State-of-the-art hotel air conditioning
HYBRID VRF SYSTEM FOR THE STADTHOTEL HASLACH
Haslach, GermanyThe Stadthotel Hansjakob, centrally located in Haslach’s old town, opened in spring 2020 as a new building with a total of 31 guest rooms and a bar. It is characterised by its individual charm and high-quality furnishings. The family-run Stadthotel Hansjakob in Haslach focuses on a relaxed ambience with high standards in terms of sustainability, environmental protection and a comfortable atmosphere for guests. This successful philosophy runs through all areas, from the architecture to the interior equipment of the modern and comfortably furnished hotel rooms. Accordingly, the air conditioning should also meet these requirements.
Requirements
The Stadthotel Haslach was to be provided with smart, individual air conditioning in the guest rooms. The location of the building in the historic city centre and the local building regulations did not permit any installation of air-conditioning equipment on the roof or in the outdoor area. As a consequence, the use of VRF outdoor units with ambient air cooling was not possible. In addition, the system should both cool and heat while taking into account the desired values of sustainability and environmental protection. Furthermore, in order to avoid implementation of additional safety measures, refrigerant pipes in the hotel rooms should be dispensed with.
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Requirements
- no installation of air-conditioning equipment on the roof or in the outdoor area
- individual air conditioning in the guest rooms
- refrigerant pipes shall not lead through hotel rooms
- smart control system – even in guest rooms
- Energy-efficient technology for heating and cooling
Which solution did the hotel opt for?
Hybrid VRF SystemRequirement: no air-conditioning equipment on the roof
The Hybrid VRF (HVRF) system is the first 2-pipe system to provide simultaneous cooling and heating with heat recovery, combining the benefits of a direct evaporation system with those of a water-cooled system. Three water-cooled outdoor units that combine to provide 60 kW of heating capacity or 110 kW of cooling capacity are deployed in this particular case. Thanks to the separation into a refrigerant-based and a water-based section, this system gets by with a significantly reduced refrigerant charge.
Requirement: individual air conditioning in guest rooms
All 164 hotel rooms are either heated or cooled exclusively by the Hybrid VRF (HVRF) air-conditioning system. The required indoor units (1 for each guest room) are ceiling concealed ducted units with intake and outlet grille located in the entrance areas of the rooms. One impressive feature of the Hybrid VRF system is that, with only two pipes per indoor unit, it permits a customised temperature (free selection of heating and cooling modes) for each individual user – regardless of the time of year, time of day or outside temperature. In addition, the extra water circuit enables the system to provide stable and mild blow-out temperatures that are considered extremely pleasant.
Requirement: smart control system
The user-friendly operating concept demands particular attention. Guests can individually select the temperature in each room using an elegant hotel remote control – which can even be configured via an app. Moreover, it is possible to use the PC in the hotel reception on the ground floor to manage all indoor air-conditioning units via a visual central control system. The central control software makes it easier to perform monitoring and check status displays from a central point. A maintenance tool provides access to the in-house network and visualises the system operating data. In addition, the Energy Management Licence Pack can be used to transmit information on energy consumption and implement energy-saving functions.
Requirement: Energy-efficient technology for heating and cooling
Beyond that, the Hybrid (HVRF) VRF system is characterised by its high energy efficiency. The heat recovery function ensures that heat extracted from the rooms that require cooling is not released to the ground water, but is used instead via the Hybrid BC Controllers to heat the rooms that require heating. As a result, the Stadthotel Haslach can manage without a conventional heating system for both the guest rooms andthe breakfast room.
Requirement: refrigerant pipes shall not lead through hotel rooms
The refrigerant only circulates between the outdoor units and three distribution units known as Hybrid BC controllers, which are located in the suspended ceilings in the corridors or on the third floor under the staircase. Together with the outdoor units, the Hybrid BC Controllers form a feedback controlled cooling system, meeting the heat or cooling demand by directing hot or cold water to the various air-conditioning circuits of the guest rooms and the common areas. Thanks to this innovative technology, it was possible to implement a project in which refrigerant pipes in the hotel rooms were to be expressly dispensed with.
The key points
Summary- The construction of the new Stadthotel Haslach imposes high requirements on the technical building equipment: no installation of equipment on the roof or in the outdoor area, individual, smartly controlled air conditioning in the guest rooms, and an eco-friendly cooling and heating solution
- A Mitsubishi Electric City Multi Hybrid VRF (HVRF) system combined with a groundwater well serving as the energy source was installed as the heating and air-conditioning solution for simultaneous heating and cooling with heat recovery.
- Thanks to the 2-pipe system, water is used instead of refrigerant as the sole transport medium in the building itself.
- It thus optimally meets the building contractor’s requirements and is particularly economical and environmentally friendly thanks to its heat recovery function.
