Temperzone… on top in a big way.

Temperzone’s Shane McBride says that a redesign of the company’s Large Rooftop Package Units range will result in new effi ciencies in an improved product line-up designed for heavy end commercial and industrial rated air conditioning equipment. Shane spoke to Temperzone News about the second of two product releases planned for early next year.

The new large capacity range from Temperzone has been designed for serious applications requiring units of 100kW and more says Shane McBride, Temperzone Australia’s Queensland Branch Manager. However, as Shane points out, Temperzone didn’t have to start with a ‘clean sheet of paper’. The inspiration for the new range had already been proving itself every day all over Australia. “We used the almost bulletproof OPA range of rooftop package units as a starting point,” says Shane. “These units have been highly successful for us and proved extremely reliable in use. What better benchmark could there be for our new large capacity range of R410a refrigerant compatible rooftop units?”

FOCUS ON ENERGY SAVINGS

Shane McBride says that a fundamental feature of the design brief for the new range was enhanced energy saving capabilities. Shane says, “Our new range of large capacity OPA units will include several important energy saving features as standard.” These will include Temperzone’s EEV (Electronic Expansion Valves) technology, which offers greater control over the fl ow of refrigerant entering the evaporator. “This allows the unit to operate under a larger range of tolerances,” says

Shane. “The new technology will deliver the fl exibility we need to customise units for different customers; for

example, process cooling has different requirements to comfort cooling. With our new OPA units, we will be able to meet the needs of both types of customers.”

MEETING BCA REQUIREMENTS

Temperzone’s new OPA range will also include standard Economy Cycle mode to comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) Section J. The BCA is a uniform set of technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures throughout Australia; Section J of the BCA relates to energy effi ciency. Shane McBride commented that

the objective of Section J is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by effi ciently using energy. “The technology in our new range is an important step forward on the energy effi ciency front,” says Shane, “but that’s only part of the story.”

A NEW FAN FOR TEMPERZONE

As well as the standard features to be incorporated into the new OPA range from it’s release, there will be further important options to follow. “The new plug fans will be an option on the large capacity OPA range,” says Shane, “These centrifugal fans are a new breed of energy effi cient fan. They will give our large capacity range the fl exibility to be specifi ed for high or low static applications.” Shane also points out that another benefi t will be the opportunity to supply return air from modifi ed standard units operating side-by-side using one fan.

SHORT PAYBACK PERIOD

With energy effi cient features like EEV and plug fans, Temperzone estimates signifi cant effi ciency gains of around 25%. “The gains are so signifi cant that, despite a slight price premium, we anticipate a payback period of around two years depending on the application,” says Shane. “It’s certainly a sound investment when you look at it even from a relatively short-term view.”

SOON TO BE SEEN ON ALL SORTS OF ROOFS

The new large capacity OPA range means that Temperzone will now market a range of R410a

refrigerant compatible units from 10kW to 180kW.At the higher end of the capacity range, this will include units of 120kW, 130kW, 160kW and 180kW. “The entire product line-up has been designed, engineered and manufactured with Australia’s harsh conditions in mind,” says Shane. It is believed that the range will fi nd ready acceptance in a wide range of applications including commercial buildings and the mining industry and will be used for process cooling and comfort cooling for both permanent and temporary deployment.

“Temperzone’s new large capacity range is the environmentally friendly solution for tough jobs,” says Shane McBride. “These units are engineered to the highest standards – they’re defi nitely not toys masquerading as heavy duty products. It’s an important new product launch that’s bound to get 2011 off to a fl ying start.”

New VRF Modular Systems for early releaseThe Temperzone team is gearing up for two major product releases in early 2011. James Su, Product Manager at Temperzone Australia, says that the Universal Modular Units for two and three pipe operations will combine energy effi ciency and reliable operation and should be available from stock early in the New Year.

2011 is set to be an important year for Temperzone with several new products coming on stream. Among them will be the common ‘set free’ outdoor units to be released early in the year. Temperzone News caught up with James Su, Product Manager with responsibility for the new range. James says that the new units, which are manufactured by Hitachi in Japan, have been designed for both two-pipe heat pump and three-pipe heat recovery operation. “The units are not only universal, but also automatically recognise which type of application they are being used for when commissioned,” he says. “So one of their benefi ts should be fewer site errors during installation.”

ENGINEERED FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

James Su says that the new range have been engineered in response to demands for ever increasing levels of energy effi ciency. For example, the new 22HP unit delivers an Energy Effi ciency Rating (EER) of 3.62 and a Coeffi cient of Performance (COP) of 4.04. EER and COP are calculated by dividing the rate at which heat is added or removed from a room (that is, the capacity output) by the electricity or gas power input. “EER and COP are the two key measures of a system’s energy effi ciency,” says James, “and these are very impressive numbers.” James also points out that effi ciency is even higher when the unit is in heat recovery mode.

For buildings where internal zones require cooling almost all year round and perimeter zones require cooling or heating depending on season and solar gain, the new set free units can simultaneously cool and heat the zones as required. “In winter, heat usually rejected by the cooling tower can be reused to heat up the perimeter zones,” James points out, “so energy wastage is minimised.”

PLANNED FOR EASY INSTALLATION

Access is often a major headache when installing air conditioning units, particularly when retro fi tting in city buildings. James Su says that the new modular units can fi t into a standard service lift and subsequently be reassembled to form a larger plant. There is, however, more to the easy installation story. “One unique point of the Hitachi units is the branch boxes, which only have low pressure and high pressure gas lines connected,” says James. “The liquid line is bypassed and doesn’t have to be connected through the branch box.” As a result, the number of pipe joints is reduced by 28%, leading to signifi cant labour savings – particularly when multiple units are installed.

BETTER COMFORT AND PRECISE CONTROL

Standard specifi cation in the new range will include engineering features which have often been options or custom features in the past. A DC Inverter compressor, Electronic Expansion Valves (EEVs) and PID control are just a few of the features incorporated in Temperzone’s new set free units from Hitachi. James SU says that building managers will benefi t from far greater fl exibility to program, schedule and monitor the performance of the entire VRF system. “Demand control can be easily implemented on set free units,” he says, “allowing building managers to control peak power consumption or limit the power available.”

DESIGNED FOR FLEXIBILITY

The new range comprises no fewer than 39 indoor models, and includes ducted, cassette, high wall, under ceiling and fl oor units. James Su says that these ‘set free’ units and have a single pipe run of up to 165 metres and a total piping run to 1,000 metres. He adds, “You can connect up to 64 indoor units to the one 54HP outdoor unit.”

The range has also been designed for fl exibility when it comes to the ambient conditions they have to cope with. Their working range covers temperatures from -20 degrees to +43 degrees Celsius, meaning that Temperzone can supply equipment for virtually any part of Australia, from Hobart to Darwin and just about anywhere in between.

BUILT FOR RELIABILITY

Some of the world’s most advanced technology is of little use if the units aren’t reliable. James Su says that the units are built in Japan at Hitachi’s ISO9001 certifi ed factory. “As an example of the lengths we’ve gone to in ensuring long-term performance, automatic rotation on the inverter compressors used in our two

and three module outdoor units has been designed to promote even wear and longevity.”

AVAILABLE EARLY 2011

The new indoor and outdoor units will be stocked in Temperzone’s warehouse from early 2011. With such a large range to available, Temperzone Selection software is also being developed. As James Su says, “The new range will not only be easy on power, easy to install and easy to control, but also easy to choose from.”

Domestic Economy Cyclemakes a lot of sense.

ducted systems. Increased fresh air fl ow and reduced running costs are both desirable outcomes for most domestic consumers.”

James went on to say “Economy Cycle can reduce the running cost of a domestic ducted system by up to 70% when conditions are appropriate.”

At a time of rapidly rising electricity prices and concerns about the energy consumption of air conditioning the Economy Cycle concept is an ideal addition to ducted air conditioning in most parts of non tropical Australia.

