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WORLD’S FIRST INSTALLATION OF R32 ROOFTOP UNITS
As Lennox, air-handling specialist, is just launching the first R32 rooftop on the market, a Lidl supermarket is becoming the world’s first user of the e-Baltic units for energy-efficient delivery of hot and cold air.
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he advanced e-Baltic units, commissioned in January 2020, are fully compliant to the forthcoming 2021 Ecodesign regulation, and the French response to the EPBD regulations, RT2012. This world-first installation is seen as a key milestone in the industry and, moving forward, the Lennox strategy is to adopt R32 as a replacement for R410A due to its low Global Warming Potential (677 versus 1924) and its affordability.
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Originating in Germany in the 1930s, the Lidl group has grown to become one of the world’s largest supermarket chains with over 11,000 stores in 30 countries. In France, the company has around 1,500 supermarkets, 25 logistics platforms and 35,000 employees. Supporting such an impressive backdrop of growth, Lidl is committed to innovation and, in particular, to sustainable development.
Energy-efficient rooftop units One of Lidl’s ambition is to be able to produce more energy through their stores than they actually consume. To achieve this ambition, one of the aspects to consider is to reduce energy consumption. One of the reasons why Lidl selected the Lennox e-Baltic rooftop was to meet the building’s “bio” requirements. Bio (bioclimatic indicator), one of the three requirements of RT2012, is an index of good bioclimatic building design. This important measure takes into account heating, cooling and lighting needs, but is completely independent of the selected heating or cooling solution. Designed as a high-efficiency product, the e-Baltic emphasizes highly innovative components: lowconsumption electronically commutated motor fans; freewheel fan technology; newly designed piping; CO2 sensors; as well as a new generation of heat exchangers. The e-Baltic’s features enable the unit to adjust its power and airflow according to real climatic conditions; and thus, generate significant energy savings.
24 | Industry EMEA | April 2020
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