Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems (VRF or VRV) News & Trends

When it is published later this quarter, the 2019 edition of ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will be the first standard, code, or regulation to use the new fan energy index (FEI) as the metric for efficiency provisions for commercial and industrial fans and blowers, Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc., the developer of FEI, announces. Determined in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 208-18, Calculation of the Fan E...

Panasonic has introduced Voice Control with the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa interfaces, to its air conditioning portfolio. Panasonic’s solutions that are compatible with the Comfort Cloud app, including all its domestic air-conditioners and PACi systems, can now be voice-activated to provide simple and convenient control. Voice activation control This new functionality offers a wide variety of benefits for both the commercial and residential markets. For example, homeowners who are...

ECR International has announced the release of a new video technical support tool to assist contractors in the field. This powerful new tool, called Rescue Lens, will enable ECR Technical Support advisors to see in real time exactly what the technician is seeing on the job site. ECR Rescue Lens The only requirement for the dealer is to have a smartphone with internet access either over cellular data or Wi-Fi Occasionally, a technical issue comes along that isn’t identified immediately....

A 100 percent Thermo King refrigerated trailer fleet since 2003, Frock Bros. Trucking understands how protecting its assets can lead to ongoing success – for both itself and its customers. Thermo King’s SVC Guaranteed Maintenance Program was a big contributor to the company’s fleet transformation (Frock Bros. was an all-competitor fleet in 1997). Business Evolvement “The focus on preventive maintenance increased our odds of delivering customers’ products on-time,&...

Coastal Pacific Xpress (CPx) has been partnering with its customers and continually looking for ways to improve its offerings for more than 30 years. Specializing in meeting stringent just-in-time requirements, CPx provides flexible and tailored solutions that encompass truckload and less-than-truckload services, as well as the warehouse and distribution capacities needed for companies throughout North America. Assisting the Canadian-based company to provide even greater service value to custom...

The Big Ass Fans family continues to grow. The HVAC solutions company is excited to announce Watts Engineering Sales, Inc. as the distributor of Big Ass Fans products for the design and new construction market in Alabama. HVAC solutions expert WES Inc., a 100 percent employee-owned business, has provided expertise in the HVAC industry for more than six decades. From its creation in 1959 up till now, Watts has grown to exceed customer expectations by providing the highest quality products and c...

Airedale International, the British-based air conditioning solutions provider, has announced the launch of a new range of R32-optimized air conditioning products. Azure range The Azure range, which has been under development for almost two years at Airedale International’s state-of-the-art research and development facility, is the latest technological innovation from the UK manufacturer which was founded in 1974. The range has been optimized to operate at the same high level of output a...

Significant changes to refrigerant container color protocol will commence in January 2020, as outlined in the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI) Guideline N, Assignment of Refrigerant Container Colors. Guideline revisions, first published in 2015, specify that all refrigerant containers should have the same paint color, RAL 7044, to reduce confusion among similarly colored refrigerant containers. Preventing safety issues “Misidentifying refrigeran...

Around the world, people are flocking from rural areas to cities. By 2050, there will be more than six billion people living in megacities, twice as many as now. Over the same period, the volume of urban traffic is set to increase threefold, not least because the continuing boom in online commerce will feed further growth in delivery traffic. A denser population and more traffic mean deteriorating air quality. Across the globe, from Paris to Shanghai, major cities face an enormous challenge, wh...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have been evaluating energy use and environmental trends for many years. Although legislative organization began nearly a dozen years ago, trends have largely remained consistent. R-22, or HCFC-22, along with other refrigerants, is being phased out because of its impact on the environment, contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer. Shortly after the current president took office in 2017, the DOE established...

Following a successful service delivery for the past three years, Adcock won a tender for the service and maintenance contract for all hospital’s air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. The engineers provide care for a wide range of systems from roof topwater to small split air conditioning units and kitchen fridges and are on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support the smooth hospital’s operation. reactive support services By providing ongoing maintenance and reacti...

LIXIL Americas, pioneer of water and housing products that solve day-to-day, real-life challenges, have announced two new positions that will drive brand-led growth and market share gains. Effective immediately, Gene Barbato has been named the new vice president of brand management for American Standard and Matthew Farwell has been selected as vice president of brand management for DXV and GROHE for LIXIL Americas. American Standard, DXV and GROHE brands Both Barbato and Farwell are leading th...

Air conditioning and commercial refrigeration major, Blue Star Limited, has won a prestigious air conditioning and tunnel ventilation system order valued at Rs.253 crores from Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). AC, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system The scope of this order includes design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the air conditioning, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system for nine underground stations and associated tunn...

“Evaporative cooling, direct, indirect, and two-stage solutions, are being used across the board in a wide variety of commercial and industrial solutions,” said Randy Niederer, Director of Marketing, Cambridge Engineering Inc. “It is currently experiencing a renaissance, as large manufacturing and distribution facilities are choosing this technology to provide cooling relief for employees.” This renaissance, along with several new technology factors, creates a backdrop f...

Johnson Controls International plc announces it has named Jeff Williams as vice president and president, Global Products, Building Technologies & Solutions effective immediately. Williams succeeds Bill Jackson who is leaving the company early August 2019 to pursue other opportunities. Williams recently served as vice president, Building Solutions, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America (EMEALA) for Johnson Controls where he led sustained growth and improved margins across the region....

