Fujitsu VRF in New York energy challenge

USA: Fujitsu General is installing its VRF air conditioning systems in public facilities in New York State in a project to demonstrate the energy efficiency of heat pump technology.

The project is part of a new $3m initiative by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Next Generation HVAC Innovation Challenge to bring new HVAC systems for buildings.

The State of New York has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To help achieve this goal, they will compare the operating data of Fujitsu’s air conditioning system with the established  US whole-house cooling and gas furnace heating technologies.

Fujitsu is working with the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and Oregon-based heat recovery ventilation system developer Ventacity Systems to conduct demonstrations in 25 selected buildings.

This pilot demonstration builds upon earlier projects in which existing natural gas heating systems were upgraded with high efficiency VRF heat pump systems. The demonstration results illustrated that, when compared to a code-minimum system upgrade, this approach can reduce commercial building energy use by an average of 36%, and HVAC energy use by an average of 65%. Indoor air quality and comfort were also said to be noticeably improved. 

“Demand is skyrocketing for healthier indoor air as real estate seeks to bounce back from the global pandemic. This demonstration project will show that building owners can provide 100 percent outdoor air while also reaping significant energy savings and pollution reductions,” said Lotte Schlegel, executive director of The Institute for Market Transformation. “This is a promising technological approach that could be a game-changer for making existing buildings healthier and higher-performing in a way that makes financial sense to owners, operators, and occupants.”