Air conditioning is selected for long-term energy use

To minimise the energy used for air conditioning the various buildings at the £8 million Wildwood Triangle development in Worcester, each building has Daikin VRV heat-recovery air conditioning and energy-reclaim ventilation provided by 17 Daikin VAM units. Billed by developer Maximus as ‘the best office address in Worcester, the complex comprises five self-contains 2-storey blocks offering 170 to 725 m2 of lettable space, with a total of 3700 m2. The air conditioning was specified by Hoare Lea’s Birmingham office and designed with Direct Cooling Systems, which installed the equipment. Five VRV systems are linked to 99 concealed ceiling-ducted fan-coil units with cooling capacities from 2.2 to 7.1 kW and heating from 2.5 to 8.0 kW. Indoor temperatures are maintained at 22°C ±2 K throughout the year. The energy-reclaim ventilation units each deliver 5.9 to 25 m3/min of tempered fresh air and modulate the temperature and humidity of incoming fresh air to match indoor conditions. Each VRV system is controlled by a Daikin intelligent controller in the maintenance staff areas and linked to remote room-temperature controllers in the office areas. Commenting on the project, a Hoare Lea spokesman said, ‘Daikin VRV equipment was selected because it offers considerable energy efficiency and ease of installation, combined with a huge product range and control options — plus cost competitiveness. ‘REYQ heat-recovery systems were chosen to ensure maximum energy efficiency and customer-support levels, and their high static-pressure availability allowed them to be sited in purpose-designed compounds to reduce plant visibility. Similarly, FXSQ concealed ceiling indoor units were ideally suited to this type of project because of their compactness, low operating noise and excellent static-pressure characteristics.’

Related links:

• www.daikin.co.uk