An office refurbishment in central London has provided the perfect opportunity to replace existing ozone-depleting R22 air conditioning units with an eco-friendly VRF heat recovery system from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe (MHIE). Supplied by AMP Air Conditioning, the new MHIE system for offices in Yeoman’s Row, South Kensington utilises R410a refrigerant with zero Ozone Depletion Potential. Furthermore, the three-pipe heat recovery solution from MHIE’s KXRE6 range will enable sophisticated - and energy saving - climate control for office occupants. Simultaneous heating or cooling will be available in different areas as required, and any heat gain on the sunnier, south facing side of the building will provide useful energy for offices on the cooler, shadier side.

Virgin HCFC was banned for maintenance and servicing refrigeration and air conditioning systems at the end of 2009, and all HCFCs, including recycled R22, will be illegal from January 2015.

Suffolk-based Enhance Air and Electrical Ltd is upgrading the air conditioning in first floor offices at 3 Yeoman’s Row on behalf of South Kensington Estates. SKE manages and refurbishes a portfolio of residential and commercial properties in South Kensington and Brompton.

Enhance Air & Electrical Ltd’s Managing Director Justin Paxton, comments: “Replacing the old R22 system with a high efficiency R410a heat recovery system from MHIE ensures compliance ahead of the ban, and the potential energy savings of up to 38% will be an attractive proposition for any new tenants.”

The new system consists of one FDC400KXRE6 14HP 40Kw heat recovery outdoor unit featuring MHIE’s advanced inverter technology, which adjusts compressor output to match the cooling or heating demands of the indoor units to save energy and eliminate temperature fluctuations. The unit has a high efficiency COP of 3.84 and is connected to seven indoor units. Depending on their location, these are either FDT 4-way cassettes from MHIE with a heating / cooling range between 2.8kW and 7.0kW and a 2.8kW FDUM ceiling ducted unit, with an additional four units to be fitted at a later date.

Superior control of the new MHIE air conditioning at Yeoman’s Row is provided by an MHIE RC-E4 remote controller. Featuring easy-to-use functions and a clear LCD display, the RC-E4 combines basic user requirements, such as temperature setting, fan speed selection, and timer settings, with access to technical data, including fault diagnosis and operational history. Room temperature is controlled by the RC-E4’s remote control sensor and upper and lower limits of a set temperature range can be adjusted separately to avoid excessive heating or cooling.

More information and advice about the new refrigerant legislation is available at MHIE’s new dedicated R22 website www.mitsubishiR22.co.uk.