Traditional HVAC systems consume 34% of a building’s total energy needs, according to the US General Services Administration’s Center for Emerging Building Technologies. For businesses grappling with high energy bills and operating costs while struggling to meet sustainability goals and provide a comfortable work environment, there has to be a better way.
Fortunately, there is—it’s called a Variable Refrigerant Flow System (or VRF system) and it can drastically reduce your building’s energy wastage, maintenance costs, and carbon footprint while keeping employees and customers comfortable. Join the expert HVAC technicians at Chiller to explore how a VRF system works and the host of benefits it can provide for your business:
What Is a Variable Refrigerant Flow System?
A Variable Refrigerant Flow system is a ductless, large-scale HVAC system that uses refrigerant as both its cooling and heating medium. Its design is less complex than conventional chiller-based systems and enables fine-tuning climate control throughout your building by region. By modulating the flow of refrigerant to match the precise demands of each zone in your building, you can even heat one part of a building while cooling another.
These highly efficient VRF systems, due to their simpler and less complex designs, are especially useful for improving the HVAC capabilities of historic buildings, which frequently fail to meet modern standards of comfort and energy efficiency.
How does a VRF system work?
Variable refrigerant flow systems consist of a central outdoor unit connected to multiple indoor units, linked by a network of small-diameter pipes. The central outdoor unit uses variable-speed compressors to modulate the flow of refrigerant through these pipes to each indoor unit, which uses fan coils and air handlers to deliver conditioned air to that unit’s zone. The central unit calculates the exact refrigerant flow needed to cool or heat a zone and sends it to the indoor unit in question.
VRF systems can be connected to other HVAC systems, such as heat recovery units and smart building technology. Commercial heat recovery systems work together with VRF systems to redistribute waste heat to areas needing warmth. Smart thermostats and other automated systems monitor temperatures and demand and send instructions in real-time to the central unit to control your building’s climate.
The way VRF systems work enables them to deliver a host of benefits for commercial buildings of all shapes and sizes. Let’s take a look at the major benefits you can reap by upgrading your HVAC system with variable refrigerant flow:
Exploring the Benefits of a VRF System
Incorporating VRF into your HVAC system delivers a slew of benefits across your building’s climate control capabilities. The zonal control VRF systems offer gives you a level of fine-tuned, granular control over your building’s climate that prevents any one area too hot or too cold. You can simply dial in the right temperature by zone. As a result, your occupants are more comfortable and productive, wherever they are.
This level of control over your building’s climate also leads to lower energy costs and extended equipment lifespans. Unlike traditional HVAC systems, VRF systems don’t run at full capacity regardless of demand, reducing energy consumption and wear on equipment. That means reduced electricity bills, less frequent repairs and upgrades, and overall lower operating costs.
And all that, of course, means a lower carbon footprint for your building. Decreased energy consumption and efficient heating and cooling means decreased emissions. A traditional HVAC system can hold you back from meeting your business’s sustainability goals—adding variable refrigerant flow to your HVAC system pushes you forward.
On top of all that, the more modular design and capabilities of VRF systems make them scalable, too—they can more easily be expanded to accommodate future modifications or expansions to your building. Future-proofing your building like this also increases its real estate value!
Add Variable Refrigerant Flow to Your HVAC System with Chiller System Service
VRF systems were developed in the 1980s by Japanese air conditioner manufacturing company Daikin Industries, and today are used frequently across Europe, Japan, and China. In the 2000s, roughly half of all midsize office buildings in Japan used VRF, and around a third of all large office buildings, according to a 2007 study in ASHRAE Journal. However, even today—over 40 years after their invention—only 3% of US office buildings rely on VRF. That means there’s significant room for improvement, and with all the benefits variable refrigerant systems offer, getting ahead of the curve and upgrading your building with one could be a very sensible option.
Based in the metro Denver area, Chiller Systems Service has been helping businesses across the Colorado Front Range bring their HVAC systems into the twenty-first century since 1997. Let our team connect you to best-value, turnkey HVAC solutions customized to fit your industry needs and your budget. Now that you know how VRF systems work, give our technicians a call and find out if they are the right choice for your building: