Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Using VRF Systems to Solve HVAC Challenges

  • By James DeBerry
  • 09/01/18

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) is a leading edge, globally proven HVAC technology that can help solve many HVAC challenges faced by educational facilities:

Increasing Energy Efficiency
VRF systems with inverter-driven compressors can reduce energy bills up to 25 percent.

Lower Lifecycle Costs
VRF’s installation and operational costs are often lower than those of traditional systems. Standard controls and simpler installation save on materials and labor.

Delivering Fresh Air
With advanced filters, zoning capabilities, and integration with ventilation systems, VRF can help meet indoor air mandates.

Limiting Operational Noise
VRF eliminates disruption indoors and out. Indoor units operate as quietly as 27 decibels and outdoor units are quieter than traditional systems.

Varying Loads Needs
Full-range variable capacity delivers only the amount of conditioning required to match a zone’s cooling or heating demand. Using integrated controls and sensors that measure conditions within each zone, the compressor adjusts speeds to maintain the desired zone temperature.

Solving Comfort Issues
VRF’s zoning offers personalized comfort control, including the ability to simultaneously cool and heat from one heat recovery system.

Controlling Multiple Spaces
VRF can integrate with third-party software. Beyond that, VRF offers a wide variety of controls options, from individual zone controllers to centralized controllers that monitor, schedule, and control multiple indoor units through a web browser.

Minimizing Maintenance
Limited maintenance is necessary and doesn’t require a specialized service contractor.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

James DeBerry is commercial marketing manager for Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating (MitsubishiPro.com). He can be reached at [email protected] or 888-979-9686.

Featured

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.