BOULDER, Colo. — As energy costs, pressure on energy resources, and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, strong global, national, and local pressure is driving the market for higher-efficiency commercial building HVAC systems, states a new report from Navigant Research. The firm forecasts that annual revenue from high-efficiency commercial HVAC systems will grow from $17.2 billion in 2013 to $33.2 billion by 2020.

Energy consumption of HVAC systems accounts for roughly 40 percent of total building energy consumption, notes the report.

“In the wake of the global recession of 2009, developed markets for efficient HVAC — especially in North America and Europe — remain sluggish,” said Bob Gohn, senior research director with Navigant Research. “However, the North American market will revive during 2013 and begin to experience more substantial growth during 2014. Europe will follow a similar trend, but recovery will likely not occur until mid to late 2014. The strongest region for energy efficient HVAC expansion, however, will be Asia Pacific, which will account for 55 percent of the world market by 2020.”