The amount of energy required increases in parallel to economical developments, population growth, urbanization and industrialization, the aim of higher living standards and technological developments in our country. Some difficulties are encountered in supplying the sources meeting the requirement and our country is getting foreign-dependant day by day. Almost 75% of our energy need is met from foreign countries. What can be done in this critical situation?

The first thing that comes to mind is to increase the production. However, this is limited to time, economic availabilities and natural resources. Undoubtedly, Turkey continuously increases its energy production as other countries. However, it cannot prevent the increase of energy deficit for energy need which arose in previous years and gradually increases each year. It is now clear that the energy problem cannot be solved only establishing new power plants. The need for using the existing energy sources more efficiently which are dealt with a great attention in the world became a current issue, and each passing year will result in nothing but the growth of this problem more in the coming years.

Turkey is an Energy Generous Country

One of the most important criteria for the level of development of countries had been energy consumption until recently; it was accepted that the more a country consumes energy, the more it produces and the higher its level of welfare is. This consideration is not valid today; the level of development of a country is now evaluated by not how much energy it consumes but how much it produces consuming less energy. When Turkey is evaluated according to this criterion, how serious the problem is can be seen better.

The “energy intensity” of Turkey which is obtained by dividing the annual primary energy consumption by Gross National Product (GSMH) is two times higher than OECD countries, two and a half times higher than EU countries and four times higher than Japan. (Source: EİE) According to the data of Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, our primary energy consumption increases at the rate of 35 % and our electricity energy consumption increases at the rate of 43% in the last 5 years. If our energy intensity is 4 times higher than Japan, this means that we live and produce more expensively in Turkey in comparison with Japan. In addition, if the “energy intensity” increases each year, existing under these conditions might become gradually impossible in the globalizing world economy. If the energy is effectively used , the energy costs in manufacturing industry can be reduced by 8 and 50 percent, according to the calculations made.

Turkey and Energy Efficiency

In our country, developing environmentally-friendly sustainable energy policies that meet the increasing energy need by taking the control of foreign-dependancy and that can support the Eurpean Union harmonization studies became a must.

In our country where sustainable energy policies are discussed in two different dimensions, a law was enacted for the purpose of electricity generation from renewable energy resources in 2005 in order to increase the energy variability. In 2007, the “Act on Energy Efficiency” numbered 5627 was adopted as a second step, and this Act paved the way for the applications which will decrease the energy intensity in Turkey.

In this period which is regarded as a milestone in terms of energy in our Country, “The Regulation on Increasing the Efficiency in the Use of Energy Resources and Energy” and the Regulation on Energy Performance of Buildings” which became effective in 5 December 2009 were issued. In February 2009, one more step was taken by approving the necessary act for being a party to the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore, a new and important process in which our country has to decrease the carbon dioxide emission and ensure variability in energy began.

What is Energy Efficiency?

Energy efficiency is decreasing energy consumption and obtaining the same performance with less energy without causing the standarts of living and quality of service in buildings and the quality and amount of production to decrease and without hindering economic growth and social welfare.

Energy efficiency is a complement of the efficiency improving measures such as avoiding energy losses in gas, steam, heat, air and electricity, recycling and reuse of various waste or decreasing the energy demand without decreasing the production using high technology, more efficient energy resources, advanced indsutrial processes, energy recoveries.

Primary Objective: Energy Conservation

The most important factor in energy efficiency is energy conservation. Energy conservation which is generally understood as “turning off one of the two lights” is actually minimizing the amount of energy consumed without decreasing the quality and performance by way of reusing the energy waste and avoiding the current energy losses.

Economising in consumption as a result of using energy efficiently and productively will cause energy generation to decrease, and therefore it will be ensured that the amount of gases exhaled to atmosphere is decreased as well. In addition, the need for meeting energy requirement using more renewable energy resources is an inevitable result in terms of avoiding global warming and environmental pollution.

As a result of the studies carried out by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, it was detected that our country has a great potential for energy conservation equal to approximately 5 billion dollars which is sufficient for building four Keban Dams. This potential is 30% in the building sector, 20% in the industry sector and 15% in the transportation sector in our country.

Energy Efficiency Counselling (EEC)

Within the scope of the Act on Energy Efficiency numberes 5627, the energy efficiency counselling companies which are authorized by the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources are assigned to provide the energy efficiency improving services to be provided in the current building and/or industry sector. A company may provide service only in the building sector or the industry sector, and it might obtain authorization for both sectors. A company should employ building energy managers and mechnical and/or electrical engineers who have training-survey-project certificates at a number stated in the related laws and regulations in order to obtain this authorization.