In many parts of Australia suburban homes a closed up during the day with adults at work and children at

Economy Cycle Air Conditioning Cycle

Economy CycleDamper Box

CompressorOff

CompressorOn

Outside Temp18ºC Outside Temp

35ºC

Inside Temp25.5ºC

Inside Temp24ºC

Economy Cycle systems are now mandatory on many large commercial air conditioning systems, depending on size and geographic location. The air conditioning industry has been building commercial economy cycle systems for years and they generally work very well. The main benefi ts of fresh air input and lower running costs are obvious but until now they have not been available for domestic ducted systems.

Temperzone are now promoting economy cycle systems for domestic ducted installations. James Su from Temperzone said “We believe that the benefi ts delivered in commercial use fl ow through into domestic

school, causing the house to heat up and requiring the air conditioning to be run to cool the house down in the evening even though the ambient temperature may have dropped low enough to use economy cycle. Often in this situation the air conditioning is turned on to cool the house down then turned back off when a reasonable inside temperature is reached. An economy cycle system is the ideal alternative in this situation.

This type of scenario is particularly common in the inland suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from October through until March or April. Obviously on days with high evening ambient temperatures and high humidity the main air conditioning system will be the answer.

For the same reasons of high evening temperatures and high humidity an economy cycle system is not appropriate in tropical Australia. An economy cycle system could also be an economical solution in

homes with overheating problems relating to design issues like west facing windows. Except in the hottest parts of the year the fresh outside air fl ow into the home may be enough to reduce the need for the air conditioning compressor to come on line.

Adding an economy cycle to a domestic installation is fairly simple operation requiring a damper box to be added to the duct system, a small amount of additional ductwork, an external fresh air inlet, an external temperature sensor and a Temperzone TZT controller. Typically the fresh air intake is roof mounted but can be under the eaves or even under the fl oor if required. Economy cycle installation adds about 10% to 15% to the cost of a domestic ducted system.

Domestic economy cycle is neither a new idea nor rocket science but it makes a lot of sense in times of rising energy prices and climate change concerns.

Temperzone stars in S.A. Law

The University of South Australia’s law faculty presented Temperzone and consulting engineers, Meinhardt Group, with a challenge. Their thirty year old Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre needed a thorough refurbishment – and a new air conditioning system was an essential part of the project. Nothing unusual about that, but working within the confi nes of an existing structure is never straight forward, says Temperzone’s Ryan Wijayasekera.

The installation of Temperzone equipment at the university was a good example of collaboration between Temperzone and a leading fi rm of consulting engineers

to achieve an excellent outcome for the client, says Ryan Wijayasekera, Temperzone’s State Manager for South Australia. The two organisations worked closely together to create an energy effi cient solution to challenging environment for air conditioning.

FLEXIBILITY THE KEY

Meinhardt Group engineer, Bob Ellis, says that the underlying problem at the lecture theatre was its highly fl uctuating work load. “Depending on the lecture being held, the air conditioning system had to be suffi ciently fl exible to handle anything from 10 to

200 people at a time,” he says. Working with the Temperzone team, Meinhardt specifi ed a custom unit based on the OSA840RKTV/ISD840K split ducted unit of 84kW.

“It’s a pretty clever bit of gear we put together,” comments Bob Ellis. The unit was specially fi tted with an EC motor and plug fan for the supply of air, and Electronic Expansion Valves (EEVs) on both circuits. “The EEVs improve control and enhance coil performance at partial load,” he says.

Another departure from standard specifi cation was the installation of a CO2 sensor, which modulates the supply of air into the room by detecting changes in the number of people in the audience at any given time. The combination of EEVs and CO2 sensor technology results in a signifi cant improvement in the unit’s effi ciency and lower power consumption, important considerations in the project from the outset.

WORKING IN A CONFINED SPACE

Another challenge faced by the engineers was the very limited plant room space at the lecture theatre. “We had to make sure that we didn’t affect the aesthetics of the building,” says Bob Ellis. Fortunately, the Temperzone equipment specifi ed didn’t only meet the technical requirements at the lecture theatre, but also was suffi ciently compact to fi t the available space.

