ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 19 CONTROLS systems to home automation and building management systems, utilising various user interfaces. HVAC controls in commercial settings are more important than ever and vital in providing good indoor air quality. For example, removing contaminants, odours, and particulates is key to providing a decent working environment, and increasingly in the UK, this is extending to HVAC in the home. Particularly in inner-city areas, there is a requirement to ensure that the indoor air quality inside the house is acceptable to protect people from dirty air and the common ailments this can cause – after a considerable increase in levels of asthma and other chronic long term respiratory diseases. Modern HVAC systems are increasingly providing additional levels of air ‘cleaning’ to remove even the finest dust and particulates from air circulating in a workplace or a home. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards HVAC legislation has seen significant changes in recent years. Two primary reasons have prompted these changes: reducing high carbon footprints and a growing urgency to tackle climate change issues. In 2018 we saw the introduction of the Minimum Energy E‹ciency Standard (MEES), which restricts new leases on existing commercial buildings unless the property secures an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E or above. Future legislation will ramp up this approach, and we will see increased emphasis on energy recovery solutions to maximise the reuse of potentially lost and wasted energy. VRF application VRF air conditioning has already been proved to be highly energy e‹cient. Still, new legislation relating to leak detection requirements and limits on existing refrigerants will need to see further changes in installation techniques and the refrigerants we use. On top of the benefits of simultaneous zonal cooling and heating control, VRF air conditioning systems benefit from their flexibility and modular design. Several outdoor units can be linked together to increase the capacity of a system and increase the possibility of energy recovery. VRF equipment connects to some of the most advanced, intuitive and innovative control solutions, many with web access and gateway functions enabling users on their respective smart devices to monitor and control tasks without limitations easily. Intuitive user interfaces help owners conveniently check the operating status of their air conditioning system and its schedules at a glance. As owners can visually check a unit that wastes energy, they can easily adjust the energy consumption to reduce ine‹ciency and lower running costs. As a result, air conditioning equipment, in its broadest definition, can play a big part in reducing a building’s overall energy load through tighter control algorithms and further environmental benefits such as improved air quality, low noise levels and reduced footprints. Better controls and improved systems are constantly being developed to meet the forever changing legislation to decrease our impact on the environment. Controls technology is clearly an area ripe for further improvement as the requirements of our HVAC systems become ever more demanding. Donna-Marie Evans