Global Financial Services Firm Increases Occupancy; Reduces Cost, Energy Use, and Carbon

About the Leading Global Financial Services Company

Founded in 1865, this global financial services organization is one of the largest in the world, with over $3 trillion in assets. The company is dedicated to being on the cutting edge of digital banking, customer service, and environmental responsibility, having committed not only to help its clients build a low-carbon economy, but also to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its operations and supply chain worldwide by 2050. With operations in 64 countries and over 200,000 employees, net zero is an ambitious and significant goal for this leading institution. The company explicitly supports innovative clean technologies, so in planning an office build-out in Singapore, they asked their consulting engineers at Arup, an organization also known for exploring innovative solutions, to recommend an approach to deliver superior air quality while saving energy. The solution focused on reducing HVAC energy consumption, a concern because the hot and humid local climate requires the use of air conditioning year-round.

The Challenge

The company needed to expand in Singapore and had identified an existing building to meet their needs. The available space had been designed to hold far fewer than the 720 workers they planned to accommodate, and the increase in occupancy drove a need to address indoor air quality requirements including the increase in CO2 and other contaminants in the space. Replacing existing base building systems would have been cost-prohibitive, so Arup needed a solution that could be added to the existing HVAC system. They tapped enVerid’s HVAC Load Reduction^® (HLR^®) modules with Sorbent Ventilation Technology^® (SVT^®), which is specifically designed to filter all of the contaminants of concern defined by ASHRAE and carbon dioxide (CO₂).  

The Solution

“We knew that if we could find a way to locate and integrate the HLR modules with the building HVAC system, we could use the HLR technology on this project,” said Chuanming Fu, Lead Engineer at Arup. “Once we established the design, it became clear that not only would this eliminate the need for expensive new equipment, but it would also reduce the organization’s energy costs on an ongoing basis while enabling them to increase occupancy in the space.”

Using the ASHRAE 62.1 Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP), Arup found that enVerid HLR modules could effectively clean the indoor air instead of relying solely on the hot and humid outside air to dilute the indoor-generated contaminants that would result from the higher occupancy. enVerid HLR modules were specified, enabling a 64% reduction in required outside airflow and a proportional reduction in energy use due to the recirculation of conditioned, clean air.

Reducing Equipment Capital Expenditures

The HLR modules eliminated the need for a new 25-ton air handling unit and CO₂ sensors to manage Demand-Controlled Ventilation, resulting in a $50,000 construction cost reduction. 

Energy Savings of $6,224 SGD per Year

Using HLR technology, Arup was able to take advantage of ASHRAE’s Standard 62.1 Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) to use 64% less outside air than would have been required if the ASHRAE 62.1 Ventilation Rate Procedure (VRP) was used. As a result, the annual energy savings for cooling is $6,224 SGD. 

One Step Closer to Net Zero Carbon

In support of the organization’s ambitious carbon reduction goals, installing HLR modules with Sorbent Ventilation Technology^® reduced emissions resulting from conditioning the space. At the same time, it improved the indoor air quality by removing indoor-generated contaminants like VOCs and reducing the need for outside air intake, which can bring in pollution. Better air quality, including maintaining CO₂ levels below 650 ppm, was demonstrated by testing after installation of the HLR modules. In short, HLR modules enabled the financial institution to deliver superior air quality and energy savings while reducing the amount of outside air needed in the space, achieving all of their goals.

Once we established the design, it became clear that not only would this eliminate the need for expensive new equipment, but it would also reduce the organization’s energy costs on an ongoing basis while enabling them to increase occupancy in the space.
Chuanming Fu
Lead Engineer, Arup

The financial impact of including HLR technology was a game-changer. Because of the HLR modules, we were able to use the existing HVAC equipment, reducing the load by taking in less outside air. Not only was it less expensive, but it was also easier to implement.
Khoo Sze Boon, Executive Director,
Arcadis Singapore

Reducing the HVAC-related emissions per person gets the client closer to their Net Zero goal. This approach is cutting edge now, but in the not-too distant future, it will be the standard.
Pornput Jarumongkonsak, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer,
SCG Cement – Building Materials