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology Institute (AHRTI), the research arm of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), released the results of a benchmarking study on A3 refrigerant R290, which evaluated the potential risks of R290 leaks and ignitions in a whole room-scale setting. All the tests were conducted by AHRTI's subcontractor UL under the supervision of a technical committee consisting of industry experts from AHRI member companies and sta...

The European F-gas Directive is all about the restriction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, which includes hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants for air conditioning. This is a regulation that has been adopted by the European Union to phase-down the usage of refrigerants, which have a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). Since the most common refrigerants used (e.g. R410A, R134a), by individuals and industry wide, are affected by this regulation, there has been a drive lately...

PCI Membranes, globally-renowned provider of custom crossflow membrane filtration systems, has completed the strategic acquisition of Pentair’s X-Flow Classic Membrane. X-Flow Classic Membrane PCI Membranes will now be the exclusive provider of this technology, expanding its already unique offering of process and separation solutions. PCI Membranes and Pentair closed the product line acquisition deal, which includes hand over of existing assets and customers, earlier this spring. This a...

Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., a U.S.-based manufacturer of heating, cooling and other room air conditioning products, launches a Spanish-speaking technical and customer service line, making it among the first in the industry to offer a dedicated service specifically for Spanish-speaking customers. The Spanish-speaking line is available by calling Friedrich’s main customer service line, and selecting option 9. It will operate Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT, the same hours and da...

DENSO Corporation, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, celebrated the grand opening of its Seattle Innovation Lab, which will strengthen the company’s development of connected technologies and advance its Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform. software-based solutions The lab supports DENSO’s recent expansion into software-based solutions to complement its hardware expertise, bolsters its North American R&D strategy, and helps actualize its long-term plan aimed...

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) offered its support for the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). "This bill would implement several energy efficiency measures across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors," said AHRI Vice President of Government Relations Samantha Slater. "Initiatives outlined in the legislation would enable our member companies to leverage priv...

Current announces Hort Americas as its sole distributor for LED horticulture lighting solutions in North America. The news is being featured as part of Hort Americas’ exhibit (#3317) at the Cultivate conference, where Current is showcasing its new Arize Element Top Light, the L1000. This product is the industry’s first one-for-one LED replacement for a double-ended 1000-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) fixture. The Arize Element is the most advanced, flexible greenhouse grow light on...

Leading the change to R32, Panasonic has introduced the R32 Big PACi Series. The series, available in 20kW and 25kW capacities uses R32 refrigerant, includes a water heat exchanger option and supports Panasonic’s ‘full switch to R32’ initiative and Environmental Vision 2050. Business owners making the switch to R32 PACi can also benefit from energy and cost savings, thanks to a higher energy efficiency performance of up to 10% with R32. Due to the water heat exchanger connect...

DENSO Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation agreed to establish a joint venture for research and advanced development of next-generation, in-vehicle semiconductors. The two companies will study the details and aim to establish the new company in April 2020. in-vehicle semiconductors It is necessary to develop next-generation semiconductors that are integral to technology innovations Recently, electronic controls have been increasingly implemented in vehicles. Furthermore, the number of in...

Adcock is currently delivering another project for Selectaglaze, having been a customer since 2011 Selectaglaze had the confidence in Adcock to specify them as a preferred supplier. Drawing on years of experience and Diamond Quality Partner status Adcock designed and implemented a Mitsubishi Electric VRF Heat Recovery heat pump system. maintain existing services With its advanced controls and ability to heat and cool different parts of the building simultaneously the system was perfect for th...

This summer, Panasonic are providing extra Love2shop rewards on the R32 PACi range purchased throughout July, August and September 2019. Plus, that’s not all, installers will also receive Panasonic Premier Reward points for all purchases and redeem them against more Love2Shop rewards. Tony Nielsen, Marketing Manager for Panasonic UK, explains: “We are well known for running promotions in the Summer – and this year is no exception. We’ve put together an enviable package o...

Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc. will launch the Air System Engineering and Technology (ASET) series of free webinars on topics impacting air systems in buildings July 31 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT with ‘Fan Energy Index (FEI)—Changing Our Industry.’ FEI is a new fan-efficiency metric headed for building energy codes and standards, including the 2019 version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings....

The 2019 Panasonic UK Distributor Briefing was recently held at the Belfry Hotel in the Midlands. Panasonic UK Distributors gathered together from across the UK for an update on the company’s business initiatives and forthcoming products launching later this year. Panasonic has a strong distribution network across the UK for its heating and cooling solutions with attendees from AMP, DYSK, EasyAir, ESS, ICG, Logicool, Oceanair, Secon Solar, Heat Orkney and Thermsaver all attending the even...

Danfoss Refrigerant Week event will return for the third time between the 16th and 20th September 2019. Danfoss is focusing on equipping installers for refrigerant change, and presenting the solutions that are ready currently.  The Refrigerant Week prepares installers, alongside resellers, wholesalers, operators and OEM engineers, to handle the accelerating pace of refrigerant transition, through a packed program of webinars, podcasts and local training events.   Commercial...

Adcock was contracted to replace and upgrade the refrigeration system serving the hospital's main mortuary department. With a capacity of 72, it is a very busy department and it was vital to maintain operation during the upgrade. By careful planning and working closely with the hospital Adcock was able to achieve this. To minimize disruption some of the works was carried out overnight. Adcock maintains a refrigeration and air conditioning system at the hospital, together with decades of experi...