SHRM-e is Toshiba's latest and most advanced heat recovery VRF system at Novotel York Centre Hotel

Overlooking the banks of the River Foss near York Minster, the Novotel York Centre hotel was recently extended to accommodate high demand from UK and international guests visiting the historic and cultural attractions of the city.The 2,500 square foot extension includes 16 new deluxe rooms and six junior suites, air conditioned by four Toshiba Super Heat Recovery Multi (SHRM-e) VRF systems and additional Super Digital inverter systems. Ducted indoor units to rooms provide high efficiency, low-noise cooling and heating for guests.

“We worked closely with consultant Red Engineering Design Ltd throughout the preconstruction phase and development processon the specification and designof the system”, said Waldemar (Val) Belz, Toshiba’s regional specification manager. “It aligns with the Toshiba air conditioning in the existing hotel building and provides a highly efficient solution with excellent comfort for guests.”

The project requirements included energy efficiency, value for money, system reliability and support during the design and development process to meetthe client’sperformance specification under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and BSEN378.

The project also required a particular focus on low noise operation, in order to deliver a high quality environment for guests. The Toshiba system was easily able to meet this, along with the client’s other performance and environmental requirements.

“The Toshiba three-pipe heat recovery system is a perfect solution for this kind of application,” said Andrew Reynolds, who led the design project for Red Engineering Design Ltd. “We received excellent support during the design stage, and worked closely with Toshiba to deliver for our client.”

SHRM-e is Toshiba's latest and most advanced heat recovery VRF system, winning four major industry awards as Air Conditioning Product of the Year. Innovations in compressors, heat exchange and controls combine to ensure the system achieves an European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ESEER) of 8 and above in most capacities, which is an industry first.

While end-users benefit from reductions in running costs and enhanced comfort, installers profit from the new wireless commissioning and diagnostics system, which reduces installation time and enables fast two-way data exchange.

The system was installed by air conditioning contractor JH Shouksmith& Sons Ltd, and equipment was supplied by Toshiba distributor Cool Solutions Distribution Ltd.