Energy-efficient VRF system for new Intersport store
Case study for efficient heating and cooling in retail
Bielefeld, GermanyIntersport Deutschland eG, based in the south-western city of Heilbronn, is Germany’s most successful sports retail confederation. The Intersport confederation has around 700 members who manage a total of over 1,400 stores across the country. These members can do business under the Intersport brand or set up their own brand as a cooperation partner. The Intersport stores offer a wide range of sporting equipment, together with individual cross-channel services. Both the Intersport confederation and the individual members take responsibility and are dedicated to sustainability in social and ecological matters. Resource efficiency and energy-efficient store operations are just some of the key aspects here. The Intersport confederation provides its members with a range of tools here, helping them to design and equip their stores.
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Requirements:
- Sustainable solutions
- Energy-efficient operation
- Comfortable climate all year round
- High operating reliability
Background and challenges
Background and challengesBackground
The Finke business family recently opened a new Intersport store in the western German city of Bielefeld, creating a new place for sports lovers in the region to find the kit they need. The store was set up in line with the latest Intersport design, in order to make the shopping experience as pleasant as possible. With around 2,000 square metres of retail space, the store offers a unique shopping experience across three floors that combines a broad range of sporting equipment with individual service and advice. The building is an old clothes shop that was converted into the new sports retail store in a comprehensive renovation project that lasted just four months.
Challenges
A total of around four million euros was invested in the renovation. For the store owner, sustainability was one of the main focal points. “As a family business, we are aware of our responsibility to the environment and society at large. It is amazing what can already be done in terms of energy efficiency and saving CO2”, explains Markus Finke, owner of Finke Fashion und Sports GmbH. The issue of sustainability was also key to the technical building services. The goal here was to replace the ageing ventilation system with a new central room air system, augmented by an energy-efficient air conditioning system. The central ventilation system not only replaces the waste room air with fresh outdoor air, but conditions it to a certain degree in an adiabatic evaporation cooling process. The system also features a heat exchanger for heat recovery at low outdoor temperatures. This allows the ventilation system to cover the base load for the heating or cooling requirements.
Which solution was chosen?
City Multi VRFMitsubishi Electric’s City Multi VRF Y series system for cooling and heating operation
The solution uses three cutting-edge Y systems from the City Multi series, which are included in the list of funding-eligible heat pumps with test/efficiency verification of the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). The VRF technology used here has an integrated heat pump function that allows it to act as an air-to-air heat pump, enabling cooling or heating as required at all times via a switching function. The three type PUHY-EP300YNW outdoor units are installed on a roof between the store and the neighbouring building. Each delivers between 33.5 and 37.5 kW of heating or cooling capacity. They have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 7.26 in cooling mode and a seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) of 4.12 in heating mode.
Inverter controlled for greater energy efficiency
As a two-pipe system, the Y series offers impressive energy-efficient operation. The speed of the inverter-controlled compressor is adjusted to the requirements of the indoor units, meaning it only generates as much power as is actually necessary. When inverter-controlled compressors work under partial load, the energy-efficiency of such a system is much higher than in non-inverter systems, as most of the operating time is spent under partial load.
Indoor units filter the room air
The retail space is spread over three floors, with one basement floor and two above ground. Each outdoor unit supplies the indoor units of each floor with heat or cooling. The refrigerant here flows directly from the heat pump to the connected indoor units. These ensure a comfortable temperature distribution in the rooms. The building is supplied via 15 indoor units using 4-way ceiling cassettes. Each cooling circuit always consists of five indoor units and one outdoor unit. The air is recirculated, i.e. the room air is sucked in by the indoor units, sent through a heat exchanger and thermally conditioned before being returned to the retail space. In this way, the room air is cleaned according to the level of filtering, therefore ensuring a high level of hygiene in the store.
Convenient monitoring with central control
All sales staff can set the temperature and control the indoor units conveniently via a central control system. This uses a type AE-200 visual control system installed on the ground floor. The control system allows staff to monitor the system and view the status display from a central point, and automatically notifies them in the event of high energy consumption and maintenance intervals. The temperature is selected via symbols on the touch panel, which is located in the storage room to protect against unauthorised use. The five indoor units on each floor are combined as a group. This makes it possible to choose a separate temperature in the basement, ground or first floor to create a comfortable climate on each floor and ensure that the individual units are not working against each other. This saves additional energy and costs.
The key points
Summary- A former clothes shop was converted into a new Intersport store in just a few months
- The plan for the store focused on sustainability and energy efficiency
- The store was fitted with a modern ventilation system and an energy-efficient VRF air conditioning system with heat pump function
- The City Multi VRF system of the Y series is the perfect solution for heating and cooling in this application
- The system offers high flexibility and reliability alongside excellent energy efficiency
- As air-to-air heat pumps, the units are eligible for financial support under the German government’s efficient buildings scheme
- The clear grouping of the units across the three floors & controlled by a central control system ensure comfortable temperatures for shoppers at all times
