Air conditioning systems from Daikin UK provide a healthy and comfortable atmosphere for fitness enthusiasts using the refurbished and extended dryside facilities at a Surrey leisure centre.
Sporting a new façade, enlarged gym and new dance studio, Haslemere Leisure Centre – formerly The Herons – has emerged from a £4 million redevelopment project that also included modernisation of the 15-year-old centre’s poolside facilities and offices.
Atalan Mechanical Services of Yateley, Hampshire, was commissioned to install a 48hp Daikin VRV Heat Recovery system consisting of three modular 16hp condensing units. The heat recovery facility means that waste heat from warm areas can be used efficiently to heat the cool parts.
Atalan director Mike Sherar says the system was designed to provide ample heating and cooling to ensure year-round comfort for staff and customers – especially when the gym and other facilities are in peak use.
Indoors, there are 17 self-cleaning Roundflow cassettes – ranging in heating capacity from 2.5kW to 16kW – to serve the gym, dance studio, crèche, offices and related areas. Roundflow cassettes provide a more comfortable environment with a 360o discharge that ensures uniform distribution of airflow and temperature.
With the addition of a daily self-cleaning decoration panel the Roundflow cassette offers further energy savings and efficiency because there is no accumulation of dust to impede airflow through the unit. Dust deposited between cleaning cycles is automatically brushed and blown into a storage chamber that is emptied when needed with a standard vacuum cleaner.
A separate inverter-controlled heat pump from Daikin’s large capacity range provides a nominal 31.5kW of heating or 28kW of cooling via an air handling unit that serves the leisure centre’s double volume squash courts and reception area.
Air for the pool area, spectator seating and changing village is warmed by the gas boilers that heat the pool water.
The Daikin Heat Recovery system at Haslemere Leisure Centre has a Daikin Intelligent Touch Manager, which gives staff precise control of temperatures in each of the centre’s rooms. The user-friendly touch-screen interface gives direct access to the main functions of each indoor unit, while smart management tools monitor energy use and help to detect the origins of energy waste, thus maximising efficiency.
The Heat Pump system has a Daikin RTD-20 Economiser controller that provides easy operational management of individual zones and saves on running costs by offering a separate mode for ‘after hours’ operation. It also provides increased comfort with the integration of CO2 sensors for fresh air volume control.
Haslemere Leisure Centre is managed by Places for People Leisure in partnership with Waverley Borough Council. Tom Carter, the centre’s General Manager, says: “Both Daikin systems are contributing to the improved customer experience following our refurbishment. The energy efficiency of the new systems means we can offer better comfort levels at manageable costs.”
Kelvin Mills, Waverley Borough Council’s head of communities and major projects, says: “Recognising today’s pressures on local authority finances it is essential that we balance the need for ongoing expenditure for maintenance and development of public facilities with sensible investment in systems that offer additional benefits, such as energy cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint.”
