Woburn Renovation

This classic five-bedroom home in Lower Hutt recently underwent a striking renovation to update the interior. But to match the new modern feel of the house, a stylish solution that could deliver efficient heating and cooling to each room was a must.

The Goal

The homeowners wanted a system where they could provide year-round comfort to the five bedrooms, two lounges and the kitchen/dining areas, while also being able to independently control each indoor unit as required.

The Challenge

Prior to the redesign, a single split high wall unit was installed in both the lounges as well as a single split floor console in the hallway of the second storey. But as the dwelling underwent large renovations, the family looked to revamp their heating system with a whole home comfort solution.

The owners had initially looked into gas heating then ducted central heating. But, as there was little space to run the appropriate piping between the two storeys and no access under the floor of the house, heating alternatives were limited.

The Solution

Due to the challenges the confined installation space posed for this project, options that could provide comfort to various rooms as specified by the occupants were restricted. They were also careful to maintain the aesthetic of the design and therefore looked for sleek indoor units to match.

As such, a Multi Room Heat Pump System with RapidHeat Floor Consoles was the ideal alternative to not only deliver the heating requirements to each area but also seamlessly fit with the classic design of the abode.

A Multi Room Heat Pump System connects multiple indoor units to one outdoor unit

Because of the size of the property, two Multi Room outdoor units were chosen to efficiently and effectively heat and cool each space.

An MXZ-4E80VAD Multi Room outdoor unit was selected to connect to the two KJ35 and one KJ50 Floor Consoles located in the main lounge, kids lounge and kitchen/dining area.

An MXZ-3E54VAD Multi Room outdoor unit was installed for the KJ50 and KJ35 Floor Consoles in the master bedroom and in the hallway near the two children’s rooms.

With two outdoors units positioned on top of each other, the building’s exterior is able to remain uncluttered and street appeal is maintained.

Wi-Fi Control was added to enable central control of the whole system all from the one app

As the owners specifically wanted to be able to easily view and control each individual heat pump, they chose to add optional Wi-Fi Control adapters to each indoor unit.

As a result, family members no longer needed to rely on the individual remote controllers in every room. By using the app on their phone, tablet or even computer, every heat pump in the home can now be viewed and managed as part of the whole system all from the same screen no matter where family members are.

RapidHeat Floor Consoles provide unobtrusive heating at floor level

Five RapidHeat Floor Consoles were selected overall, with one KJ50 installed in the main lounge, a KJ35 in the kid’s lounge and another KJ35 in the kitchen; all on the ground floor. On the second storey, one KJ50 Floor Console was placed in the master bedroom and the other KJ35 Floor Console in the hallway facing the two children’s rooms. As these are the most lived-in areas, reliable, year-round comfort was essential.

Floor Consoles were specifically chosen not only for their design but as there was limited space, the installers could easily run the pipework for these models where a ducted system was not possible.

The RapidHeat Floor Console was ideal for this project as it can provide heating or cooling at floor level with the help of Multi Vane Flow. This advanced technology blows air upward and downward for even airflow distribution without draughts.

Featuring RapidHeat Technology, the system uses advanced sensors coupled with Intuitive Control Logic to ensure optimal temperatures are reached in the shortest amount of time possible with maximum energy-efficiency. Automatically activated at start-up in low-temperature conditions and when Two Way Airflow is selected, warm air is blown in a downward direction first before the air is returned back into the indoor unit where it is reheated a second time before it is released again. As a result, the room is heated quickly, giving total peace of mind for this family even on the coldest winter days.

The Result

Overall the homeowners are very happy with the performance of the Multi Room System, especially with the added convenience of Wi-Fi Control. Now, the family has clear visibility of all the heat pumps from just the one app, which made it very simple to pick and choose the rooms that actually needed heating or cooling. Furthermore, Wi-Fi Control enabled additional energy savings to be realised because any heat pump that was accidentally left on in areas that were no longer occupied could now be easily turned off from any location.