Thailand’s Growing Focus on Energy Efficiency

As Thailand continues to promote energy efficiency and sustainable development, energy-saving renovation has become an increasingly important strategy for commercial buildings, factories, hotels, hospitals, and other energy-intensive facilities.Thailand's Building Energy Code (BEC) of 2023 stipulates that nine types of newly built or renovated buildings with an area of ​​≥2,000 m² must comply with prescribed energy-saving design standards. Air conditioning systems are explicitly listed as one of the key energy-consuming systems covered by building energy efficiency standards.

Among the various energy-consuming systems in a building, air-conditioning and HVAC systems are often one of the largest sources of electricity consumption, especially in Thailand’s hot and humid climate.

As a result, many energy service companies (ESCOs), facility management companies, and building owners are investing in high-efficiency air-conditioning systems to reduce electricity consumption and operating costs.

However, there is an important question:

After replacing the air-conditioning equipment, how can we accurately measure and verify the actual energy savings?

Energy-Saving Equipment Is Only the First Step

Replacing old air-conditioning units with high-efficiency models can certainly reduce energy consumption. But without reliable energy data, it can be difficult to determine:

1. How much electricity has actually been saved?
2. How much has the new HVAC system reduced energy consumption?
3. Is the project achieving the expected energy-saving target?
4. How much money can the customer save every month?
5. How can an ESCO demonstrate the actual results of its energy-saving project?

This is where energy monitoring and metering become essential.

By installing dedicated energy meters on air-conditioning circuits, electricity consumption can be continuously monitored before and after an HVAC renovation.

This provides a reliable data basis for evaluating the actual energy-saving performance of the project.

Acrel Energy Monitoring Solution for HVAC Energy-Saving Projects

To support HVAC energy-efficiency projects, Acrel provides a flexible energy monitoring solution based on RS485 meters and communication gateways.

The solution can be deployed at different levels depending on the size and electrical configuration of the project.

1. ADL200N-CT — Single-Phase Energy Meter

For single-phase air-conditioning circuits and smaller HVAC loads, the ADL200N-CT provides a compact metering solution.

One of its key advantages for retrofit projects is its external open-type CT design.

Instead of requiring major modification of existing cables and electrical infrastructure, the split/open CT can be installed more conveniently around the existing cable.

This is particularly useful for existing buildings undergoing energy-saving renovation, where minimizing installation time, wiring changes and downtime is important.

Its compact design also helps save valuable space inside electrical distribution panels.

In retrofit applications, this means:

Less panel space + easier installation + less modification to existing wiring

2. ADL400N-CT — Three-Phase Energy Meter

For three-phase HVAC circuits, larger air-conditioning distribution panels and other higher-power loads, the ADL400N-CT provides three-phase energy measurement.

Like the ADL200N-CT, its external CT design makes it suitable for retrofit applications where existing cables and distribution panels are already in place.

Instead of replacing the existing electrical infrastructure, the meter can be integrated into the existing distribution system with comparatively less modification.

This makes the ADL400N-CT particularly suitable for:

1. HVAC distribution panels
2. Chiller systems
3. Central air-conditioning systems
4. Three-phase air-conditioning circuits
5. Commercial building retrofit projects
6. ESCO energy-saving projects

3. AWT100 — Communication Gateway

The AWT100 can be used as the communication gateway between field meters and the upper-level energy management platform.

Multiple ADL200N-CT and ADL400N-CT meters can communicate through RS485 and transmit collected energy data to the monitoring platform through the gateway.

4. Acrel IoT EMS Platform — Energy Monitoring and Management

The field meters can communicate through RS485 and transmit collected data through the AWT100 communication gateway to the Acrel IoT EMS Platform.

The complete architecture can be illustrated as:

HVAC Equipment → ADL200N-CT / ADL400N-CT → RS485 → AWT100 → Acrel IoT EMS Platform

But collecting data is only the first step.The real value comes from turning the collected data into information that building owners and ESCOs can use.

Compare, Analyze and Verify Energy Savings

The Acrel IoT EMS Platform can provide visualized energy monitoring and analysis for different buildings, areas, systems and metering points.

For HVAC energy-saving projects, users can analyze energy consumption trends and compare different periods to understand whether energy efficiency is improving.

For example:

1. Before Renovation vs. After Renovation
2. This Month vs. Same Month Last Year
3. This Month vs. Previous Month
4. Building A vs. Building B
5. Floor 1 vs. Floor 2
6. HVAC System vs. Total Building Consumption

These comparisons help transform raw meter data into meaningful energy-saving indicators.

Automated Energy Reports

For building owners and ESCOs, manually collecting meter readings and preparing monthly reports can be time-consuming.

With the Acrel IoT EMS Platform, energy data can be centralized and used to generate energy consumption reports automatically.

Users can analyze energy consumption trends, review historical data, export reports and provide energy-use information for management and project evaluation.

This is especially valuable for ESCO projects, where energy-saving performance needs to be demonstrated to customers on a regular basis.

From Monitoring to Energy-Saving Verification

The ultimate purpose of the solution is not simply to show a number on a dashboard.

It is to create a continuous energy data chain:

Measure → Monitor → Compare → Analyze → Report → Optimize

Before an HVAC renovation, the metering system can establish an energy consumption baseline.

After the renovation, the same monitoring points can continue collecting data.

The platform can then help users compare energy consumption before and after the project and evaluate the actual performance of the energy-saving measures.

This provides a stronger data foundation for ESCOs and building owners to demonstrate the results of HVAC upgrades.