Green Gateway Manager
Questions Growth of
Residential Air Conditioning
Mitsubishi Electric’s newly appointed Green
Gateway Initiative® Manager, Martin Fahey
has rejected the idea of growth of air
conditioning within the residential market.
Speaking on behalf of Mitsubishi Electric,
Martin considers comfort cooling in UK
homes as both unnecessary and unsustainable.
Martin, who takes on the newly created role after spending 4 years as East Midlands Area Sales Manager for Mitsubishi Electric, questions whether comfort cooling is even needed in the majority of our homes. “There are over 26 million households in the UK and if a large number of them install air conditioning then the energy consumption of the nation is going to go through the roof,” he explained. “This is particularly poignant at a time when the Government is pushing us towards a zero carbon policy for new homes.”
“There will always be inner city hot spots where air conditioning is the best solution and certain vulnerable people who need cooling at the height of the summer, but the bulk of us don’t need air conditioning in our homes, we just need better ventilation systems for the few times a year when its too hot at night.”
As Green Gateway Initiative Manager, Martin’s role is seen as fundamental to the future of the company’s sales strategy, which is built around sustainable growth and energy efficiency.
Mitsubishi Electric has created the Green Gateway Initiative to demonstrate ways in which everyone involved in the built environment can help reduce energy consumption, from the architects, specifiers and designers, through manufacturers and installers, right down to the end users, facilities managers and home owners. “As a major industry player, of course we want to grow our business as much as any other manufacturer, but we believe that doing this without a fundamental review of the sustainability of any approach is highly inappropriate and out of step with our core values as a business,” added Fahey.
The Stern Report
The Stern Report has highlighted the catastrophic danger to businesses of ignoring climate change, and Mitsubishi Electric has responded by highlighting ways in which the industry can act to reduce CO2 emissions, rather than increase them. The company has also recently been awarded ‘Official Partner’ status for its Green Gateway Initiative by the European Commission’s Sustainable Energy Campaign. The initiative is an ambitious 10-point plan designed to lead the way to annual reductions in CO2 of at least 3 million tonnes by 2016.
“We believe that air conditioning is a necessary fact of life in the modern world, not least because of increasing legislation on air quality and indoor temperatures, so the commercial sector will therefore continue to grow,” added Fahey. “However, this must be done in a sustainable and energy efficient way and we need to start by removing the industry’s obsession with domestic air conditioning and act responsibly by looking at what is actually needed rather than simply trying to drive up sales.”
Further information can be found at
www.greengatewayinitiative.co.uk.
