Ateliers Nic. Georges – or ANG for short – was founded over 100 years ago. The company’s workshop originally repaired automotive engines, but its second generation then added another pillar to the business in the form of metal parts machining. Today, ANG uses state-of-the-art systems to turn, mill and erode high-precision parts with tolerances in the thousandths of a millimetre range.

The founder’s great-grandson relocated the company headquarters from central Luxembourg to an industrial estate. In 2023, the time came to construct a new building, whose planned structure presented two different features with requirements for the HVAC systems: a three-storey office wing and a large hall with a two-storey side wing. The latter required a consistent temperature of 22°C in summer and winter alike in order to ensure that the laser-measured precision components would retain their exact shape.

Installation company a+p kieffer omnitec approached General Technic, Hoval’s sales partner for Luxembourg. The proposed solution was simple yet impressive: it would use the Belaria fit (53) heat pump to provide heating and cooling for the site – which measures some 1000 square metres – through underfloor heating and cooling ceilings. The inverter technology used enables this capacity to be modulated in the range from 40 to 100%. This means that both heating and cooling capacity can be optimised to meet prevailing requirements and the power consumption of compressors and fans is reduced in partial load operation. The unit switches on and off less frequently, which means it cycles less, operates more smoothly and protects the compressor.

The air conditioning for the hall, measuring 8.6 metres in height, and for the side areas spanning more than 2000 m2 uses the RoofVent RP-6 supply and extract air handling unit with a capacity of 5500 m3 of fresh air and extract air per hour, plus the TopVent TP-6 recirculation unit, which has a capacity of 6000 m3 per hour. Both units have their own heat pump, ensuring added reliability during operation. The duct-free installation removes the need for lines, which in turn means no maintenance, cleaning, energy loss or obstructions during work (caused by cranes, for example). Maintenance on the RoofVent unit is performed from the roof, allowing production to continue uninterrupted. Not only that, but the TopVent unit can sub in while this maintenance is taking place – a redundancy feature that is also a benefit of the decentralised concept.

Thanks to the patented Air-Injector, welding can also continue in the hall without any disturbances. This piece of equipment ensures optimum air distribution indoors and, at the same time, reduces the difference between the room temperature below the roof and the outdoor temperature – a solution that reduces transmission losses with minimum air velocity.

It is not just the heat pump energy source that is responsible for the system’s efficiency, however. The smart controller also ensures that the components interact seamlessly with one another. If heat is required to reach the stipulated 22°C temperature, energy is primarily recovered from the warm room air as it rises. The heat pump is only activated if the room air alone is not enough, and it uses modulating operation to supply exactly as much energy as is needed. The cooling system works in a similar way.

“Our customer loved the proposal: it was ecological, cost-effective and easy to install”, says an enthusiastic Tom Kieffer from General Technic. In fact, all the components can be operated intuitively using the Hoval TopTronic controller, and any problems can be resolved quickly and easily using remote maintenance. The three air heat pumps primarily draw current from the PV system with a 200 kW peak. This means that the new building does not rely on any fossil fuels at all for its heating, cooling and ventilation needs.