R22 Phase Out – The Facts

The Ozone Regulation came into force in 2000 and it has already banned the use of ozone depleting HCFC refrigerants such as R22 in new systems. R22 remains a very common refrigerant in existing systems. The Regulation has banned the use of virgin R22 as a “top-up” for maintenance and will ban recycled R22 refrigerant during 2014.

The Institute of Refrigerantion comments:Start planning for HCFC Phase Out now. This will ensure you have time to consider the most appropriate options and will enable you to minimise the cost implications. It will also give you time to properly budget for any investments required.

Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (EPBD)

The Energy Performance in Buildings Directive is one initiative that has been introduced by Government in England and Wales to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings. The initiative requires that all air conditioning systems with an effective rated output above 12kW be inspected by January 2011 and every 5 years after. The inspection will include an efficiency assessment, a review of their sizing and advice on improvements or replacements and alternative solutions, and must be carried out by registered and accredited energy assessors.

Daikin Altherma High Temperature System

The Altherma HT system provides a direct alternative for boiler replacement, as it can fully support existing radiator systems, providing a highly efficient and versatile high temperature solution, guaranteeing flow temperatures of up to 80°C, withstorage all year round, the HT system is also available in combination with the Daikin Solar Thermal System, which includes solar panel/s, a solar pumping station and a thermal store tank. Without the need for a non-renewable back up heating system. High flow temperatures are achieved thanks to a specially designed cascading heat pump configuration. The system consists of an outdoor heat pump (first stage) and indoor unit hydrobox (second stage heat pump) where the upgraded free heat from the air is transferred to the heating and hot water system.  The hot water cylinder is installed next to or mounted neatly on top of the indoor unit.For every 1kW of electrical input, the Daikin Altherma HT system delivers 3 to 5 kW of usable heat, compared with a condensing boiler which would typically generate 0.93Kw.

B&C go paperless

B&C engineers are now able to log maintenance and breakdowns directly onto a handheld computer whilst on site. The live system automatically updates the customer database and enables speedy ordering of parts, logs refrigerant use and raises electronic (PDF) invoices and engineers reports, which can be e-mailed directly to the customer for a faster more efficient service.

Daikin VRV®III Heating Only System: the economical heating solution

The VRV®III Heating Only system by Daikin uses renewable energy from the outdoor air to drive the heating process. It generates 4 kW of usable heat for every 1 kW of electricity consumed, which makes it much more efficient than heating systems that burn fossil fuels. Hence this system reduces both the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of a building. Even when the electricity used comes from non-renewable sources, CO2 emissions are still much lower than boilers that burn fuel oil or natural gas. Thus VRV®III Heating Only reduces a building’s heating costs and its environmental footprint.