The VRV heat pump was created at the European Development Center (EDC) of Daikin Europe N.V. in the Belgian city of Ostend. It is designed to meet the requirements of European buildings, as well as all possible climatic conditions in Europe. In addition, the VRV heat pump complies with the latest environmental legislation concerning energy-consuming products.

The success of VRV in the European market can be explained by the three improvements over the previous generation, namely:

  • refrigerant variable temperature technology;
  • continuous heating during defrosting
  • VRV configurator for simple commissioning and service maintenance.

The unique variable refrigerant temperature technology allows the VRV IV heat pump to meet heating or cooling needs by constantly monitoring the required capacity and climatic conditions. Automatic self-tuning means that the system uses only the energy needed to meet the heat load requirements, resulting in 28% less energy consumption and a 28% reduction in carbon emissions compared to previous generations of VRV.

The benefits of this innovative feature were demonstrated during VRV IV tests at a branch of the German fashion chain in Unterhaching, near Munich, Germany in 2013. Climate control in the store was initially provided by 20 HP VRVIII, consisting of two external bodies. They were replaced by an 18 HP VRV IV, and the rest of the system was retained. Experience has shown that the VRV IV system consumes up to 60% less energy in cooling and 20% less energy for heating, compared to the VRV III system - without compromising on comfort.

Another technical innovation in the VRV IV, continuous heating during defrosting, has also proved popular, as it allows the VRV IV to maintain a comfortable indoor climate all year round, for the first time in the history of air-to-air heat pumps. Thermal energy is stored in the unique heat accumulating element inside the outdoor unit. This energy is used during the defrost cycle to avoid a drop in room temperature. This means that temperatures and comfort are kept constant without interruption. Also, pipes and indoor units do not act as evaporators and their temperature is kept constant.

Continuous heating during thawing is the main reason why the French construction and engineering company Eiffage Group chose the VRV IV system when renovating its Toulouse offices last year. Toulouse has a Mediterranean climate, temperatures can drop almost to freezing in winter. It is very important for Eiffage to provide the comfort of the residents at all times, and they also plan to rent part of the building to other companies.

Eiffage Energy Thermie installed the system between June and September 2013. It consists of six VRV IV outdoor units connected to 62 completely flat Daikin cassettes and four wall units serving both large rooms and separate offices, with independent control in the various parts of the building. The result is a modern, comfortable work environment that also saves money on energy bills and reduces CO2 emissions.

The VRV configurator allows remote configuration of settings that can be used in many places. In this way, the configuration of the outdoor units takes less time. Ongoing maintenance is also easier, thanks to a graphical interface that allows engineers to evaluate operational data and errors.

Daikin has consistently set the standard for climate control since it first introduced VRV technology in 1982. Innovations such as inverter-controlled compressors and heat recovery increase efficiency and comfort and make VRV one of the most popular commercial building systems in Europe: about 40% of the VRF systems installed in Europe are Daikin VRV systems.

With ESEER up to 7.53 in cooling mode, VRV IV is one of the most effective modern climate control solutions in commercial applications and will certainly be the preferred system for many years to come.