“I love how quick the air conditioner works. You just turn it on and it cools or warms the place inmediately,” says resident Leslie Cook. “It has made life much more comfortable.”
Inverter-Driven Air Conditioner Cuts Energy Use in Atlanta Highrise.
A building in Midtown Atlanta is among the first of its kind to incorporate an innovative technology that could be used to reduce carbon emissions in high-rise buildings throughout the United States. Carbon emissions from air conditioning are a major factor in increasing global climate change.
Variable-refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioners provided the building residents with more consistent cooling comfort while significantly reducing energy use compared to conventional single-stage air conditioners. Single-stage units constantly turn on and off, causing considerable swings in temperature and humidity.
The Atlanta high-rise on the corner of Juniper Street and 10th Street is a home for low-income seniors and people with disabilities and includes studios and one-bedroom apartments. In 2017 the building was renovated as part of an Atlanta Housing Authority mandate from HUD. For Columbia Residential, the real estate development and management company that led the renovation, energy efficiency was a driving factor in their selection of variable-refrigerant inverter-driven air conditioners. The installation of 154 Friedrich vertical packaged air conditioning units reduced the energy load enough that it resulted in $500 savings per unit per year on the tenants’ energy bills.
The VRF units installed in the Atlanta highrise have the unique capability to condition and filter outside air to introduce clean, fresh air into the room.