The Board Perspective: Ilkka Salo

During the 2022 Eurovent Annual meeting in Malaga, Spain, the Eurovent Commission appointed Ilkka Salo , Managing Director of Talteka , its Vice-Chairman. He will be supporting the continuing Chairman Lennart Ostergaard, Senior Manager of VELTEK Ventilation.

Ilkka Salo has been a member of the association’s Commission, Board of Directors, General Assembly and various Product Groups for many years. The Commission is one of the association’s decision-making bodies, consisting of staff members of Eurovent’s national Member Associations, the Eurovent President, and guests invited at the discretion of the President. Its key tasks, as opposed to other decision-making bodies, are to coordinate among national Member Associations and to develop guiding positions and documents. Eurovent as part of our ‘The Board Perspective’ managed to interview the Vice-Chairman and find out a bit more about the Commission’s priorities, European regulatory topics relevant for manufacturers and future prospects in the HVACR sector.

You have been involved in the work of Eurovent as a member representative in the General Assembly and the Commission. Now, as the Vice-Chairman of the Commission, what are your take aways from this and how do you think it will impact your new role?

Ilkka Salo (IS): It is important for the national associations to be part of a European-level umbrella organisation. National legislation is increasingly coming from Brussels. On the other hand, Eurovent's credibility as an influencer is enhanced by the fact that, through its member associations, it represents many European industries in our sector and also small, and medium size companies. It is therefore important that there is an open and transparent link within Eurovent between the various actors. Recent reforms will increase this cooperation in order to pursue common interests. I look forward with great interest to the work of both on the Commission and the Board level. I hope to be able to give a new insight through my own experience and to learn more deeply about Eurovent's activities and to export this information to our own members.

What are the current main technical and regulatory issues that the HVAC sector is facing and how are you handling them?

IS: Sustainability and energy-related factors play an increasingly important role both in our own sector and globally. Requirements for products and product information management and verification continue to become stricter. At the same time, we must ensure that good indoor air and indoor conditions are not compromised. Digitalisation and new innovations as well as the latest research work are major factors in this work. As one example, we have recently emphasised the importance of air hygiene in the fight against COVID-19 and similar airborne diseases. There is also a need for extensive cooperation here.

With your huge experience in the HVAC industry both with Talteka and now as the new Vice-Chairman of Eurovent Commission, do you think there have been the correct regulations and?policies put in place for the HVAC sector in the past years?

IS: This is a complex question. On one hand, regulations should only set objectives and leave room for new innovations. On the other hand, it often happens in construction sector that the prescribed minimum also becomes the maximum. We need standardised customs and general quality standards and guidebooks alongside the regulations. However, it is important to maintain technological neutrality.

At the regulatory level, we still have a lot of work to do in reconciling energy efficiency with good indoor climate. We should have clear requirements for a safe and healthy indoor environment. The challenges are to verify good conditions and to improve the efficiency of energy use. High-quality energy-efficient solutions and demand-based use are key factors in this and for example, CO2 content is a good and easily measurable general indicator for indoor air quality. In these matters, we must also target communication to the general public, in addition to professionals.