Month: August 2017

The Inn at Evergreen, Haymarket, Virginia, is a historical, 12,000-square-foot getaway hidden in the Bull Run Mountains. As it sits adjacent to the Evergreen Country Club, the almost 200-year-old property needed to find an HVAC system that would allow them to host guests comfortably for weddings, especially during the warm summer months. After much consideration, the owners selected CITY MULTI™ Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) from Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating (Mitsubishi Electric) to serve the inn.

Bill Anderson, project manager, Anderson Mechanical, Sterling, Virginia, worked with APG to help the owners select Mitsubishi Electric VRF for the inn. Anderson believed VRF was the best option for a few specific reasons: “They needed individual conditioning for each of the rooms. They also needed energy efficiency, and it needed to be quiet and attractive. This was an old house made with wood construction and plaster so they were trying to maintain the integrity of the house as much as possible.”

Not only would VRF perform well for the inn, but it also offered another benefit: more space, allowing the owners to enhance the guest experience even more. He continued, “Due to the nature of the house, space was problematic. Their new system was designed utilizing Mitsubishi Electric’s two-pipe system because of the lack of space within, so we didn’t look at other manufacturers because no one else offers two-pipe. We used one branch controller for 16 air-handling units. Fewer piping and power connections made it a lot easier to complete the installation properly.”
With quality products from Mitsubishi Electric and reliable support from APG, the installation process ran smoothly. Since completion, the owners have enjoyed the system’s superior performance. Anderson said, “They were looking for individual room control since they have 14 private rooms, and some of those rooms potentially need to heat and cool at the same time. This system allowed them to heat or cool depending on the needs of the guests. Appearance was also very important to them, so now they can keep the beauty of the house with attractive equipment.”

The inn’s entire construction process took four to six months and completed in March 2016. Since then, the owners have appreciated the system’s ability to provide instantaneous comfort for guests without worry for the weather. With VRF technology, The Inn at Evergreen is able to offer guests a first-class stay in the foothills of Virginia.

With many young people moving into cities, and with many others moving into the suburbs, the number of multifamily projects is increasing. Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology is a smart fit for this application and feels more relevant today given current market demands and trends. Here are four reasons why we here at the Advanced Products Group (APG), a division of Aireco Supply, Inc., have chosen to use VRF for multifamily projects:

• Retrofit projects, easy solution. As developers renovate old factories, warehouses, office buildings and more into modern multifamily facilities, the selected mechanical systems need to be flexible and unobtrusive. VRF’s indoor units are compact and discreet in terms of appearance and sound, enabling higher ceilings and a contemporary look.
• Roof space = amenity space. VRF’s outdoor units weigh less and have a smaller footprint than a traditional system’s outdoor units.  Between those features, flexible design and long line sets, units can be located in a variety of places. It’s time to say goodbye to a condenser farm and hello to an outdoor amenity that can help attract potential tenants, like a rooftop garden or event space.

• Answering the market’s demand for innovative technology. Whether a multifamily project is seeking a centralized control system for a facility manager to monitor or individual controls for each tenant or building owner to operate, VRF is the answer. From simple controls to advanced integration options, VRF meets the needs of any multifamily application.
• Looking to earn a green certification? That’s easy. Green multifamily buildings can be more marketable to prospective renters or owners while efficient mechanical systems can also decrease utility costs and contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. VRF offers industry-leading efficiencies and contributes points to programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or also known as LEED^®.

If you’re looking to learn more about applying to VRF to mulitfamily projects, check out Mitsubishi Electric’s educational white paper called “VRF Zoning: An Ideal HVAC Solution for Mulitfamily Applications.”