Decarbonising SPACES Offices with HVRF Technology

Background:

Spaces Offices provides fully furnished, serviced office environments for individuals and teams across three locations in Dublin. The team at Spaces understood the importance of maintaining a comfortable and fresh atmosphere for employee well-being and productivity, but also recognised the need to reduce their environmental impact and support decarbonisation efforts.

When the time came to upgrade the heating and cooling system in their South Docklands location, Spaces sought a more energy-efficient, sustainable and decarbonised solution. The building had previously relied on a gas boiler and chillers to regulate temperature in communal workspaces, but this system no longer aligned with their sustainability goals. Furthermore, traditional air conditioning systems often create cold air draughts and inconsistent temperature control, leading to discomfort, while the high use of refrigerants in conventional systems poses environmental concerns.

To address these issues, Spaces Offices implemented a Hybrid Variable Refrigerant Flow (HVRF) air conditioning system. This innovative solution not only enhances comfort by providing stable and efficient air conditioning but also supports the company’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and embracing more sustainable building operations.

Solution:

The team in Spaces hired Crystal Air to be the lead contractors in this decarbonisation project. Working with SEHA Technical Services as consulting engineers, Crystal Air have the ability to install, and service all types of air-conditioning and indoor weather control systems. Preforming not only to their own high standards but also setting a standard within the industry. With their attention to detail, they were confident that they would meet all the client’s requirements in full.

Decarbonise the building:

As Spaces wanted to reduce their carbon footprint with a more sustainable technology, the solution was simple; completely remove the gas boiler and chillers previously used and fit the office with a Mitsubishi Electric Hybrid Variable Refrigerant Flow system. Our HVRF technology was installed to meet these carbon reducing challenges effectively.

Unlike traditional air conditioning systems, HVRF technology primarily uses water for temperature regulation, significantly reducing refrigerant consumption. This innovative air conditioning system is unique to Mitsubishi Electric, whereby the outdoor unit is connected with a 2-pipe heat recovery VRF system and water is used between the Hybrid Branch Controller (HBC) and indoor units - instead of refrigerant. With water pipework connecting the indoor units, HVRF provides comfortable and stable air temperature control with no refrigerant in occupied spaces, thus removing the need for leak detection.

Reducing the environmental impact was a priority to Spaces and this was achieved by minimising refrigerant used in the system. HVRF is the ideal solution for end users that want to future-proof the air conditioning in their building while staying in line with the next stage of the F-Gas Regulations and the phase down of high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants.

Results:

The transition from a gas boiler and chiller system to HVRF will deliver a return on investment due to its exceptional energy efficiency. One of the key advantages of the HVRF system is its use of Low GWP R32 refrigerant, which significantly reduces environmental impact. Additionally, since there is no refrigerant in occupied spaces, the need for costly leak detection and annual servicing has been eliminated.

By reducing the overall refrigerant volume, the client successfully lowered their embodied carbon footprint while maintaining compliance with F-Gas phasedown regulations. The HVRF system has also enhanced Spaces’ clientele’s comfort by providing higher air-off temperatures in cooling mode compared to standard VRF, ensuring a more stable indoor climate. Spaces can simultaneously heat and cool from a single system, optimising energy use and operational efficiency.

Unlike fossil fuel-based heating solutions, HVRF leverages more sustainable energy sources, reducing environmental impact through efficient water-based temperature control. The system also provides higher efficiency, extended pipe runs for greater installation flexibility and a simplified two-pipe design for ease of use and maintenance. With whisper-quiet operation, the system ensures a comfortable indoor environment while delivering cost savings and operational benefits.