Two heat pumps for Palazzo Mercurio, Chiasso

Background

Palazzo Mercurio was built in 1980-1982 and consists of 3 underground floors and 5 above ground floors. The building, intended for the tertiary sector, currently houses a bank branch, a bar restaurant and two shops, while the 2^nd to 4^th floors are intended for rented offices. A complete renovation of the heating and ventilation systems is underway.

Purposes

The customer requested a solution that would guarantee thermal comfort and air quality in the rooms, reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions to a minimum, complying with current regulations and integrating with the existing architecture.

Solution

The solution proposed by Hecoclima was the installation of two air/water heat pumps of over 400 kW with reverse cycle and equipped with heat recovery. These units were chosen for their high performance, operational flexibility and environmental sustainability.

Heat pumps are able to supply both heating and cooling to internal environments, exploiting the thermal energy present in the external air and transferring it to the water in the hydronic circuit. Furthermore, the heat pumps are equipped with a heat recovery system which allows the waste heat from the condensation to be reused to produce domestic hot water or to supplement heating.

The heat pumps use the natural refrigerant R290 (propane), which has a very low environmental impact (GWP = 3) and offers excellent thermodynamic performance. R290 refrigerant is in fact one of the few natural refrigerants suitable for high power applications, thanks to its high heat capacity and low viscosity.

The heat pumps are controlled by a sequencer which makes it possible to optimize rotation times as well as load management and machine start-ups with a view to guaranteeing the greatest possible savings in terms of energy consumption. The sequencer is also able to communicate with the systems regulation system, which has been replaced with a more modern and reliable one.

Project

The project involved highly experienced and skilled companies in the HVAC market:

• Ecotecnic SA, our partner and distributor in Ticino
• VRT SA, the engineering studio designed the plant
• Inaudi SA, which took care of the installation
• Spinelli SA, which handled the regulation

Results

The installation of the two Hecoclima air/water heat pumps allowed the customer to obtain various benefits, both from a technical, economic and environmental point of view.

• From a technical point of view, the heat pumps ensured thermal comfort and air quality in the internal environments, thanks to their ability to adapt to different seasonal and hourly needs. Furthermore, the heat pumps have ensured greater reliability and safety of the systems, thanks to their sturdiness and their intelligent control system.
• From an economic point of view, the heat pumps have allowed the customer to reduce the management and maintenance costs of the systems, thanks to their low energy consumption and their heat recovery system. Furthermore, the heat pumps have allowed the customer to benefit from the incentives provided by the legislation for high energy efficiency and low environmental impact solutions.
• From an environmental point of view, heat pumps have contributed to reducing the building’s CO₂ emissions, thanks to their use of a natural refrigerant and their high energy efficiency. Furthermore, heat pumps have favored the transition to sustainable air conditioning, in line with the objectives of the European Union and the Montreal Convention.