The installation came about following the school’s otherwise excellent Ofsted reports, which commented that the fabric of the school building was contributing to the classrooms feeling hot and stuffy. This made the environment uncomfortable for both staff and pupils, making the children restless and more prone to distraction. This was particularly noticeable in the school’s IT suite, home to 30 PCs.
The school had previously attempted to manage the problem by using freestanding air-conditioning units. This merely served to mask the problem and created an additional health & safety risk for the children.
Fiona Thorley, Manor Green’s Business Manager put forward a proposal to the school’s governors that a more permanent solution to the problem should be found. It was agreed by the Finance Committee that Manor Green, the first in their borough, should invest in a correctly sized and designed air-conditioning solution to be installed throughout the school. Following a competitive tender, Autem Ltd was brought in to specify and install the air-conditioning system. Autem, now in its 25th year, recommended Vaillant’s high efficiency air conditioning units interfaced to an Autem-supplied BEMS system to ensure energy efficient operation.
John Miles, Autem Ltd, explained: “We have to deliver best value for our customers, and that’s often not about price. Our ethos is to provide a total package – the best products, service and after sales care – which is what best value is all about and that is why we work with Vaillant wherever possible. We have a very good working relationship with Vaillant and receive an extremely good level of service from them, in terms of prompt deliveries, product reliability, and find them very easy to get on with. This is essential for any contractor.”
Jackie Lomas, Head at Manor Green commented: “The new air conditioning has contributed to the school’s continuing aim of meeting the national agenda, Every Child Matters. It has made such a difference to the school. There is now an acceptable temperate climate in every classroom and the upstairs classrooms no longer feel like greenhouses. The IT suite has 30 PCs and was the hottest room in the school. Now it is a pleasant environment in which to work. We’ve also noticed that the children become restless less often, which means they are able to concentrate for longer.”
The climaVAIR performance high-wall inverter controlled heat pump system is part of the climaVAIR high specification heat pump range. All use energy-efficient, non-ozone depleting R410A refrigerant, and have all the features that would be expected from a premium brand, including: A-rating energy efficiency; hot start; dehumidifier; de-ioniser and sleep functions. The units have a layer filtration arrangement - anti-microbial, anti-dust and activated carbon - and provide remotely controlled horizontal and vertical air swing using the standard multi-function infra red remote control.
There are three styles of climaVAIR high wall units. The Pro range of fixed speed units comprises of four models from 2.5 to 7.0kW, although the basic range is far from basic in its specification, having three-stage filtration, ‘A’ energy rating and infra red remote control as standard. The mid range performance DC inverter units have all the features of the Pro range, as well as standard de-ioniser, remote control louvers and a de-humidification function. The Performance inverters have cooling capacities from 2.5 to 6.0kW and Vaillant also has two Performance high-wall multi-twin split DC inverters, with cooling capacities of 5.0 and 6.0kW. Finally, Vaillant has its premium specification Plus range, which benefits from an extra thin 160mm profile, UV generator to eliminate bacteria and back-lit multi-colour digital display.
Complementing these high wall systems is the climaVAIR cassette range, which includes mono-split fixed speed and mono-split inverter units, also operating with refrigerant R410A. The five models cover cooling capacities from 5.0 to 14.0kW to suit varying specifications. The range includes a remote control as standard with remote air swing, de-humidifier and sleep functions. For those hard to specify projects, Vaillant’s recently introduced floor/ceiling range could provide a solution. These versatile mono-split units can either be ceiling or wall mounted and the four-model range consists of fixed speed and DC inverter controlled models, with cooling capacities from 5.0 to 10.5kW.
For more information on our air conditioning range please click here