Alarko Carrier is one of the companies which obtain authorization

11 of the 38 companies which made an application for being a EEC were given authorization as of November 2009. 6 of these companies are located in İstanbul, 2 of them in Ankara, 1 of them in Kayseri and 2 of them in Antalya. Three companies obtained authorization for building and industry, 4 companies for building and 4 four companies for the industry sector. (www.eie.gov.tr/duyurular/EV/yetki_belgesi_EVD/yetkilendirme.html)

Alarko Carrier is one of the EEC companies which obtained authorization for the building sector which includes all kinds of commercial, service and public buildings such as hotels, shopping and trade centres, hospitals, schools, universities, etc.

According to the estimates, maximum 15-20 EEC companies are sufficient for Turkey. In the USA, there are 46 EEC companies, which is the highest number in the world.

What do EEC Companies Do?

Basically, these companies carry out the activites of energy counselling about the issues such as heating, cooling, ventilating, hot water, lightning, electrical systems, insulation in buildings and/or industrial corporations and renewable energy, provide trainings for energy managers, perform energy surveys and report the measures determined as a result of these surveys and prepare efficieny improving projects. They give support to the application operations making commitments or without doing so.

The EEC companies are expected to guarantee the saving rates they calculated for efficiency improving projects and to prove that these rates are accurate through the measurements that they perform before and after the application. In addition, with the adoption of the Regulation on Building Energy Performance, it will be obligatory for all the buildings the use area of which are 1000 m² and above in Turkey to obtain an Energy Identity Certificate within ten years following the date of publish of the Act on Energy Efficiency (2 May 2007). This certificate is going to be given by the EEC companies fort he current buildings in accordance with the abovementioned Act. The amount of the energy consumed in Turkey is more than adequate due to the use of old technologies in many enterprises in Turkey and lack of awareness about the issue of energy efficiency.

An EEC company can provide 10% savings only by changing the operational setup of a building. If a firm accepts to make the necessary investments as a result of the measurements and surveys made, the rate of savings can reach up to 40%. The amount of the investment to be made can be as high as two million dollars depending on the details of energy survey, the systems used, the structure and size of the building.

In the world, especially the EEC companies in the USA make an Energy Performance Contract (EPC) and they get a share of 10-15% over the rate of savings realized throughout the term of the contract. Such companies are called ESCO (Energy Services Company). However, there is no such application in Turkey as the conditions have not been fulfilled yet. It is estimated that the EEC companies might reach a turnover volume of 500 million dollars in total if they get a share from the system.

What does Carrier do?

There are various developments in Carrier about the issue of energy efficiency which gains gradually more importance with both the efforts of governments and the activities of companies throughout the world. It showed how much importance it attachs to this issue by purchasing the NORESCO which is one of the largest ESCOs in the USA in 2008 and LEED the headquarters of which is located in the USA again and DOME-TECH INC., ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY and EMSI which are the expert companies about the issues of energy efficiency counseling.

Carrier started an England centred organization in order to apply a part of the activities in Europe again in 2008, which it carries out only in the USA. It still makes effort to put some of the energy efficient systems of the UTC Power in the European market under the frame of this organization as well.

Moreover, an energy team is established by gathering the representatives from all the UTC companies, and efficiency improving activities are carried out in order to reduce the energy consumption in the plants belonging to the companies and the damage to the environment.

Objective of Alarko Carrier

In the first stage, the Department of Energy Services was established under the After-Sales Services Group in April. 7 employees participated in the courses in the Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration and obtained the certificates of Building Energy Manager. In the end of April, the process was started in order to obtain an EEC authorization by applying to the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration.

In this process, energy services was added to the fields of operation of the company in accordance with the decision of the Board. There must be at least two personel with a Certificate of Training-Survey-Project in an EEC company which will operate in the building sector. Therefore, two people took the course given in the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration first and then they made energy surveys and efficiency improving projects for our buildings.

As a result of the inspections and evaluations made by the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration, our company obtained the certificate of authorization for EEC companies in the category of building as of October. The next target is to make energy surveys in the current buildings as an EEC company with our experience and knowledge over half century, to develop and implement efficiency improving projects such as reoperating especially in cooling and HVAC systems, otomation systems, fit, free cooling, heat recovery, fan, pump and centrifuge compressors frequency converter applicaitons and the replacement of the R22 water coolers with high energy consumption.

We hope that this new sector will be beneficial for our country.

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