• A single DVM S2 outdoor unit can connect up to 64 indoor units, minimising the installation footprint, while with integrated Active AI the building’s operating patterns in real time to hold precise target temperatures and pressures.
• Ideal for retrofits, the DVM S2’s sub-cooling control and smaller main liquid pipe cut overall refrigerant charge by up to 30%^[1] — so one system can thread through an occupied building, with 10-plus indoor unit types^[2] to suit existing lobbies, guest rooms and open-plan floors, without major structural work.
• Paired with the DVM S2, SmartThings Pro enables multi-site monitoring, automated scheduling, energy analytics and reporting, and a customisable dashboard — so an entire estate runs from a single screen.

Across Southeast Asia and Oceania, thousands of office towers, hotels, malls and mixed-use developments were constructed before sustainability was ever a priority. With fluctuating climates across the region, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is the fastest-growing use of energy in buildings — and as electricity prices climb, these ageing properties grow more expensive to run every year.

That makes HVAC systems the first place a retrofit should address. It is also the system most feasible for upgrading without structural work, so the return on investment materialises fast. Tearing a building down to start over, by contrast, is costly, carbon-intensive and slow. As such, a growing number of owners are now asking a different question: what if the smarter move is to upgrade what is already standing?

There are hardware and management tools that can address this growing need. For instance, integrating Samsung’s AI-powered energy management solutions with its intelligent HVAC and connected building technology can help sharpen efficiency and extend a building’s life at once.

Samsung’s DVM S2, Samsung’s Variable Refrigerant Flow system connects a single outdoor unit to as many as 64 indoor units, reducing the new piping and structural work a retrofit demands, while SmartThings Pro’s AI Energy Mode can automatically adjust each connected device against real-time conditions, electricity rates and comfort levels. Together they turn an older property into a responsive, efficient asset — without major structural renovation.

AI-enabled HVAC management: the fastest route to energy savings

Because cooling often carries the heaviest energy load in commercial buildings, it is where a retrofit pays back fastest.

Preserving heritage, upgrading comfort: how the Bali Beach Hotel Sanur retrofitted Samsung’s DVM solution across lobbies, spa rooms and fitness centers

Keen to balance historical preservation with guest comfort, the Bali Beach Hotel Sanur turned to Samsung’s DVM solution for space-tailored cooling — where temperatures are tuned to different environments like lobbies, spa rooms and fitness centres — paired with energy-saving technology and integrated B2B controls. With customisable systems and end-to-end support from consultation through to maintenance, the hotel was modernised without the upheaval a full mechanical overhaul would have forced on a heritage structure.

Where the DVM S2 goes further is efficiency. Rather than running at full capacity by default, the system learns a building’s cooling patterns to intelligently maintain the precise pressures and temperatures each space requires, effectively reducing compressor energy usage by up to 15%^[3]. Beyond hotels, a Bangkok office tower or a Sydney shopping centre can also enjoy efficiency gains from the moment the system is calibrated to how the building operates.

The rise of buildings that learn to optimise themselves

Historically, a retrofit was a single intervention whose performance declined gradually as conditions changed. Intelligent systems overturn that premise: the building continues to learn long after installation is complete. The DVM S2 continuously detects indoor conditions and responds in real time, while SmartThings Pro’s AI Energy Mode weighs live occupancy, weather and electricity tariffs to determine how hard each unit should work at any given moment.

The outcome is a building that adapts to how it is actually used — easing demand on unoccupied floors, and shifting load away from peak-tariff periods. These features ensure efficiency is maintained over time, so a building that once needed periodic recommissioning can keep tuning its own performance, season after season.

How connected ecosystems reduce operating and maintenance costs

The most significant long-term savings are often found not in kilowatt-hours, but in the service calls that never become necessary.

Since the DVM S2 and SmartThings Pro operate on a single connected platform, a facilities team can oversee an entire estate from one dashboard: viewing real-time energy analytics, performance trends and early warnings that surface before a fault escalates into a failure.

Predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics can identify a struggling compressor or a refrigerant leak, allowing many issues to be resolved before an engineer is dispatched.

For owners running portfolios spread across cities, multi-site monitoring consolidates a dispersed estate into a single coherent view — this means fewer emergency repairs, reduced downtime and a maintenance program guided by real-time condition data rather than fixed intervals.

This connected ecosystem approach is being incorporated into new developments like Grantz Forest Park, a mixed-use project led by Samsung’s B2B Integrated Offering Center. The development is planned for Cebu, the Philippines, where residential facility managers will be able to remotely check in on the status of facilities through SmartThings Pro, while the Samsung Building Integrated Solution ‘b.IoT’ will enable control and management of HVAC, lighting, and power facilities to enhance building energy efficiency.

The path forward runs through buildings we already have

It’s tempting to treat new construction as the only real form of progress. But in Southeast Asia and Oceania, where HVAC systems consume significant volumes of energy and thousands of buildings already stand, the bigger opportunity isn’t in what gets built next — it’s in upgrading what’s already there.

For building owners across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the question shifts from whether to modernise, to how they can retrofit existing structures. With AI-powered HVAC solutions from Samsung, the region’s offices, hotel buildings, mixed-used developments and more, can look forward to the benefits offered by efficient and intelligent HVAC systems.

_{^[1] Conditions apply.}

_{^[2] Over 10 different types of indoor units, ranging from 5,000 to 96,000 Btu/h.}

_{^[3] Based on internal testing with an AM080AXVGGH/EU outdoor unit connected to AM083NN4DBH1 and AM145NN4DBH1 indoor units with 25m of piping, using the cooling operation in Auto mode for 4 hours, with an external temperature of 30°C of and a set temperature of 22°C. Results may vary depending on the actual installation and usage conditions, such as the piping length, elevation and external temperature.}