SOFTLY, SOFTLY

The lecture theatre’s plant room wasn’t only small, it was immediately adjacent to the auditorium itself. This presented a serious problem for some equipment –

but again, Temperzone came up trumps. Ryan Wijayasekera takes up the story: “Temperzone’s range has always been known for its quiet performance,” he says, “and we were able to deliver a system that is so unobtrusive as to be almost completely inaudible in the Law Faculty’s major lecture theatre.”

THE FUTURE OF AIR CONDITIONING

Ryan Wijayasekera believes that the type of technology utilised at the University of South Australia is an indication of the way air conditioning design and specifi cation is headed. Even in standard form, the 84kW split ducted unit recommended by Meinhardt Group is designed to use R410A refrigerant and includes features such as Head Pressure control and an array of safety features.

Ryan says that the options such as the EEVs and CO2 sensor specifi ed by Bob Ellis further enhance the effi ciency of the unit specifi ed and lower power consumption. “The energy savings for the university during periods of low occupancy can be complemented by possible savings in capital costs,” he says. “There are benefi ts for members of the Faculty of Law, too, with conditions in the air conditioned space being considerably improved due the unit’s ability to perform consistently even in extreme ambient conditions – either hot or cold.

Looking to the future, Ryan added, “Many of the optional features specifi ed for the lecture theatre’s refurbishment will become standard features on tomorrow’s air conditioning equipment.”

Temperzone growing in the Top End

There are few places in Australia where reliable air conditioning is more important than in our northern most city and capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin. Temperzone’s Richard Benedetti sees the Territory becoming an increasingly important market for Temperzone products.

As part of Temperzone’s expansion of its national footprint, the company has been growing steadily in the Darwin market, says Richard Benedetti from the company’s northern region headquarters in Brisbane. “Temperzone is establishing itself as the commercial supplier of choice,” says Richard. “We are increasingly being specifi ed by Government offi cers and engineers, as well as by independent consultants in the Darwin area. It’s good to see more contractors are coming on board, too.”

THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT FOR HARSH CONDITIONS

Richard Benedetti says that Temperzone’s commitment to superior design, engineering excellence and robust construction makes its products ideal for the harsh conditions in the Northern Territory. “Simplifi ed controls and the minimum reliance on electronics in Temperzone products makes them easier to work on,” says Richard. “Equally importantly, this design philosophy limits failures due to power outages or electrical storms, making them ideal for either metropolitan or regional projects.” Richard points out that this is particularly important in an era when some products require a lap top computer to be hooked up to them in order to check what fault might exist.

“Temperzone’s standard units are built to handle the high humidity that is a part of the Darwin climate,” says Richard. This means that in most cases there is no need for units to be modifi ed at the factory before shipping or for the fi eld modifi cation of insulation. Nevertheless, as is always the case, custom options can be provided from the factory where conditions or the applications in question make them critically important.

LOCAL SERVICE TRAINING

Among Temperzone’s initiatives in Darwin in recent times has been the expansion of its service training. “The initial training program in Darwin was attended by a small but very enthusiastic group.” says Richard, “The quality of people attending was exactly what we were looking for and the responses from the group were excellent.”

As business grows, the company’s presence is bound to increase. Richard hints that the regular visits by the Queensland sales team could be the beginning of something more permanent. Plans for the immediate future include the conducting of more on-site presentations designed for both contractors and consultants.

Spare parts are at this stage supplied by Temperzone’s national warehouse network, which has proved itself capable of providing parts in competitively short turnaround periods. However, as demand increases, local stocking of some spares may well be the answer.

RUNS ON THE BOARD

Richard Benedetti says that several government projects have recently been completed for the Northern Territory government including a number of schools & government buildings. Other projects have included McDonalds Stuart Park; Winnellie Central, a warehouse-style shopping complex; a new Offi ceworks outlet where works were carried out by Temperzone’s Newcastle NSW distributor; and ABC Darwin’s Radio & TV studios and headquarters.

THE FUTURE OF HITACHI IN DARWIN

Richard also sees a solid future for Hitachi products in the Darwin market. Local presence for the quality brand is being formalised with a small number of respected local contractors. “By not selling the brand through every second retail outlet, the air conditioning specialists who come on board with Hitachi will have a defi nite edge in the market,” he concluded.

