Many articles have been written to suggest that indoor environmental factors such as noise, illumination and temperature control have an influence on overall team member performance, productivity, health, and well-being. Studies have concluded that optimum indoor room temperature has increased overall work performance, health and productivity of office workers. Recently, Diamond Heating & AirTemp Alaska had an opportunity to put that theory to the test outside the office workspace.
We were tasked by one of our valued commercial clients with finding a viable, long-term solution that would increase indoor comfort in 21 individual spaces used to house crew members. These spaces, located on the 2nd floor, are much like hotel rooms or studio apartments.
The goal was to keep each occupant equally comfortable, provide each with individual controls and ensure that each occupant had access to both the heating and cooling throughout the entire year as they desired. Keeping in mind that temperatures can often drop well below zero in Anchorage, we knew we needed to find a unit with a low temp rating that would allow for heating at such extreme temperatures.
In November 2019, in collaboration with our distributor Gensco and manufacturer Mitsubishi, we installed the first two N Generation, R-2 Series Mitsubishi Hyper Heat outdoor units in all of North America. The outdoor units were installed at ground level on a heated slab to keep ice from forming when the units defrost in heat mode.
These units were the perfect application for this situation as they heat down to -28 degrees and can heat or cool the various living spaces simultaneously if the need arises. For example, Joe in unit 2 may be chilly and require the unit to heat his space while Jess in unit 19 may want to drop the temperature a bit by using the cooling option while the heat is running in Joe’s space. No problem, this unit can do it all!
Rick Cummins, Gensco’s Regional High-Efficiency Product Specialist, Doug Buch, Mitsubishi Area Service Manager, and Yohei Baba, Mitsubishi Engineer traveled to Anchorage to join in the fun. Since this was the first of the N Generation to be installed in North America, they were excited to observe the installation firsthand and be available to assist as needed. We were thrilled to have them by our side.
The units were hooked up to a high-tech computer monitoring system with real-time diagnostics to ensure proper operation and to verify everything was set up correctly in order to maintain the units’ warranties.
Ultimately, the client was thrilled with the outcome. Team members realized improved comfort and increased morale as they were able to get rid of the individual electric space heaters and no longer needed to open their windows in order to balance out the heat. The goal had been met!
Russ, our Lead Service Technician, when asked what he enjoyed most about his involvement with this project shared that it was “just being a part of solving a somewhat massive problem for the client and having their team members come up to us and thank us for improving comfort and morale”
In addition to Russ, we’d like to recognize our team members involved in this project; Installers, Chris and Herm, Service Technician Tyler, and Diamond Heating & AirTemp Alaska President, Jerry Ralston. We are grateful to you all and to Gensco for being a long-term valued partner and Mitsubishi for bringing to market the perfect product for this application and for joining us during the installation of the first two N Generation, R-2 Series Mitsubishi Hyper Heat outdoor units in North America. It was an honor and truly our pleasure to work with all of you to exceed our client’s expectations!
