Running hot and cold

With rainfall rather than sunshine being the norm for most of the summer, you may ask why would you need air conditioning? Surely heating is what's needed in most homes and offices? But as the early weeks of August proved to many, it only needs a few days of intense sunshine to make air temperatures almost unbearable. Productivity falls as workplaces heat up, with working capacity decreasing by up to 40% when temperatures top 20°C.

In large office developments air conditioning is now almost standard, but it has yet to make an impact in smaller commercial spaces. This is partly due to the initial costs of the equipment and installation by refrigeration specialists. People start reaching for fans and mobile air conditioning units, but as well as cluttering up valuable office working space, these are short-term and inefficient answers to a recurring problem. For the long-term, a cost-effective and energy-efficient method is needed.

A new solution has just arrived in the form of GEA Acqua. Developed specifically for the UK market by German manufacturer GEA Air Treatment Division, this water-based system can be used to transform a traditional central heating installation into an air conditioning system. The trick is to combine fan coil units with an outdoor water-based chiller, which has the refrigerant factory-sealed so that the need for specialist installers is removed, thus opening the market to m&e contractors.

Christian Herten, head of business development at GEA developed the system in Germany after recognising a potential gap in the UK air conditioning market. Herten explains: "There were no small wet kits, 99% [of air conditioning in small areas] was done by refrigerant-based splits."

The GEA Acqua system is supplied as a kit and uses tried and tested products that are familiar to the marketplace. "The difference here," explains Herten, "is the way that they are used together to form a complete system that needs no additional components.

"The system gives an alternative to split installations where cooling is required. It's another way to solve the problem," he says.

The chiller is connected using standard pipework and air is delivered to the spaces by fan coil units. Up to eight fan coil units can be fitted in a system using a single chiller, and in the case of retrofit, these directly replace the radiators in the existing heating system. The fan coil units are linked to the existing hot water and new chilled water supplies by insulated copper or plastics pipe and include cooling and/or heating elements. A control allows the switch between hot and cold operation, which can run simultaneously in different rooms.

Four chiller sizes are offered with the initial system ranging in capacity from 4-9 kW, although Herten reports that the firm is "on the verge of launching" larger capacities systems in the range of 14-20 kW. Any system installed can be extended at a later date to cater for changes of use and demands.

Installation of the system is said to be similar to a traditional heating system and the cost comparable to a dedicated split air conditioning system. Running costs for cooling a three-roomed office are estimated at around £1/day.

Getting involved
A network of distributors that can provide training and technical support is being set up throughout the UK, with several branches already established. The first training began late last year. "We missed the heating season in 2001 and have been concentrating on setting up distributors since then," explained Herten, "This is an ongoing process."

The initial strategy was to aim at heating contractors, where GEA reportedly found a high interest in the system, but emphasis has changed to m&e contractors. The firm has a strategy to set up a network of trained installers to suit demand. "M&E contractors could be linked into the existing training network of installers or could train their own staff," suggests Herten.

GEA is offering one-day training courses to selected firms. Those targeted are "mid-sized companies with a certain infrastructure and a desire to grow," Herten explains. The training courses are being held at distributors' offices, hotels or any other suitable venue; larger contractors may hold them at their own premises. Attendees are given a general outlook on the air conditioning market and design and selection training. A mobile demonstration unit with a full working kit is used to give hands-on practical installation training. This training is free at present, advises Herten.

Once trained, registered installers can gain access to GEA's online design and selection tool. This enables specific systems to be designed by computer, with components, technical details and prices listed. The software is based on a system used internally by GEA and includes complete product and price databases. Password-protection of this tool for registered installers was necessary, explains Herten, as: "GEA wants to guarantee a certain quality of installer."

The first systems to be installed seem to be for those in the know, the distributors, which can only be a positive sign. To date one has been installed in a Welsh distributor and another in a Nottingham distributor's premises. An office in Birmingham is the first non-distributor system set to be installed and Herten reports an interest from the upmarket domestic property market also. Herten stresses: "The technical benefits were recognised, it's not only a seasonal interest."

With the Building Regulations demanding tighter controls and the Climate Change Levy in place, the days of offices filled with fans in summer could soon be a thing of the past. GEA's Acqua system may be a new solution to a growing problem in small premises, but others are sure to follow. The time couldn't be better to enter a market that is sure to grow.