The variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioning system is a high-efficiency scheme commonly employed in residential and light commercial buildings. Since the introduction of Energy Performance and Display Energy Certificates (EPCs and DECs), an increasing number of clients have turned to VRF air conditioning, considerably boosting its market in the UK.

For those with jobs in air conditioning, VRF is an excellent choice, as the system provides a flexible approach and can adjust its performance to match the changing demands of a wide variety of building environments. For building owners and operators, VRF further serves as a solution that helps deliver the performance benefits required by energy assessors when preparing EPCs and DECs.

A VRF system typically connects multiple indoor evaporators with a single outdoor condensing unit. Heat is transferred to or from a building directly by circulating refrigerant to the indoor evaporators. Because the VRF system can control the amount of refrigerant flowing to each evaporator, many evaporators of differing capacities and configurations may be used to provide individualised comfort management. Jobs in air conditioning are made easier as the system is further capable of providing simultaneous heating and cooling in different zones of the building, as well as heat recovery from one zone to another.

Demand is growing for VRF conditioning systems. Among some highly remarkable jobs in air conditioning around the world is Samsung’s recent project in Seoul, South Korea, which incorporates 17,731 indoor evaporators linked to 3,614 outdoor condensing units.