management team?

A: We shared our CPO performance report with the head office of Kai Shing and attended a meeting with the management teams of various commercial projects to introduce this advanced technology. I believe that society has to work together to achieve the best energy saving results, and more malls will apply this advanced technology in the future!