Toshiba’s VRF technology for energy efficient air-conditioning solutions

Increasing number of high-rise buildings, commercial complexes, business zones, and shopping complexes and malls are driving the growth of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in India. India HVAC market is expected to attain a size of $5.9 billion by 2024, progressing at a CAGR of 7.0 percent during the forecast period (2019-2024). Following the increase in development of urban infrastructure and extreme temperatures, the commercial air conditioner market is like to experience a significant growth.

The growing demand in multiple end-use applications such as healthcare, hospitality, among the others, will further contribute to growth of this sector in the coming years. Also, the rising numbers of luxury condominiums and commercial spaces in Tier-1 have fueled the demand for energy efficient air conditioning solutions.

With the impending popularity of Green Building concept, the focus is not only on the efficiency but also the direct impact on environment due to the refrigerant used. Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology is a solution that is both energy efficient and uses a green refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential and a low global warming potential.

Toshiba’s air-conditioning solutions For over 30 years, Toshiba has reinforced its position as a leader in the air-conditioning market by investing heavily to develop and maintain the quality of products that differentiate Toshiba from other manufacturers. Toshiba is one of the first brands to bring the inverter revolution in India and has long been respected for its technologically advanced, energy-efficient air-conditioning solutions. With continuous product innovation and channel partners, Toshiba has been growing rapidly in the air-conditioning business in India.

To localise planning, development, manufacturing and sales of its commercial air-conditioning products, expanding its footprint in the country, Toshiba Carrier Corporation established Toshiba Carrier Air-Conditioning India Pvt Ltd. (TCAI), a joint venture with United Technologies Corporation. The new joint venture is created to support strong demand for VRF solutions for applications such as office building and condominiums.

“India is the world’s fastest growing VRF market, witnessing a CAGR of 12 percent. Currently, the Indian market for VRF air conditioners is about 32,000 units a year and with over 10 percent market share, TCAI is amongst the top 3 players in VRF industry in India. With our manufacturing set-up in India that conforms to our ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Make-for-India’ strategy, we plan to double our market share in the next 5 years, taking the share to 25 percent by the years 2023, which translates to 3 times the existing sales volume. Toshiba will explore in increasing of the localized products,” Takao Hoshi, Managing Director, Toshiba Carrier Air-Conditioning India Private Ltd. (TCAI) said.

Toshiba’s VRF Solutions
Demand for the energy-efficient systems is on the rise for use in luxury condominiums. In recent years user expectations of air conditioning systems have changed. The Toshiba VRF systems can optimise the temperature to ensure comfortable cooling and reduce energy and maintenance costs, combined with maximised simplicity and operating flexibility. This technology has many advantages, from the system design to the installation and operation phase. The wide range of indoor units makes VRF the most flexible choice to fulfill any building requirement.

At Toshiba, we realise that the urban landscape is changing. That’s why we created the SMMS7 – a tailored cooling solution that provides optimum air-conditioning without cutting corners. While being environment friendly, it also takes your area of application into consideration, delivering ultimate efficiency for your building. Powered by the 7 senses of Smartness, this top discharge VRF offers 7 exceptional benefits

• Higher Energy Efficiency: Enhanced efficiency at full load and part load 26 percent higher efficiency at 50 percent load with energy efficiency ratio as high as 7.2.
• Environmentally Oriented: HFC-410 A Refrigerant Over 20 percent reduction in refrigerant quantity.
• Space Saving and Light Weight: Footprint reduced by up to 24 percent, 88 KG reduction in weight.
• Wider Ambient Operation: Operates at up to 52oC ambient temperature.
• Easy Installation and Maintenance: NFC wave tool function for installation and troubleshooting simplified refrigerant circuit.
• Design Flexibility: 200 percent diversity. Total piping length of 100 M.
• High Reliability: Diamond like carbon coated 2 stage vane, lesser friction and longer life, new inverter box with protection from small animals.

TCAI’s market intelligence indicates that 70 percent of Indian customers demand only cooling feature from commercial ACs (not the heating feature). Toshiba’s existing VRF products offer both heating and cooling solutions. To align its products with the requirements of Indian customers, TCAI is developing a ‘cooling-only’ VRF product variant for the Indian market. The standard “heating + cooling” variant will also be made available to customers in India. Under our make-in-India commitment, the products are being manufactured at our state-of-art facility in India under strict Toshiba quality guidelines.

Takao Hoshi, Managing Director, Toshiba Carrier Air-Conditioning India Private Ltd (TCAI)