Affordable, visible comfort - Nagelmackers case study - DEU-1826

Affordable invisible comfort

Bank employs VRV technology to gain business edge 

Daikin’s newly launched, VRV IV i-series is allowing more city centre businesses to benefit from a new generation of air-cooled VRV heat pump, that can be integrated completely within a building, making it invisible from the outside. The new heat pump is proving to be a highly efficient solution for optimum temperature control for urban small commercial applications, such as a banks, offices and shops, overcoming the problem of housing an outdoor unit.

Six months after their first VRV IV i-series installation for a Belgian branch of The Dutch Nagelmackers Bank, Engie Cofely and their clients are realising the advantages of the VRV IV i-series design.

Complying to regulations in one invisible solution

Historically, Engie Cofely is a trusted installer for integrated facility management, offering technical solutions for public and private buildings in industry, at airports and in data centres. The company primarily uses direct expansion technology: According to the size of the application, a selection is made for split, multi-split or VRV units.

“Our clients typically have logistical difficulty with this type of high street application as everything has to be installed at street level, since apartments are usually located above. An outdoor unit, in that case, cannot be installed on the roof. In the past the solution would than have been to choose  equipment that is capable of handling long-distance piping,  says Geert Demarie team leader at Engie Cofely.

In the case of the Nagelmackers high street branch there was no possibility of installing a standard outdoor unit at all, since the equipment was not allowed to be visible. The only possibility consisted of installing a VRV heat pump in the garage. In addition, it was neither possible to take any parking or circulation space up. The only solution was to suspend the equipment from the ceiling, so that the traffic would not be hindered. He added.

Cost-effective

“The VRV IV i-series comes in two parts, enabling the lightweight units to be installed by only two engineers and there is no need for a crane. In addition thanks to the shorter distance between outdoor and indoor units, the cooling pipes were shorter, so costs were less. Despite the fact that this was a completely new system, the start-up went smoothly and took only half day,” recalls Geert.

For Nagelmackers the complete VRV IV i-series system was installed in the garage: The heat exchanger was suspended from the ceiling and a compact compressor module was installed in the bicycle parking area. The split-up of the heat pump into two parts (compressor module and heat exchanger) gave the installer and client the advantage it is very flexible in the installation.

Minimum indoor interior visual impact

 “Wherever possible, we made use of compact cassettes, in view of the fact that these can be installed in a simple way in a systems ceiling. In the case of the Nagelmacker’s branch, certain rooms had a very limited overall height so we opted for the installation of a wall mounted model. A roundflow cassette was suspended on the ceiling of the reception area, which guaranteed an optimal air distribution. A flush-mounted satellite model was installed in the more residential auditorium, where it was possible to reduce the visual impact to a minimum.”

Why Daikin?

The installer concludes:  “Daikin was the only system that could provide our client with a satisfactory technical solution, thanks to the new  (invisible) VRV IV i-series. Furthermore, we have already been working with Daikin for a longer time and we have, to date, an excellent experience with the quality of the products and above all, with customer service. Furthermore, the availability of exchange parts is an enormous plus-point. Normally we get the parts the day after we place an order, but an express delivery on the same day is also possible for urgent cases."

Six months on our customer is extremely satisfied with their system, which is the most important thing for us.”

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