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The global building automation and controls market is expected to reach $55.48 billion by 2020.

It is growing at a compound annual growth rate of  9.04 per cent, and this will continue through to 2020, according to a report by Research and Markets.

The market in 2013 was valued at $29.78 billion and covers all of the main product segments in the building automation and controls market including lighting control, security & access control, and HVAC control.

The report further segments controls by type and product. For example, the security & access controls market is divided into further markets such as video surveillance and biometric systems.

Despite the growth of building automation and energy efficient buildings, there are still a number of challenges that could hinder its development.

Energy cost increases coupled with the political impact of climate change has focused attention primarily on the heating and cooling requirements of residential and non-residential buildings.

The CO2 balance and a building’s energy costs have become extremely important for the planning process.

Legislators, building owners and users make clear demands on both new buildings and refurbishment work. However, while planning focuses exclusively on keeping energy requirements to a minimum, important user parameters, such as hygiene, room climate, indoor air and comfort, often fall by the wayside.

With people spending more than 80 per cent of their day indoors – whether this be in the home, the school or in the office - the consequences are not ideal.

Whether people feel comfortable indoors depends not just on temperature, but also on many other parameters. We feel most comfortable and are most productive at a relative humidity of 40 to 50 per cent and a temperature of 20 to 26 degrees.

Air quality also plays a crucial role, with the CO2 content of the air an essential factor. When CO2 was measured in winter in a number of classrooms in different schools, concentrations were often found to be in excess of 3,000 ppm.

This value is way above the 1,000 ppm which is the hygienic acceptable threshold limit value – and restrictions on the grounds of health would be the expected result.

The requirement for the building envelope to be air-tight is correct from an energy perspective because it reduces ventilation heat losses.

However, it increasingly results in the need for specific measures to promote ventilation. A particularly high standard of heat insulation standard or the targeted use of solar heat gain mean that many buildings are no longer able to cool down in the spring or summer.

This is where modern, energy-efficient air-conditioning and ventilation technology has a part to play. The application of  efficient technologies such as heat recovery and  innovative building automation is the only way to achieve the joint objectives of high room comfort and minimal energy consumption.

Technologies and solutions to many of these challenges will be addressed at the upcoming ISH Trade Fair, which is being held March 10-14, 2015 in Frankfurt.

More than 2,400 exhibitors from around the world will be participating in the event with products covering 260,000 square metres of floor space.