Jumeirah Beach Hotel cools costs with AC fix

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel has reported a 35% reduction in energy costs by replacing all the fixed-speed motor starter controls in its AC system with variable speed drives (VSDs) from ABB.

HVAC motors account for more than 60% of a building’s total energy consumption.

VSDs enable the motors to run efficiently at optimal speed only when required, instead of running constantly at fixed speed or stopping and starting as the demand for power varies – a process that consumes large amounts of start-up current.

“Considering this is only the first phase of the installation, we are very impressed with the huge reductions in energy consumption that we have experienced,” said Keith Tose, director of engineering at Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

“Prior to the ABB installation, we were provided with a report on projected energy savings and carbon reductions with the drives. The results, however, have been better than the projections. Overall, we see this as the best solution to make Jumeirah Beach Hotel a more energy-efficient building.”

All the VSDs are connected to a control system integrated fully into the building management system (BMS). The BMS allows all the drives to be controlled by a single user interface, ensuring the operator has one-stop access to all the HVAC drives in the hotel.

ABB’s ACH550 standard drive is the first dedicated AC drive ever developed for HVAC applications. Renowned for its ability to reduce HVAC energy consumption by as much as 80%, the drive has won several awards for engineering excellence.