Modern Building Services

14 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES JUNE 2022 FEATURE AIR CONDITIONING, COOLING & VENTILATION Making the most of heat recovery Martyn Ives , Distribution Sales & Technical Services Director at Fujitsu General Air Conditioning UK, highlights the importance of unlocking the full potential of HVAC systems. E nvironmental concerns, increased awareness of the importance of indoor air quality and the current impact of soaring energy costs mean there is a greater need than ever to re-examine the way we heat, cool and ventilate our buildings. Air conditioning is still seen by many as simply a way of cooling occupied space, even though the advent of heat pump technology as long ago as the 1970s created the opportunity to incorporate heat. The importance of making the most of a system to meet the needs of a building has now taken on even greater significance and, with a little imagination and guidance, we can realise the full potential of efficiency through heat recovery. When we look at the functions and features of any building, we see a mixture of services; air conditioning that regulates the temperature, boilers generating the hot water and air handling units (AHUs) introducing fresh air whilst removing the stale air and keeping CO 2 levels acceptable. All require their own sources of energy, be that gas or electricity. Through understanding a VRF heat recovery system, and informed planning at the outset, energy recovery can be realised across many different types of products. Air conditioning systems typically move energy from one space to another, for example, removing heat energy from a room and transferring it to the ambient air using refrigerant as a transfer medium. Energy is consumed by the compressor and fan operation, with the ratio of energy consumption to energy produced used to calculate the system’s efficiency.