Cost Effective Temperature Solutions
What are heat-pumps?
Heat-pumps are air conditioners that can be used for cooling and heating. Moreover, heat-pumps are much more energy efficient than conventional heating systems.
The reason for this is simple; rather than burning fuel to produce heat a heat-pump is “moving heat” from the outside environment and adding it to a small amount of electrical energy to produce a large amount of heat energy. They can still remove heat from the outside environment even at extremely low temperatures.
What is a split system?
A split air conditioning system consists of two parts. The indoor unit or fan coil is supplied with refrigerant from the condensing unit mounted outside through two insulated small-bore copper pipes. Heat energy from the room is absorbed by the refrigerant in the fan coil and then pumped to the condensing unit where the absorbed heat is then removed and transferred to the outside environment.
What is a fan coil?
A fan coil or indoor unit basically consists of an aluminium heat exchanger coil similar to a car radiator, and an electric fan. Refrigerant is pumped through and evaporated in this heat exchanger, it then draws heat energy from the surrounding air as its being drawn through the heat exchanger by the electric fan.
What is a condensing unit?
A condensing unit or outdoor unit consists of a compressor, and as in the fan coil a heat exchanger with an electric fan attached. Refrigerant and heat from the fan coil is compressed as it is pumped through the compressor. This heat is then transferred to the outside environment by the fan pulling air through the condensing units heat exchanger.
What is a V.R.V/F system?
A VRV/F system uses 2 or 3 pipes to supply up to 40 fan coils from one outdoor condensing unit.
In heat recovery 3 pipe systems, if one area requires heating and another cooling simultaneously; exhaust refrigerant from one area is diverted to the other area instead of exhausting to atmosphere via the condensing unit.
VRV/F systems obviously have advantages in energy saving and flexibility over split systems, especially in large buildings.
What is an inverter system?
In this answer we will try to explain the difference between an inverter system and a non-inverter conventional system.
A conventional system always consists of :
- an outdoor unit (condensing unit)
- an indoor unit (fan coil)
Inverter technology is integrated in the system in the form of D.C. motors to be found in the compressor drive and increasingly in the condenser and fan-coil fans.
In D.C. motors we can infinitely alter the running speeds: this enables the system to gradually increase or decrease its speed and function as the demand grows or falls in the cooled / heated space.
A conventional system can be compared with the switching on and off of a light bulb, therefore even in times of minimal load the compressor and the system run flat out until it reaches its set temperature. This results in higher noise levels, sudden surges in power demand, reduced system life and most of all energy wastage. Inverter heat pumps offer energy savings of up to 70% compared to conventional heat pumps.
How long will it take to install?
We can install a split system in between one and two days this depends on building structure and the
length of pipe runs.
What is the E.C.A. (enhanced capital allowance) scheme?
Our government to concur with the Kyoto Protocol is committed to reduce our CO2 emissions by 12.5% before 2012. To encourage business users to install more expensive energy efficient technology they introduced the E.C.A. scheme.
If your business invests in energy efficient technology included in the Carbon Trusts energy technology listings, you will be illegible to claim an E.C.A. on the full cost of the equipment and the installation.
This means you can initially claim a 100% first year tax allowance, this is given on the remaining balance the next year and so on; after ten years the allowance claimed would amount to approximately 95% of the original expenditure. With energy costs spiralling the potential saving to your business over this period is substantial.
Designed and produced by SpotOn Corporation, Devon
