Which VRF system suits your building?
Eight questions give you a system type, a capacity estimate and your control needs. The wizard recommends a system type, not a brand — we choose the brand together with the project.
- Time
- About 2 minutes
- Result
- System type, alternatives, capacity range, points to watch
- Next
- Attach the result to a quotation request; finalised on site
Which system fits when?
There is no single right system; the building, its use and operating conditions decide. This table is the framework we use in the first conversation.
| System | When it fits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Split or multi-splitFor a few rooms and small areas: one indoor unit per room, one or a few outdoor units. | 1–4 rooms, small area, no need for central control. | Many outdoor units on the façade; management gets harder as room count grows. |
| Mini VRFA compact VRF for homes and small commercial spaces: many indoor units on a single outdoor unit. | Villas, large apartments, small offices or stores; many rooms, one outdoor unit. | Capacity ceiling and pipe length limits vary by series. |
| VRF heat pump (2-pipe)The whole system either heats or cools at a time. The most common VRF type for offices, retail and residential. | Offices, retail, residential; one mode at a time is enough building-wide. | In mid-season some zones may want heating while others want cooling. |
| Heat-recovery VRFDifferent zones can heat and cool simultaneously; heat removed from one zone is transferred to another. Most series use three-pipe installation with branch selector boxes. | Hotels, offices with strong façade differences, zones needing year-round cooling. | Extra branch selector boxes and piping; higher initial investment. |
| Water-cooled VRFThe condensing unit connects to the building's water loop instead of outdoor air; for buildings with no outdoor unit space or high-rises. | No outdoor unit space, high-rise buildings, an existing water loop. | Requires a cooling tower or dry cooler, and maintenance of the water loop. |
| Chiller + fan coilsVery large loads over a central hydronic plant; requires an operations and maintenance team. | Very large loads, central hydronic plant, facilities with an operations team. | Plant room, pumps and hydronic piping; higher operating and maintenance load. |
How is the brand chosen?
Which VRF brand is the best?
There is no single best brand for every project. Local service and spare part availability, the series' capacity and piping limits, heating performance, control and monitoring options and budget are weighed together. Because we are not tied to one brand, our quotations show alternatives side by side.
Is the wizard's capacity figure final?
No. It is a preliminary range based on area and building type. The final capacity comes from a heat gain calculation covering insulation, glazing, internal loads, occupancy and fresh air — and from the site survey.
Can I add central control without replacing my existing VRF?
On many systems a gateway can connect to the existing VRF bus — but we verify this per brand, series and outdoor unit model. Describe your system in the compatibility check form.
VRF, or chiller and fan coils?
In mid-sized buildings VRF is simpler to install and operate. For very large loads, and in facilities with a central hydronic plant and an operations team, chiller + fan coils should also be compared. The decision weighs initial investment, running cost, plant space and maintenance capability.
Worth knowing
Around AC and VRF, we also do all of this.
Let's confirm the result on site.
Attach the wizard result to your quotation request; the Klimanist team will visit the site and finalise the system type and capacity.