Panama. With great success, the thirteenth version of Refriaméricas and the seventh version of TecnoEdificios 2016 were held in Panama. More than 2,200 people attended the Expo and the academic program that took place over two days, at the ATLAPA Convention Center in the Panamanian capital.
Refriaméricas and TecnoEdificios 2016 offered a complete program of conferences on the latest in air conditioning and refrigeration systems, in the case of Refriaméricas; and on improving the performance of buildings and increasing their competitiveness, in the case of Tecnoedificios. Refriaméricas also had an Expo in which around 90 companies from all over the region presented the latest in products, services and commercial and industrial refrigeration solutions.
The great challenge of the industries The challenge that was evident among the attendees and speakers, at the end of both congresses, is to continue working on the development and implementation of technologies and processes that make it possible to improve the quality of life of the users of buildings, both industrial and commercial. Many of the speakers and participants of Refriaméricas and TecnoEdificios agreed that, although the number of certified buildings continues to increase, it is necessary to work together, between supplier companies, authorities and project developers, which manages to put the perfect balance between controls and incentives.
In this way it would be possible to increase the number and efficiency of sustainable buildings, thus allowing greater awareness in relevant areas such as:
- Solid and hazardous waste management.
- Culture of water protection. ·
- Technical lighting regulations.
- Incentives for green buildings.
Juan Pablo Jaramillo Patrón, Certified Energy Manager, secretary of the Colombia Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and lecturer at TecnoEdificios, firmly believes that the future of buildings and the construction sector in general is in the hands of professionals who are committed to sustainability, which must go hand in hand with energy efficiency and the efficient management of modern buildings.
Jaramillo Patrón argues that the key lies in the application of simple methods to implement energy efficiency or energy conservation projects. "Knowledge of the technologies that can give better results must be combined with the life cycle analysis of improvement projects, and with an effective implementation to maximize resources," he said.
A first step, according to the speaker, is the search for battles that are easy to win and that have an impact in the short term. These could be three mainly:
1. Work on control points in HVACR (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) systems. 2. Apply speed control to centrifugal systems and 3. Change of lighting technology by LED.
Refriaméricas and TecnoEdificios 2016 thus culminate with the commitment to continue working to improve the performance of large and modern buildings, considering the importance of energy efficiency and the basic principles of sustainability for the sector. Both events confirmed Panama as the venue for 2017, on June 1 and 2 again at the Atlapa Convention Center.
