Cool solution for fire station
A new fire station for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service includes energy efficient cooling and heating courtesy of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). AMP Air Conditioning has supplied a VRF heat recovery system from MHI’s KXRE6 range for the £1 million construction project.
Offering a high degree of climate control, the energy saving system operates with three inter-connecting pipes to provide heating and cooling to individual indoor units as required, with surplus heat from one area providing useful energy for another.
Local HVAC specialist, BMS Air Conditioning, is installing the MHI air conditioning in the new fire station in Cambourne. Contracts Director, Gary Jefferson, says heat recovery systems from a number of different manufacturers were considered. “We liaised with the project’s main contractor, MARS Construction, to find the best solution for the new building,” he says. “MHI came out on top in terms of performance and value for money. Although this is our first 3-pipe VRF equipment from MHI, we’ve installed a lot of their split systems and always found them to be hassle-free to install and maintain.”
MHI air conditioning for the Cambourne fire station consists of an FDC400 heat recovery outdoor unit with 40kW cooling and 45kW heating capacities. Utilising the latest inverter technology, MHI systems constantly adjust cooling/heating output to meet requirements. This ensures consistent and comfortable temperature control, and reduces energy consumption by up to 38%.
The fire station’s FDC outdoor unit drives eight indoor units from MHI’s FDT range of ceiling cassettes. FDT units have an ultra slim height profile – just 246mm on models up to 7.0kW – for easy installation, even in restricted ceiling spaces. They offer virtual all-round air distribution and individual control of air supply louvres to minimise draughts.
FDT ceiling cassettes will be located throughout the fire station, including in the reception, dining room, and general offices. Depending on the size and usage of each air conditioned area, indoor unit capacities range from 1.6kW cooling (2.19kW heating) in the station office, to the largest unit in the main lecture room, used for staff training, which provides 6.51kW cooling (8.76kW heating).
