Daikin’s VRV 5 Heat Recovery was a deserving winner of the 2022 Institute of Refrigeration Ireland’s Product Innovation Award. In the wake of this prestigious success, Building Ireland touched base with Liam Kirwan, DX Sales Manager Daikin Ireland, to find out more about this sustainability champion, which provides a purpose-built solution to support the decarbonisation of commercial buildings.
At a gala awards dinner in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Daikin struck gold when collecting the 2022 Institute of Refrigeration Ireland (IRI) Product Innovation Award for their latest VRV (variable refrigerant volume) offering – the ground-breaking, game-changing VRV 5 Heat Recovery.
The IRI Product Innovation Award is awarded biannually to the manufacturer or company that has developed and released onto the Irish market the best innovative new product for the HVAC/HP industry.
Daikin’s vision for VRV 5 Heat Recovery is driven by their commitment to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, through the adoption of R-32 refrigerant. This reduces its CO2 equivalent impact thanks to a lower GWP, lower refrigerant charge and provides higher efficiency compared to R-410A systems.
Daikin, a leader in innovation within the HVAC industry, were the pioneers of variable refrigerant technology. Now in 2022, they continue to develop to innovate their product portfolio which includes splits, heat recovery ventilation, domestic heat pumps, chillers, air handling units and refrigerant units. Liam Kirwan, DX SBU Manager for Daikin Ireland states; “All industry awards are important to us and this one is no different, not least because it was Daikin who developed the very first VRV system in 1982. Daikin developed and trademarked VRV and are now on 5th iteration of the innovative system. It’s great to be recognised with this award and Daikin Europe are delighted that we won it and also that Daikin Ireland will be rolling out this technology on one of the first sites in Europe.
“Daikin always leads the way with innovation and VRV 5 Heat Recovery was launched at European level in March. As we speak, we at Daikin Ireland have just received our first order for the product and it’s going to be installed in a major government building before Christmas. This will be one of the very first full VRV R-32 heat recovery systems to be operational in Europe and it will be in Dublin.
“It’s reassuring to win an industry award from your peers because it shows people that Daikin are living up to their reputation as innovators. We want to keep demonstrating to architects, consultants, contractors, and end users that we have a great product that supports the decarbonisation of commercial buildings, where BREEM or LEED is critical. We want to show people that we have the most efficient VRV systems in the world, which are supported fully by Daikin.”
To drive the decarbonisation of buildings, new systems must reduce both direct and indirect CO2 equivalents. Daikin has focussed on maximising operational efficiency in real life conditions and thereby minimising the environmental impact: Their new VRV 5 solution features a market-leading seasonal efficiency, with a 13% increase in performance compared to the previous generation.
A combination of performance improvements and state-of-the-art technologies means that VRV 5 Heat Recovery is the ideal solution for projects where lower environmental impact BREEM, and LEED certification is a priority.
The completely redesigned BS box features Daikin’s Shirudo technology and can thus take care of any room down to 10 m² without the need for time consuming selections and additional measures to be taken in the field. VRV 5 HR is fully compliant with all the latest product standards and is available in a range of capacities from 22kW to 78kW, featuring a complete range of R-32 indoor units, making it the perfect solution for any commercial project.
VRV 5 Heat Recovery has a futureproof design with versatile layouts and wide operational capacity, representing a major milestone in enabling customers to greatly reduce the CO2 footprint of their building.
The unit is specifically designed for R-32 refrigerant, ensuring low sound and maximum efficiency. This reduces its CO2 equivalent impact thanks to a lower GWP, lower refrigerant charge and higher efficiency compared to R-410A systems, while the system – fully compliant with product standard IEC60335-2-40 (Ed.6) – is completed with individual isolation valves and leak detection sniffers per indoor unit.
Shirudo technology includes as standard two safety measures to detect refrigerant leaks. These are an audible and visual alarm (integrated in the Madoka wired remote controller) and refrigerant recovery and shut-off valves (mounted on the BSSV box, allowing refrigerant to be automatically recovered to the outdoor unit. After recovery, shut-off valves close and the refrigerant is safely contained).
“When we install VRV 5, we are taking the onus of safety away from the installer or the consultant,” Liam continues. “The newly integrated safety features, provide complete peace of mind for all stakeholders. By having these leak detection features built in as standard, we are making sure the system is fully compliant and safe.”
As Daikin’s 3-pipe technology uses less energy (5-15% more efficient) to recover heat, this also results in significantly higher efficiency. Up to 5% more cooling capacity is available at longer piping lengths compared to other systems. This is achieved by using two smaller gas pipes lowering the pressure drop, allowing higher efficiency.
VRV 5 Heat Recovery systems allow for simultaneous cooling and heating, facilitating individual comfort control while enabling virtually free heating by transferring heat from areas requiring cooling to areas in need of heating. In an office setting, for example, the integrated heat recovery system reuses heat from offices and server rooms to warm other areas, literally producing free heat.
Concerning the massive efficiencies gained by using R-32 refrigerant instead of R-410A, Daikin Ireland’s DX Sales Manager comments: “We [Daikin] changed to R-410A in the early 2000s. It’s a very good refrigerant and all the manufacturers have used it for over 20 years. However, with the drive to get CO2 emissions down in both commercial and domestic buildings, manufacturers have had to look for a lower GWP.
“R-410A has a GWP of 2088 and we are the first to develop and launch a fully IE60335-2-40 compliant VRV with R-32, which has a GWP of just 675 – which is less than a third. It also uses 10% less refrigerant and the overall reduction of CO2 emissions is 71%, so it’s incredibly efficient.”
From private homes to apartment buildings, from shops to hotels, from office buildings to retail, from infrastructure projects to large production facilities, Daikin provide tailor-made air conditioning and climate control solutions to meet customers’ exact needs.
Daikin Ireland was established 16 years ago, and Liam Kirwan has been part of their winning team since its inception. “Daikin Ireland was set up in 2006. Prior to that, Daikin products were sold here through a distributor for 35 years,” he concludes. “We had three staff in the beginning and that has now increased to almost 40. Daikin are specialist across the four pillars of HVAC-R; DX (air conditioning), Applied, Refrigeration and Heating. This expertise, allows us to offer a total Daikin solution for projects, fully supported by Daikin Ireland”
Daikin Ireland,
2004-4 Orchard Avenue,
Citywest,
Dublin 24.
Tel: 01 6423430
Email: [email protected]
Web: daikin.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2022, Vol 8 No 12
