Mitsubishi Electric works with a range of clients, including food retailers, restaurants and bar owners and gym managers.
They share a common focus on delivering excellent customer experiences, and we are often asked how they can ensure customers are comfortable while keeping their energy bills under control.
It’s an understandable question: Owners and tenants of commercial properties alike are facing rising energy costs, no matter what the size of premises.
And with heating and cooling accounting for a significant proportion of energy use in most commercial buildings, finding technologies and techniques to boost efficiency is increasingly important.
There does come a time when it makes sense to a update your system.
James McKoen Business Development Manager
Modern levels of efficiency
Although energy performance of air conditioning systems can be enhanced by regular maintenance and use of controls to avoid waste, there comes a time when it makes sense to a update your system.
When visiting sites, we’re not surprised to find that some split systems, for example, have been in operation for well over a decade. Even with good maintenance, these are not as efficient as today’s equipment.
In this case it may be time to invest in an upgrade, as it’s one that will pay dividends for commercial tenants and landlords alike. It goes without saying that today’s split systems will operate more effectively and efficiently than older counterparts. But there are additional benefits.
For example, our modern Mr Slim and M Series split systems use R32 refrigerant. This has a lower global warming potential (GWP) making it more environmentally friendly – and it’s future proofed against changing regulations on phasing out the higher GWP refrigerants that were used in older systems.
A breathe of fresh air
Even with energy efficient equipment in place, there are additional practical steps that can enhance both energy efficiency and indoor comfort. An important consideration for this is ventilation.
No matter how small or large the space, improved ventilation (the removal of stale air and introduction of filtered outdoor air) is a massive boost to the indoor environment.
This could be done simply by opening windows. But that’s not an ideal approach in cold weather, for example, as heat lost means the heating system will have to work harder – using more energy.
Similarly, if a bar or restaurant is on a busy street, opening windows in winter or summer can allow outdoor pollution and noise inside – not pleasant for staff or customers.
A more practical alternative is to add mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) to operate alongside the heating and cooling system. This provides a controlled and predictable way to introduce outdoor air into a space, ensuring that it’s filtered to reduce incoming pollutants.
For example, the Commercial Lossnay MVHR system extracts stale air from a space, and filters incoming air to ensure good indoor air quality. In addition, the heat recovery element captures otherwise lost heat from outgoing stale air to heat up the incoming air.
Additional cooling
A unique benefit of the Lossnay MVHR is its Bypass Function. This means that it can introduce filtered outdoor air to the indoor space without heat recovery. This is a great solution for UK summers, when we often experience cooler evenings.
So, the system delivers this cool outdoor air into the indoor space, reducing the amount of energy used by the cooling system. All of this is done automatically, as soon as the system detects the appropriate outdoor temperature.
And in winter, the heat exchange mechanism means that incoming outdoor air is warmed by outgoing stale air – so the heating system doesn’t have to work so hard to maintain a steady indoor temperature. It also reduces the likelihood of cold draughts in occupied areas.
From a comfort point of view, CO2 sensors on the MVHR system can also detect when a space is filling with occupants and ramp up ventilation rates to keep the indoor space comfortable.
Take back control
The ability to automate the system is an important function of modern HVAC systems.
This doesn’t just save energy, it makes the whole thing easier to operate. Controls can ensure that a system only runs when it’s needed (cutting energy waste) and that automatic settings save time for busy staff. For example, a simple auto-off setting with presence sensors can ensure that cooling or heating isn’t on in empty meeting or staff rooms.
Again, controls are a scalable technology, so solutions are available for small retail outlets or large restaurants. Mitsubishi Electric can provide appropriate controls for all its heating, ventilation and cooling equipment, to meet the exact requirements of end-users.
It’s always important to speak with your HVAC installer expert about what’s available to help your heating, ventilation and cooling systems achieve optimum efficiency.
There are many practical techniques that will provide long-term energy savings, as well as delivering healthy and comfortable indoor environments for customers.
James McKoen is Business Development Manager
