Some things must be seen to be believed. That’s especially true of innovative new technologies. Buzz is one thing, but everyone wants to know: can this technology do what everybody says it can?

Exploring Innovative HVAC Solutions

It is perhaps no surprise  that when GHC Mechanical, a medium-sized contractor based in the Chicago area, was invited to come up with a forward-thinking heating and cooling design for a high-end condominium, they wondered whether variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology truly lived up to its billing. The project was called High Point, a 160-unit new construction building located in downtown Skokie, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago.

“The project owner was interested in a different kind of system, something that would add some unique value to the building and help it to stand out in the market,” said Tim Russell, President of GHC. “VRF is certainly that. It's high efficiency, which is of course very important right now. The building owners told us they were open to an advanced system if budget allowed for it, so we started looking into the technology.”

Why VRF Technology Stood Out Among Alternatives

A variety of ideas had already been discussed: variable air volume (VAV) rooftop units, residential splits, and water source heat pumps. While GHC was aware of several purveyors of VRF technology, they truly trusted only one source for leading-edge technology: their Trane account team.

“Trane put together a system that was state-of-the-art and aggressively priced,” Russell said. “They gave us a report that showed what Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF products could do from a cost savings perspective, and when you added the decarbonization benefits to the efficiency gains it was no contest, especially over a run-of-the-mill hot water source heat pump system.”

While GHC already had experience working with VRF as far back 2007, representatives of the company decided to visit the Mitsubishi Training Center in Schaumburg to see the latest product firsthand. Impressed, they decided to install the new Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF system on a project they were working on at a nearby school.

Though the school’s system was smaller than the one planned for High Point, it wasn’t long before the benefits of VRF became apparent. The system was installed easily, and more importantly, it performed exceptionally well, delivering reliable heat in cold weather and efficient cooling in summer. Seeing the success of VRF in the school project, the High Point owners gave GHC the green light to install VRF in their building.

To fully accommodate High Point’s heating and cooling needs, GHC would need to install 21 discrete Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric CITY MULTI® VRF heat recovery systems, which would connect via a piping network to the building’s 160 units. As the GHC team worked their way through the building, the space-saving advantages of VRF became increasingly evident, as large conventional ducts were replaced with a compact, high-efficiency piping network. However, it wasn’t until the team began working on the roof that they realized how advantageous the system’s compact design would be for High Point residents.

“Not only does VRF require less room inside the building, it has a smaller footprint on the roof,” said Kamil Purta, Engineer at GHC. “That turned out to be important because the owners ideally wanted an amenity area there, with grills and places to sit out. They were very pleased to learn that the system would leave space for a patio.”

Energy Savings and Carbon Reduction Achievements

The Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF system performed precisely as predicted when all was said and done. It delivered significant energy savings — an estimated 25% reduction in energy usage annually — and a reduction in carbon emissions  of almost 32% compared to a conventional system.

Even better, the Trane® / Mitsubishi Electric VRF  system’s modern, intuitive controls provided an additional level of convenience and comfort for the building’s occupants. The compact design allowed for better space utilization, and the system’s quiet operations delivered a more luxurious living experience. Most importantly, it kept everyone comfortable. Both the owners and the occupants of High Point reported high levels of satisfaction with the system's heating and cooling performance, both winter and summer.

“We haven't heard anything but positive comments from the owner, the general contractor, the management team, and the maintenance team,” Russell said. “They are always more than happy to open the doors and let us bring people through if we ever want to show it off to a prospective customer, which is great because we intend to do more VRF designs. No question, these systems are the future of heating and cooling.”