School’s in with Temperzone!

The South Australian Government has recently announced the construction of six ‘super schools’ to be built across the Adelaide metropolitan area. Part of a $216million education program, Temperzone will be there to help in its specialist subject, air conditioning. Temperzone’s Ryan Wijayasekera says the team has worked with two mechanical contractors in meeting the new schools’ chilled water/hot water system needs.

What is a ‘super school’? It’s a new concept in schools, catering for students from Kindergarten to Year 12. The new initiative will involve the construction of six schools in Adelaide which will replace several existing schools all of which are facing falling enrolments and increasing maintenance costs.

According to the ‘Adelaide Now’ website, two of the schools will be built in the Smithfi eld Plains-Playford North area, two in the Woodville Gardens-Mansfi eld Park area, and two in the Enfi eld-Gepps Cross area. They will replace up to 17 schools such as Smithfi eld Plains High School, Davoren Park Kindergarten, Gepps Cross Girls High School and Regency Park Special School. However, there will be no forced closures and there will be full consultation with the communities involved.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The six ‘super schools’ will be built as public private partnership projects with the private sector building them and leasing them back to the Government. South Australian Premier Mike Rann is quoted as saying that this is the most signifi cant reform agenda of the state’s school infrastructure in more than 30 years.

The private sector builders will remain responsible for maintenance of the schools. Education Minister, Dr Lomax-Smith, said the aim of the plan was to have the new ‘super schools’ opened by 2011.

TEMPERZONE ENROLLED BY CONSULTING ENGINEERS

Temperzone’s expertise will play a vital role in making sure the schools are ready when the bell is due to ring for the fi rst time. Temperzone’s Manager for South Australia, Ryan Wijayasekera, says that all six schools have been designed around a chilled water/hot water system. “The mechanical services engineer for the project is AECOM,” he says, “but two mechanical contractors will share the work. A.G. O’Conners will be working on the four smaller schools, while Frigrite will be working on the two larger schools. Despite the splitting of responsibilities in this way, Temperzone has supplied the chilled water/hot water ducted fan coil units for all six schools.”

Ryan says that Temperzone’s knowledge and experience with chilled water systems helped win the day. “We’ve been building these systems for over four decades,” he says, “so very few people have a knowledge bank that even comes close to ours.”

Ryan adds, “Technically we were able to offer solutions to all the challenges, such as low sound levels, good available external static pressures, low height and opposite handed confi guration.”

SUPPORT FOR LARGE PROJECTS

Temperzone’s ability to support large projects was also very important. It’s not just a matter of producing

a competitive quote – although the Temperzone team is more than capable of doing that – but also having the level of resources required to produce the in-depth data required by engineers that comes to the fore on projects of this scale.

WHEN TIME IS TIGHT…

The ‘super schools’ project was fast tracked from the beginning and, according to Ryan Wijayasekera, Temperzone was the only supplier able to meet the deadlines specifi ed. “We were able to deliver the large quantities of units required ‘off the shelf’ in six to eight weeks ex-factory,” says Ryan. “This was critically important, because we could maintain supply to all six schools and ensure that all six sites continued to progress. We’re talking big numbers here, with a total of 650 units supplied to the six schools.”

COMPLETE SERVICE MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR CONTRACTORS

Temperzone was also able to help by making the

jobs of the contractors’ project managers easier. “Our ability to supply accessories such as Temperzone’s Spring Mounting Kits, which were used for hanging the units, and the supply and return air ductwork certainly helped,” says Ryan Wijayasekera. “We also supplied the hoses for connecting the chilled water and hot water to the units.”

AN EXPERIENCED TEAM

Ryan Wijayasekera comments that success on a major project is far more likely when all parties possess the necessary knowledge and experience. “In this case it wasn’t just our familiarity with the product that came to the fore, because AECOM, O’Connors & Frigrite have all had plenty of experience using these units on a number of large projects in the last fi ve or six years,” he says. “You could say that there was no ‘learning curve’ involved when we worked together on the six new schools.”