Air-Conditioning and Heat Pump Systems

Whatever your air conditioning requirements, be it a small or large server/comms room, one or many offices, IT-classrooms, retail areas, surgeries, waiting rooms, or maybe a domestic conservatory or loft extension, etc, we can provide practical, appropriate and helpful solutions to your requirements.

Whether it is to be a small single room or a whole office block, there are several different types of Room Unit to choose from.  We have indicated a selection below:

Types of Room Units

Recessed Ceiling Cassettes

The recessed cassette Room Unit is often the best selection, distributing supply air from the middle of the room.  These units can be either the regular 4-outlet style (below left) or the special round-flow style, supplied by Daikin Industries, which has superior airflow benefits and is ideally suited to lower ceiling heights where reduced air speed from the unit is important to minimise draught concerns.

Where space in the ceiling void is restricted, we can often resolve this by semi-recessing cassette and fitting a collar around the exposed area to nicely finish off the installation (below right).

Under-Ceiling Cassettes

Where there is no ceiling void or very little ceiling void to recess a cassette, there is a unique style of Room Unit available from Daikin Industries, which is similar to the regular ceiling cassette except the Room Unit is finished with an aesthetic casing, intended for fixture beneath the ceiling where it would be visible to the room occupants.

The cased under-ceiling cassette can also be installed in mid-air, suspended from above, in those high ceiling/roof applications where the cooling is needed near to the occupied area, far below the ceiling/roof (above right).

Under-Ceiling Cassettes (1-Way Direction)

Depending on several factors, an under-ceiling style of Room Unit with a one-way blow outlet might be the most suitable.  These units are particularly suited to offices where wall-mounted system cannot be accommodated, or a large duty is involved, and where the depth of ceiling void is inadequate to allow installation of a recessed ceiling cassette.  They can also be suspended from the roof, arranged to serve the occupied area from the perimeter.

Wall-Mounted Air-Conditioners

However, in most applications, a wall-mounted style of Room Unit is normally the simplest and cheapest installation.  The equipment is the least expensive of the Room Unit styles described above and so the overall price is normally the lowest.  There are some special finishes, such as mirror, or pictorial designs, where the regular unit is not quite acceptable as regards appearance.

Concealed (Ducted) Air-Conditioners

Where it is necessary to conceal the Room Unit from view, for example, in a hotel room or in some domestic installations, a ducted unit is available.  The Room Unit can be installed above a suspended ceiling with a number of grilles to supply the filtered and cooled (or heated) air to the room, or it could be concealed above a wardrobe or behind a builderswork enclosure with just the outlet grille and return air grille visible.  Though there is the extra builderswork involved with these arrangements, such as new bulkhead, access panel, maybe plastering, wallpaper or/and painting decorations, etc, the final appearance can be worth the extra work involved.

There are also occasions were the ducted unit can be used, for example, in a retail shed-type building where no suspended ceiling exists.  The ducted Room Unit can be installed at high level, out of eye line, with a section of supply ductwork to direct the conditioned air downward, to the occupied zone (see above right).

Alternatively, the ducted air-conditioner can be connected to a range of supply ductwork, stretching over the occupied area, to provide good distribution of the conditioned air over a wider area.

The unit and ductwork can be painted to help these services blend in with the appearence of the roof area.

Today

Call us now and ask to speak with the Technical Manager to arrange for a site survey and discuss your specific requirements.  We are waiting to hear from you.
Telephone: 01342 314971

Anti-Vandal Guard Units

Where the exterior of the premises is subject to unwelcome visitors of a night, and the outside condensers must be installed in insecure locations, it can be prudent to install an anti-vandal guard around the outside condenser, which inhibits damage to the equipment. 

The guard unit also offers some extra protection to people on your premises who might hurt themselves while tampering with the equipment, and then claim on the owner's insurance policy.  

The guard unit is demountable so as to allow access by authorised personnel for maintenance and repair work.

Heat Pump Air-Conditioners

Almost all of the air-conditioners on sale are 'heatpumps' which is to say that they can provide both heating and cooling for all year around operation.  From the controller, one can set these systems for just heating, or just cooling, or left in automatic mode so that the air-conditioner switches between heating and cooling, as required, to maintain the desired room conditions.  There is also a mode for fan-filter-only, and another to dehumidify the room without changing the room temperature.

Heatpumps provide very efficient heating: typically, with an electrical input of 1kw, the system creates 3kw of heating in the room.  Compare this with a regular electric heater that draws 1kW of electricity and gives out only 1kW of warmth.  There are many buildings heated with regular electrical heaters, pouring a business's hard-earned money down the drain, five days per week, all through the year.

New Inverter Systems and 'On-Off' Systems

There are two types of air-conditioning equipment: the on-off type, and the new Inverter type.  We recommend the Inverters because they will save approximately 30% in electrical consumption compared with the on-off type of systems.  In addition to these significant savings in electricity, the government recognises these energy-efficient systems and allows businesses to take advantage of certain tax advantages (see our 'Tax Aspects' web page for further information).

And, for domestic installations, there is also a reduced Vat rate of just 5% on the overall price of the installation, rather than the regular 17.5% rate.

Types of Rooms/Buildings Air-Conditioned

Firstgate Services Ltd provide air-conditioning and related services for a whole range of different applications from shops to hospitals, including computer rooms and data centres, general offices, production areas, lift motor rooms, lecture halls, libraries, classrooms, IT classrooms, recreation areas, gyms, archival rooms, veterinarian dentist and doctor surgeries, waiting rooms, call centres, pubs and clubs, restaurants, loft conversions, conservatories and even delux horsebox vehicles, etc.

Contact our technical manager today for discuss your requirements.

Our Site Engineers

Our installation and commissioning engineers are competent, and trained up to at least the minimum levels now required by law.  They are technically able and experienced to install, maintain and repair all types and brands of air-conditioning systems, including the simple one-room air-conditioners through to several banks of VRF and VRV systems to serve whole office blocks.  All work areas are left clean and tidy.  

Engineers fully observe the Health & Safety at Work Regulations and site safety procedures in their work.  We are very familiar with working in occupied premises and carry out the site work with minimal disturbance to the customer's staff and any visitors.

We are able to provide air-conditioning, electrical and general mechanical services, design, installation, testing and commissioning, servicing & maintenance support, site management, site inspections, diagnostics, reports, emergency call-outs and repairs, R22 conversions, record drawings and manuals, an other many other services.  Contact our sales manager today with your specific requirements.

Company F-Gas Registration

Firstgate Services Ltd is also approved and registered by REFCOM as an F-Gas Certified Company in respect of Installation, Maintenance, Testing and Repair of refrigerant air-conditioning and heatpump systems.

(NOTE: Since July 2009, all companies employing engineers to install, maintain or repair refrigerant air-conditioning systems must be registered.  Many companies undertaking this work are not registered and are trading illegally, putting their customers in a difficult position with the Environmental Protection Department of the local Council.)

Today

Call us now and ask to speak with the Technical Manager to discuss your specific requirements.  We are waiting to hear from you.
Telephone: 01342 314971