The Future of Air Conditioning Is Green, Says Pharmacist Turned Entrepreneur Louis Chan

Drawing inspiration from Italy’s innovative green initiatives, CEO and co-founder of GreenbiX, Chan Jin Wei Louis, CESGA, SEA, is revving up his drive to cut energy use and carbon emissions with breakthrough HVAC technology—making sustainable comfort a reality for buildings of today and tomorrow.

Louis Chan had just returned from a trip to Italy. He shares with delightful enthusiasm how Italy is tackling climate change. Lombardy and Tuscany are pushing forward with agrivoltaics, blending solar panels with farmland—the Italians have wisely used their 7,000-year-old agricultural industry as a lever to drive widespread adoption and acceptance of green technology.

“Witnessing this approach reflected not just in policy, but in everyday life shifted something in me. I was convinced that we can still have our comforts while significantly reducing our environmental footprint.”

Italy now generates nearly half its electricity from renewables, surpassing the global average. In contrast, Singapore still relies on natural gas for at least 95% of its electricity. The central question remains: how can Singapore achieve a similar transformation?

“Sustainability was a calling.”

Educated and trained in pharmacy, Louis swapped his lab coats for suits when he found himself leaning more comfortably into the world of sustainability while working as an intern at Deloitte. To him, sustainability is a space that embraces innovations of all forms, respects accountability, and, most importantly, is impact-driven.

Today, he is a certified ESG Analyst and co-founder of Greenbix, a deep-tech start-up that has developed a patented passive displacement coil technology aimed at dramatically cutting electricity use by HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems — making them more energy-efficient and sustainable.

Greenbix’s co-founders, Shuai Guo and Kai Xian Cheng, both hold PhDs in mechanical engineering, providing strong technical expertise for product development and continuous improvement of their HVAC solutions.

Greenbix’s innovative air-cooling system takes a bold, new approach to using less energy – by removing the air handling unit (also known as the fan) and air distribution duct, core components of conventional HVAC systems.

“It became apparent to us that the fan was a major contributor to energy consumption. This inspired us to rethink the entire system. We then engineered a far more efficient passive displacement cooling coil, optimising tube design and structure to outperform existing market options, both in speed and effectiveness.”

By leveraging natural air movement, Greenbix’s solution cools indoor spaces faster, consumes less energy, and creates a quieter environment — offering building owners significant long-term cost savings and helping achieve green building certifications such as BCA Green Mark Platinum and LEED Platinum.

Since joining the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP), Greenbix has secured funding and mentorship to refine its go-to-market strategy and expand its presence in Singapore and across the ASEAN region.

Looking ahead, Greenbix continues to scale its impact by pursuing partnerships for product integration, pilot projects, and research collaborations while preparing for a fundraising round to accelerate its mission of redefining sustainable cooling for the modern world.