New Year, New Restaurant, Hotel or Office Air Conditioning System

It’s that time of year, when you reflect on the past year and look to the future year. It may be that in 2020 you’re looking to install a new restaurant, hotel or office air conditioning system?

Office air conditioning has been shown to be an important factor in staff productivity and profits. Air conditioning in hotels is vital for guest comfort. According to the Trip Advisor Trip Barometer study, which looks at travel trends for 2016, 63% of travellers globally said that air conditioning is a must-have when choosing a place to stay. In restaurants air conditioning units can help to keep both the restaurant and kitchen areas comfortable for visitors and staff.

If air conditioning is a priority for you this year please read on to find our recommendations for you and your business in 2020.

New Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning System

Installing a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is one of the biggest investments you can make in your business. For obvious reasons you want to make sure you get it right first time. To do this you need to consider the best type of air conditioning for your business. Below we look at office, restaurant and hotel air conditioning. In this article we look what type of system you may need depending on your business need.

Office Air Conditioning

The type of office air conditioning you’ll need in your office will depend on the size of your office building.

Large commercial office air conditioning

When you have a large office building with many levels and individual offices and office spaces then a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) (also known as Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV)) air conditioning system, invented by Daikin in 1982, is the best option. This is because just one VRF air conditioning system can accommodate up to 64 indoor units.

It’s important to note that a VRF system requires an outside space for a single outdoor condensing unit however this unit can be accommodated at either ground level or on a roof top, preferably within an enclosed space.

This type of system provides both cooling and heating simultaneously throughout a building and can recover heat from various parts of the building and disperse it to other parts where it is required making it a very energy efficient system.

Medium commercial office air conditioning

For a medium size office building a multi-split air conditioning system is more suitable. A multi-split system consists of one outdoor condensing unit which is able to power multiple indoor air conditioning units (usually from two to eleven units depending on the brand of HVAC). These can be different styles and capacities for a customised solution.

A multi-split system can heat and cool at variable rates just like a VRF system so it is able to provide individual room temperature control and is as efficient when operating just one indoor unit even when at low capacity.

Small commercial office air conditioning

For smaller office spaces a split air conditioning system is the right option.

A split HVAC system connects one outdoor unit to an indoor unit which makes it efficient and effective for heating and cooling one office area.

Indoor office air conditioning units

As described above an HVAC system is made up of both outdoor and indoor air conditioning units. To fit in with a business’s office design and layout there are a number of different indoor air conditioning unit types that can be used. These are:

Cassette air conditioning units, which are fitted or mounted into the ceiling, usually a suspended ceiling which makes them easy to service and maintain.

Wall mounted air conditioning units which as the name suggests are mounted on the wall.

Ducted air conditioning units which are installed behind walls or suspended ceilings and finished with discreet vents which facilitate uniform temperature distribution and air flow to larger or partitioned areas.

Hotel Air Conditioning

Hotel air conditioning needs to allow for control in a number of different areas and rooms. This is especially true when it comes to hotel guest rooms where it’s important, as we know from feedback that hotel guests can control room temperature for optimal comfort.

Large hotel air conditioning

For large hotels the best solution is a VRV 3-pipe or VRF 2-pipe outdoor air conditioning system. Toshiba’s new three-pipe heat recovery VRF system, which is designed to deliver simultaneous cooling and heating, can be used alongside Toshiba’s multi-split inverters with a split wall mounted unit to accommodate additional capacity requirements/rooms.

This type of system is highly efficient as it can recover energy in areas where there is excess heat e.g. from a server room or kitchen and redistribute it to other areas with a building that require heat or it can provide hot water while at the same time, circulating clean, fresh filtered air.

In large hotels a centralised control panel is essential to help manage each air conditioning unit and to provide a warning system for any faults or leaks within the system. In normal circumstances the control panel is located in reception and operated by the hotel’s front of house team.

Small hotel and Bed and Breakfast (B&B) air conditioning

In the case of small hotels or B&Bs there are a couple of options depending on whether outside space is available. If outside space is not an issue then a multi-split outdoor unit is ideal as it allows for up to 11 indoor units. Multiple outdoor units can be installed if more capacity is required.

Where outdoor space is not available a different type of installation can be used which is compact and specifically engineered for indoor installations. It features an indoor compressor (the compressor is usually situated outside). The only aspect of the air conditioning system visible from the outside are exterior vents that can be disguised within the architecture of the building.

One such system is the Daikin VRV IV i-series which is discreet and virtually invisible making it the ideal HVAC system for hotels, restaurants and sound sensitive areas.

As with offices there is a range of indoor air conditioning units available including the cassette, wall mounted and duct plus:

Heat pump air / door curtains which are usually installed near to an entrance to prevent a change in the indoor climate as the external door opens and closes.

Floor standing units which are situated at floor level and can be concealed within walls and other furnishings.

Restaurant Air Conditioning

Restaurant air conditioning uses the same or similar HVAC systems and technologies to those used in hotels.

However in the case of restaurants keeping the HVAC pipe work exposed rather than trying to hide it can be used as part of the industrial design look which is being adopted by many restaurants. This trend can also be seen in a few hotels and larger commercial offices. In order to maintain the aesthetic the exposed pipe work can come in a range of finishes including polished chrome which can be powder coated and painted to suit the interior design.

Expert Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and M&E Contractors

Synecore are expert Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and M&E Contractors.

To find out how Synecore can help with your air conditioning installation get in touch with our head office in Sittingbourne, Kent for more information. You can call us on 01795 509509, email us at sales@synecore.co.uk or get in touch via our contact form. We look forward to working with you.