New solution uses fresh air to boost IAQ

Friedrich’s latest HVAC solution is helping those in occupy space in hotels, multifamily homes and commercial facilities breathe more fresh air.

The company launched its new PTAC system at the 2018 AHR Expo. 

The FreshAire PTAC represents what the company calls the first-ever PTAC to combine an energy-efficient inverter compressor with the ability to bring in conditioned make-up air (MUA). 

The FreshAire PTAC meets ASHRAE 62.1-2013 standards, which require bringing in a specific amount of outdoor air and providing MERV 8 filtration–something that in the past only could be achieved with much larger, more complex and expensive systems. The new Friedrich unit is the only PTAC to incorporate a MERV 8 filter for outdoor air, greatly reducing air particles, allergens and other air impurities brought into the space.

The FreshAire PTAC makes it convenient for property owners to deliver outstanding indoor air quality, easily and efficiently. 

“FreshAire PTAC not only saves building owners money over the long run, but also greatly increases the comfort of occupants,” said T.J. Wheeler, Friedrich’s vice president of marketing and product management.

Easy to install and maintain, cost effective and simple to operate, Friedrich is the first large-scale air conditioning manufacturer to incorporate inverter compressor technology into a PTAC system. With Friedrich’s precision inverter compressor with variable-speed technology, the units are designed to deliver only the amount of cooling or heating needed for the room at any given time, saving energy and money while maintaining even, consistent temperatures. Other benefits include improved dehumidification as compared to single-speed PTACs. The inverter compressor also operates quietly by eliminating the abrupt starts and stops to ensure the ultimate comfort of guests and residents. 

The inspiration behind Friedrich’s FreshAire PTAC is based on the company’s award-winning VRP (variable refrigerant packaged) heat pump system. Introduced in 2017, VRP also uses precision inverter compressor technology that combines variable refrigerant flow technology with the convenience and simplistic design of a closet-mounted, single-packaged unit. The Friedrich VRP FreshAire system was named a 2017 AHR Expo finalist in the indoor air quality category.

This year, Friedrich unveiled a new dehumidification option for VRP, solving a major issue for property owners in high-humidity regions where warm, moist air can cause significant maintenance issues and increase mold, unpleasant odors and allergens. 

By utilizing a hot-gas reheat circuit, the new VRP dehumidification option borrows energy that is wasted in a typical air-conditioning cycle and uses it to reheat the return air so the unit can continue to dehumidify longer.