A newly launched sustainable business hub in Bristol was able to achieve its carbon neutral target in part through the installation of a cutting-edge, environmentally friendlier air conditioning system from Mitsubishi Electric. Thanks to the support of the hub’s installation contractor, Envira-Mech, a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Quality Partner, they were informed about the system well before the general market was aware of it.

A Pioneering Site

Located in Bristol, UK, Future Leap is a completely carbon neutral and sustainable business center that features co-working, retail, and office spaces. The business center, which was founded in 2020, is also home to the Future Economy Network, an organization dedicated to providing businesses with the resources, support, and collaboration opportunities needed to further their sustainability efforts.

The site is the brainchild of the Future Economy Group, whose director and founder, Alan Bailey, worked for many years in the petrochemical industry before making a shift to help support businesses in their journey towards a more sustainable future.

Future Leap has a strong connection to Bristol’s past. Its building was once an art deco tram station, which dates back to the 1930s — it still maintains its distinctive façade. For the refurbishment, all aspects of its retrofitting and operation were considered with carbon neutrality in mind.

One of the keys to achieving this was using an environmentally friendlier air conditioning system. Future Leap was the first building in the UK to use a large-scale R32 air conditioning system — a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system known as the R32 City Multi VRF. Mitsubishi Electric launched the product at the end of 2019.

The choice of this system dovetailed perfectly with Future Leap’s mission, Bailey says. "We’re helping people on their sustainability journey, and that can be from behavioral changes all the way through to infrastructure. We’re very pleased to be working with Mitsubishi Electric on this."

"In terms of the R32, we did look across the market at a whole host of technologies and equipment that can do heating and cooling. For our budget range and the site’s location and layout — as well as how we’re using the site —the R32 system was absolutely the right product for us."

Greener Solution

But what is it that makes R32 technology such a good choice for sustainability, and why is the air conditioning industry adopting it at such a rapid rate? It comes down to its overall environmental impact. When compared with the previous generation of refrigerants, such as R404A and R410A, R32 has a significantly lower global warming potential (GWP). It can yield 17% of the GWP of R404A and 32% of the GWP of R410A.

R32 systems also use 20% less refrigerant than R410A systems, thereby cutting down on carbon emissions and enabling buildings to reach their sustainability goals. The technology is already being widely used in countries such as Japan and Australia, but is still making headway in Europe and the UK. However, with the UK expected to step up regulations on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), particularly refrigerants with high GWPs, from January 2021, Future Leap needed a solution that took this into consideration.

The decision to use a cutting-edge R32 system at Future Leap was the result of business ties between Bailey and Envira-Mech Services, an air conditioning and building services contractor based in nearby Clevedon. Envira-Mech is a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Quality Partner (DQP), which is the highest level of partnership available.

Becoming a DQP is a rare distinction among suppliers and contractors within Mitsubishi Electric’s network — there are only 95 in the UK. Companies with the qualification reflect the highest standards in supplying equipment, as well as excellence in installing heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and cooling systems. To maintain these standards, DQPs are audited every six months.

One of the benefits of being a DQP is that they are informed about new products and offerings sooner than the rest of the market. This put Envira-Mech in a position to be able to recommend the R32 City Multi VRF.

"When I first started talking to Alan about his requirements, it was obvious that he wanted a system that would help promote energy efficiency and future-proof the building," explains Terry Macleod, managing director at Envira-Mech. "We heard about R32 VRF at Mitsubishi Electric’s 2019 conference, and we just knew it would be right for Future Leap."

For Bailey, the solution was exactly what was needed. "In terms of working with Mitsubishi Electric and Envira-Mech on this scheme, we’re absolutely thrilled with the end result and the way the process worked," he says.

For the Future

With its use of the R32 City Multi VRF, Future Leap stands as both an example of Bristol’s leadership within the UK in the field of sustainability and a showcase for how environmentally friendly solutions can make for good business.

Bristol is recognized as a pioneer and standard-setter within the field of sustainability. For example, the city has set very ambitious local carbon reduction targets — more aggressive, in fact, than the national average — and the entire country hopes to be carbon neutral by 2025 or 2030. It makes sense for one of its newest and most innovative business centers, Future Leap, to use the latest in technology to achieve future-proof sustainability.

Future Leap’s pioneering use of the City Multi system also sets an example for other businesses – even those that are using larger buildings – that want to embark on their own sustainability journeys. As Bailey explains, Future Leap’s infrastructure decisions aren’t "just making sense environmentally; there’s a good business case behind the technologies and products that we’re showcasing now."

Andy Wright, commercial director at Envira-Mech, says he was excited to be able to help the industry move forward through the use of an innovative product. But he was also inspired to be a part of a project that would not just be benefitting an organization or showcasing new technology, but setting the stage for a better life for future generations. "One of the key factors for me to join Envira-Mech was the simple fact that I’m going to be able to influence and orchestrate change," he says. "And change for me means that my children are going to benefit from the future, which is hopefully greener and sustainable."

(This article was originally published on March 18, 2021)

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