At any hotel, guest satisfaction is a top priority, and ensuring that rooms are a comfortable temperature is key to keeping customers happy. A 4-star resort in Southeast Europe wanted to renovate the existing water-based hotel room cooling system to deliver optimal temperatures for guests and turned to Danfoss for support.
The hotel—run by Maistra hospitality group—was using a water-based constant flow system for cooling spaces and rooms. The system used variable fan speed to control room temperature.
Danfoss investigated and recommended that the existing fan coil units be fitted with AB-QM pressure independent balancing control valves (PICV) to establish a dynamic hydronic balance within a variable flow system.
AB-QM 4.0 valves were added to a total of 437 fan coil units in winter 2019/2020 within 251 of the hotel’s 310 rooms. In addition, water flow through the valves is now regulated with TWA-Q thermal actuators.
Installing the on/off temperature controls for fan coils and AB-QM control valves limited flow and reduced energy usage. Over a 3-month high season summer period the hotel reduced its electricity consumption of the four 123kW heat pumps by 19.3% overall and saving about €40 per fan coil unit. Based on the local energy price of €0.09/kWh and the 3-month energy saving, return on investment (ROI) is just over 4 years.
The current high energy price of €0.28/kWh (which even includes financial compensation for hotels by the Croatian government) means the pay-back time would be even shorter. For example, if the renovation had been executed during this time of increased energy prices, based on a 3-month high season summer period, the ROI would be less than 2 years. This is despite increased prices for the materials and labor.
Not only has the project enabled the hotel to reduce its energy consumption and running costs, it has also enabled optimal room temperatures, which has improved guest satisfaction, reflected in the hotel’s positive ratings.
AB-QM Pressure Independent balancing and Control Valves (PICV) provide both a control functionality and dynamic balancing solution for HVAC heating and cooling systems. PICVs are designed for various types of terminal units, Air Handling Units (AHU), chillers and provide high indoor comfort and energy efficiency in public and commercial buildings.