Refurb Projects July 2018

HEATING & VENTILATION
Finding perfect comfort in the heart of
Shakespeare country
Carole Titmuss visits a new hotel in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon and looks at how guest comfort and energy
efficiency are made to go hand in hand.
In my role as editor of Refurb Projects I do get to visit
some lovely buildings and a perfect example of a
stunning restoration is the new Hotel du Vin in
Stratford-upon-Avon.
I was invited as part of a Press Visit by Mitsubishi
Electric which has launched the only viable R32 VRF air
conditioning system currently available in the UK with
their new Hybrid VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) solution.
The venue was chosen because part of the
refurbishment saw the hotel being fitted with a Hybrid air
conditioning solution – albeit one using the current
refrigerant of choice, R410A. I won’t go into the reasons
behind the switch from R410A refrigerant to R32 but
there are several articles on the Hub such as this one,
which explain the details and the need for equipment
with a low Global Warming Potential.
A beautiful conversion
The newest member of the Hotel du Vin brand, which
opened in May, is a sympathetic conversion of two grade
II-listed townhouses, right in the heart of this historic
town.
Over the years the buildings have had a variety of
uses including being the home to the Embassy Club and
being used as both houses and offices.
Judging from my short visit, the refurbishment
encompasses everything that the Hotel du Vin brand is
renowned for, with 46 stunning bedrooms and suites that
are complemented by the Bistro – which focuses on
home-style French cooking, robust earthy dishes and
slow-cooked foods.
Two gorgeous private dining rooms, an event space
that accommodates up to 70 people and an outdoor al
fresco eating area add further style and space to this
superb refurbishment.
Hybrid air conditioning
The converted building uses Mitsubishi Electric’s unique
Hybrid VRF air conditioning to offer complete,
controllable comfort for guests and uses the company’s
new touch screen room controllers.
Air conditioning is increasingly important in the hotel
sector but refrigerant-based systems are now subject to
BS EN378, which requires additional leak detection to be
fitted in every occupied room, leading to additional install
costs and extra annual maintenance.
The Hybrid VRF system minimises the amount of
on-site refrigerant, removing any need for leak
detection within the bedrooms and helping reducing
annual maintenance for the Hotel.
Opening the hotel has taken a lot of dedicated
work from both the tradespeople involved and the
Hotel staff as Nicolas Jefford, General Manager Hotel
du Vin Stratford explains: “Our team has worked
incredibly hard over the last few months to ensure we
can bring a much-needed boutique hotel and bistro
to the area, which is befitting of a town with so much
character and history.
“Every aspect of our focus is on absolute guest
comfort and this runs through everything from the
décor, the service and the feeling within each room.
It is therefore vital that we have reliable heating and
cooling that both we and our guests can control, so
that we can provide the right environment with
minimum energy use.
Commenting on the Hybrid VRF air conditioning,
Mr Jefford said: “It’s still early days but so far, we have
been impressed with the system.”
How Hybrid works
Hybrid VRF offers the same flexibility of design and
operation as traditional VRF air conditioning systems
but uses water to transfer heating or cooling to
individual rooms. The use of water also delivers room
comfort usually associated with chiller technology.
The outdoor condensing unit is linked to a Hybrid
brand controller (HBC) box by refrigerant piping but
from the HBC, water is used to transfer heating or
cooling to the individual rooms, which means there is no
refrigerant at all in occupied spaces and the Hotel does
not face the additional costs of installing leak detection
monitors, or the cost of annually calibrating each one.
The other thing that impressed me about the system
was the new room controller that had been chosen. It
offers guests simple control of their room temperature
in an easy to understand touch screen system, but is
also connected to the Hotel’s overall control system.
Staff can therefore ensure that equipment is not
running when rooms are empty, or can make sure the
bedrooms are comfortable before guests arrive in the
most energy efficient way possible.
All in all it was a most enjoyable visit and shows how
quality and efficiency can (and should) go hand in hand.
I definitely know where I’ll be staying the next time
I visit Shakespeare country!
Carole Titmuss is editor and publisher of Refurb Projects.
https://les.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/the-hub
www.hotelduvin.com
30 JULY 2018, REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS