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Energy Efficiency 19


Basildon Hospital gains climate control


The latest VRV technology helps installers to provide the most energy efficient solutions, says Martin Passingham, product manager, DX, Daikin UK.


THE REVISIONS TO Part L Building Regulations (April 2014) now require a 9% reduction in carbon emissions for non-domestic buildings, compared with the 2010 regulations. From 2019, all new buildings will need to deliver zero carbon emissions from the energy required for heating, cooling, hot water and lighting. Given that heating and climate control solutions can account for up to 50% of a


building’s CO2 emissions, energy efficient solutions have never been so important. These challenging targets require considerable innovation to improve on current practices and the continued use of renewable technologies.


The first step for designers aiming to improve energy efficiency is to reduce energy demand by improving the thermal efficiency of the building fabric. An added benefit of a highly insulated building is that it is also better suited to energy efficient solutions such as air-to-water heat pumps.


The healthcare sector has designated that all new buildings must meet a BREEAM Excellent rating and existing building stock must achieve a Very Good rating. This sets mandatory design standards to ensure that both new build and existing premises meet the exacting requirements for reduced carbon emissions.


When Basildon Hospital in Essex was looking to introduce a climate control system into eight kitchens in its Jubilee Wing, it turned to Daikin’s VRV IV heat pump – the first installation of the product in the UK. The kitchens were in need of temperature regulation to ensure a


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comfortable working environment, as well as to prevent bacterial infection. As in many kitchens, temperatures tended to increase dramatically during busy periods. As the kitchens are used by both staff and patients, this was particularly problematic, as clearly patients are more susceptible to infection.


Ajeet Gangadharan, project manager for Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals, explains: “We needed to find a system to cool our kitchens, which are spread across the hospital campus, as energy efficiently as possible. The VRV IV heat pump solution from Daikin fitted all our requirements.


“As well as the energy efficiency capabilities, we required a system which was discreet, had a small footprint, had operational flexibility and could fit into our building’s existing infrastructure. This system did just that.”


Two VRV IV heat pumps with 22.4kW cooling capacity were installed externally on one of the hospital’s roofs. Each is connected to six Daikin FXAQ wall- mounted units. These have flat, stylish front panels which blend with the existing décor and are – vitally for the kitchen environment – easy to clean. Maintenance can be carried out from the front, so access is easy and causes little disruption to the busy kitchens.


Each of the heat pump systems is controlled using a wired remote control as well as being centrally controlled via the hospital’s building management system. This has been pre-programmed to switch on the heat pump systems at specific times such as when the kitchens are being used,


to save energy.


The system has also been designed to be expanded easily or replicated across other areas of the hospital when refurbishment or maintenance programmes allow. Installations of VRV IV systems on other projects are showing an increase in energy efficiency of 28 per cent over the previous VRV III systems, which were already highly energy efficient.


The highest levels of seasonal efficiency are achieved by the use of VRV IV’s new variable refrigerant temperature control. This automatically adapts the VRV system to an individual building’s comfort and efficiency requirements, thus drastically reducing operational running costs. The automatic variable refrigerant temperature mode works by reducing the speed of the compressors and increasing the evaporation temperature, as outdoor temperatures fall. This delivers higher efficiency due to lower compression ratios and maintaining the compressors at optimal speeds.


The new heat pump has a continuous defrost cycle which can operate alongside the heating system making it a real contender to traditional heating systems. This allows for continual operation and maintaining of a comfortable internal environment even when external temperatures are severe.


The project at Basildon Hospital demonstrates that, when it comes to designing for today’s high energy efficiency requirements, modular systems are viable and highly efficient alternatives to traditional chilled water systems, even for larger buildings.


A supplement to ACR News May 2014


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