Energy efficient technology and services for the building sector will double by 2022, according to a new report from Navigant Research.
While the global recession in 2008 slowed the construction market, the Asia Pacific building sector remains the most dynamic in the world.
Since buildings account for a large portion of national energy consumption, most of the governments in the Asia Pacific region have taken steps to promote energy management and energy efficiency in both new construction and existing buildings.
Navigant Research analyst, Eric Bloom, said these policies including green building design guidelines, the introduction of new energy efficiency technologies, and funding schemes to assist retrofit projects in commercial buildings, are all contributing to regional growth.
"With about 40 per cent of the world’s building stock, Asia Pacific represents a major portion of global real estate,” he said.
"Growing concerns about air pollution in Chinese cities, in particular, is expected to further drive investment in energy efficiency technologies to reduce China’s demand for coal-based electricity.
"The market for energy efficient buildings is expected to double in the next eight years, reaching nearly $92 billion in annual revenue by 2022.”
The largest segment of the energy efficient buildings market in Asia Pacific today is advanced lighting, where light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer efficient and long-lasting alternatives for commercial buildings.
China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are the manufacturing centres for LED lighting applications, semiconductors, and components, not only for Asia Pacific, but the world.
"The commercial buildings sector in the region will experience a significant increase in the adoption of these products in the coming years," Bloom said. Entitled“Energy Efficient Buildings: Asia Pacific”, the report examines the trends for energy efficient building technology and services in the Asia Pacific region.
It covers three main areas of technology – HVAC, energy efficient lighting, and commercial building automation – as well as the energy service company (ESCO) sector.
The convergence of building automation, information technology, and wireless communications is another area of growth identified by Navigant Research.
A separate report examines the state of the global wireless building controls industry, including global market forecasts for wireless node unit shipments and revenue through 2023.
Wireless controls can be used to link devices found in a variety of building systems, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, fire and life safety, and security and access.
In addition, they often provide networked control in buildings or areas where wired controls are simply too challenging or expensive to install.
Worldwide revenue from wireless control systems for smart buildings is expected to grow from $97 million annually in 2014 to $434 million in 2023.
Navigant research analyst Benjamin Frease said although wireless controls are generally more expensive than their wired counterparts, that price gap is eroding quickly.
"Wireless controls also provide greater flexibility than wired ones, particularly the ability to install sensors and devices in buildings that cannot easily be torn apart to put in wiring, making wireless systems ideal for retrofit projects in existing buildings," he said.
While the adoption and deployment of wireless systems based on standard technologies and protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and EnOcean, are increasing, most wireless devices and control networks used today utilize proprietary, vendor-specific wireless communications technology.
That is likely to change as the demand for interoperability grows, according to the "Wireless Control Systems for Smart Buildings" report.