Prague business complex combines comfortable cooling with energy efficiency

Energy consumption has been reduced by 21% through the installation of Danfoss control valves in The Park business complex in Prague.

Better conditions for the staff, combined with huge energy savings, is the result of a new cooling system in a business complex in the Chodov district of Prague in the Czech Republic. The Park business complex is filled with state-of–the-art technologies and has a wide range of hi-tech companies among its tenants in the 11 buildings that make up the complex. In the first office building, where the new cooling system equipped with AB-QM control valves from Danfoss was installed, there has been an average fall in electricity consumption of 21% annually, compared with other office buildings with standard valves. “Savings even increased by 52% in May, when consumption was 21.569 kWh for the building with standard valves, compared with 10.424 kWh for the building with valve technology from Danfoss,” Ales Knotek says. He is property manager of AIG/Lincoln, an international real estate developer that has developed The Park business complex.

Control valves chosen for all buildings
A comparable number of companies with similar staff numbers reside in the two buildings being studied. The air-conditioning units in the building equipped with AB-QM technology – the so-called ‘fan-coils’ - have Danfoss valves with automatic balancing installed. The technology takes care of the air-condition functioning, which means that it supplies the staff with comfort cooling and simplifies the work for the different buildings’ technical administrators, reducing the energy demand of the system. “The valves are easy to install and eliminate the need to put in numerous control elements,” says Ales Knotek. As a consequence of the good results, the AB-QM technology has now been chosen for all buildings in the complex. One thousand Danfoss valves have been installed in six buildings up to now and another 300 or so have been ordered for the next building, which is under construction and will be slightly larger than the existing 11.

Better meeting the needs of individual tenants
“The fact that the automatic control of the cooling water flow is available for each device separately, allows the whole system to react flexibly and efficiently to changes of outside temperature and to individual requirements for air-conditioned rooms,” Ales Knotek says. He adds: “And we can do that without making the extensive calculations and adjustments that were required in the past. The valves from Danfoss introduce an important element of flexibility that enables us to more closely meet the needs of individual tenants. More comfortable tenants mean fewer complaints and less servicing of the system. And, not to be forgotten, it saves us a huge amount of energy.”

Based on the results in The Park, AIG/Lincoln has decided to also use this technology in a new retail centre in nearby Brno.

Picture to the right: Danfoss’ AB-QM control valve saves energy and money

Źródło: Danfoss Poland Sp. z o.o.