Towards double-digit COPs
Designing VRV air-conditioning systems in balanced mode to exploit heat recovery can achieve an overall COP greater than 10, according to John Durbin of Daikin UK. He explains, ‘An intelligent approach to heat recovery can deliver COPs of up to 9 or even 10. Yet while heat recovery is already being embraced in other areas of the world, it is will not widely realised in the UK market that a heat-recovery system operating in a balanced mode can increase energy-efficiency levels massively.’
Balanced operation involves transferring heat from areas of a building that require cooling to areas that require heating or into domestic hot water. The design must ensure that indoor units are arranged to maximise the potential for balanced operation with minimal heat rejection to atmosphere.
John Durbin says, ‘Consultants and engineers need to be involved at the earliest possible stages of the design process to help architects and systems designers make the right decisions and incorporate the latest thinking on heat recovery within the building modelling process. By doing so, project teams and their clients will discover the significant impact that integrated heat-recovery solutions can have on the reduction of energy usage.’
