MULTI-ZONE MINI-SPLITS

FUJITSU GENERAL AMERICA, INC.353 Route 46 West • Fairfield, NJ 07004

www.fujitsugeneral.com

PROJECT NAME: Tabco Towers

LOCATION: Towson, MD

COMPLETION DATE: October 2015

BUILDING OWNER: Wishrock Investment Group

ENGINEER: Melling Engineering

HVAC DISTRIBUTOR: Ferguson Enterprises

HEATING/COOLING CAPACITY REQUIRED: 200 Tons

OVERVIEW: Tabco Towers in Towson, Maryland is a 22-story multi-family building featuring large Airstage heat recovery VR-II systems, mostly 20-ton systems. These systems replaced older PTAC units. Almost all systems are on the roof. There are 11 systems comprised of 22 outdoor units. Fujitsu’s Airstage systems are highly energy efficient and for this application, will yield a 15-year payback.

BACKGROUND:Tabco Towers, a large HUD (Housing and Urban Development) high-rise apartment building in Towson, MD was looking to make several building upgrades, including their HVAC systems. The building used packaged terminal air conditioners (PTAC) on all 22-floors and the building owner was looking for a longer-term solution that would provide greater comfort, control and reduced maintenance costs.

WHY FUJITSU WAS CHOSEN:After first looking at many different heating and cooling technologies and brands, a Fujitsu VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) system was ultimately chosen. While there was initial skepticism concerning the higher upfront cost, what ultimately

tipped the scales in favor of VRF was that the retrofit needed to take place while the building was completely occupied. Fujitsu’s Airstage heat recovery system remained the number one choice because of its overall efficiency. Wishrock Investment Ground hired New Ecology, a non-profit sustainability consulting firm that performs comprehensive audits with payback analysis, to help owners make decisions. In simple numbers, modeling showed that the VRF retrofit at Tabco Towers would yield a 15-year payback before any subsidy or grant money was accounted for.

THE INSTALLATION:The final plan utilized 22 VRF condensers, most of which were 10-tons each. The units were paired together into 20-ton systems, with one system serving two floors. All but two systems were placed on the roof. The PTAC units remained in service for the duration of the project. Without interrupting either the heating or cooling in any apartments, tenants were only displaced for several hours.

THE RESULTS:Building management has been very pleased with the greater control and lower maintenance costs they’ve been experiencing. Tenants have expressed how comfortable they are with the new heating and cooling systems and they are very happy about their low utility bills. Overall it’s a win-win!

See Airstage VRF case studies on our site at www.airstagevrf.com/applications.htm or on our channel FujitsuGeneral_USA

VRF CASE STUDY