Maximising the energy-saving potential of variable-speed pumping systems in air-conditioning systems using fan-coil units demands action up close — says LARS FABRICUS.

With the environment in which they are installed having a significant effect on the performance of chilled ceilings and beams, WILLIAM BOOTH explains the benefits of mock-up testing.

Carrier’s quietest fan-coil unit to date is the Atmosphera, designed for concealing above ceilings.

Frenger has supplied multi-service chilled beams for Saffron House in London that are just 140 mm deep. This listed building has minimal slab-to-slab height. As a speculative office development, it required exceptional heating and cooling capacities from the shallowest possible depth.

Part of the transformation of a former prison into a luxury Malmaison Hotel includes the installation of 77 chilled beams to convert the former cells of A-Wing t Oxford Castle into opulent bedrooms. Trox (UK) supplied these passive beams in a contract worth £100 000 and customised their design to blend in with their surroundings. Trox also supplied a range of fan-coil units, attenuators and grilles for the project.

Trox (UK) has invested £40 000 in a new facility to test fan-coil units. to the requirements of BS 4856 Part 1 1972.

Actionair fan-coil units with DC electronically commutated motors have been used in the major refurbishment of two former MoD buildings near Bath to provide a new headquarters for Helphire Group, which specialises in replacement transport and other insurance-related services for motorists. The use of these motors can reduce power consumption by up to 40%, suiting them to low-energy environmental control. The heat gain from the fan motors is reduced by two-thirds.

Fan-coil units with electronically commutated fan motors are being supplied by Smiths Environmental for Berkeley First’s Paragon development in Brentford. The 240 units will be installed by Star Mechanical & Electrical Services to provide air conditioning in the academic block, an 11-storey building which will become the new home of Thames Valley University’s faculty of health and human science this autumn.

The opening of a state-of-the-art demonstration facility for fan-coil units enables customers to witness performance testing before a building is built. Virtually any building characteristics can be created. A wide range of windows, flooring and ceilings are held on site at Montluel in France, and thermal loads, outdoor and ambient temperatures, and the effects of solar heat gain can be replicated and varied at will.