What are VRV and VRF air conditioning systems?

When in a commercial building you may have previously wondered how it was possible to keep so many different areas and rooms at specific temperatures. These medium to large commercial premises are more than likely utilising VRV, better known as VRF systems. The VRV system is a creation which has been named by Daikin and therefore the rest of the industry refers to such systems as Variable Refrigerant Flow rather than Variable Refrigerant Volume. The first VRV unit was created in 1982 in Japan by Daikin and they have been advancing the technology alongside their competitors ever since.

Refrigerant

The systems are extremely similar in how they work and how they are implemented, both using the refrigerant accurately and efficiently to produce cool air conditioning. With the addition of a heat pump to these units it is also possible to heat areas too, but this handy little overview of VRF systems will focus on explaining how the units work for cooling.

Refrigerant levels are reflected by the needs of the rooms for which it’s being used, and there is normally one outdoor unit that will feed in to multiple units indoors to allow a unified system that can be individually controlled for different portions of the same building.

The units indoors act as evaporators when the cooling function is used, but as condensers if a heating system is included. The refrigerant is used to meet the specific needs of a room and therefore only what is needed is used, resulting in energy saving and – even better for companies and businesses – resulting in monetary savings.

Benefits

Many models of VRF systems now boast a whole range of benefits including better sustainability of the unit, leading to less maintenance and repairs as well as the additional benefit of quieter operation to lower sound levels. This way, whether you’ve got guests sleeping in hotel rooms or staff members working in offices, there is minimal disruption. Longer piping and slender units all contribute to the reasons why VRF systems are so popular in commercial environments.

If you have any further questions about how VRV or VRF systems can benefit you and your building, then get in touch with Airway Air Conditioning today. We’re happy to offer advice and information about these systems, as well as giving the best guidance when it comes to the installation, positioning and usage of the air conditioning. Simply call or email us today and our team of professional engineers can help you.