ASHRAE Journal - December 2019 - 120

APPLETON VILLA APARTMENTS
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

PROJECT INFORMATION
Building Type: Retroﬁt
Project Type: Multi-family Housing
Year of Install: 2018
Square Footage: 20,000
Number of Floors: 3
Number of Zones: 24
Owner/Developer: Dale Howey
General Contractor:
Chris Kallstrom,
Residential Heating &
Air Conditioning, Inc.
Daikin Sales Representative:
Mark Godfrey,
Stevens Equipment Supply

CHALLENGE
The owner wanted complete HVAC
rehabilitation from natural gas boiler
system to high efﬁciency electric heat
pump to reduce carbon footprint.
The new system must accommodate
previous electrical outlets as well as the
new electrical layouts, all while keeping
the historic structure intact. The solution
must include individual tenant control
over the heating and cooling while
efﬁciently operating through the harsh
winter conditions.
SOLUTION
Daikin inverter technology dramatically
reduced installation costs when compared
to both hydronic and traditional ducted
systems and minimized architectural
alterations to the historic building. The
combination of Daikin equipment with
solar PV reduced Appleton Villa's carbon
footprint while offering more usable
space and providing tenant controlled
year-round heating and cooling comfort.

In the famous "Twin Cities" area lies Appleton
Villa Apartments, a refurbished, historic 1918
building located in downtown Minneapolis -
only a mile away from the US Bank Stadium.
The urban living apartments have a reputation
for being eco-conscious - offering bike parking
stations, recycling services, and urban gardens
for its residents. When the time came to update
the building's outdated HVAC system, Daikin
residential and ductless products with inverter
technology rose to meet Appleton Villa's needs.
Green Rock Apartments LLC Owner, Dale Howey,
wanted Appleton Villa to be more environmentally
proactive. It was important to Howey that the new
system be powered from electrical sources to
reduce the building's carbon footprint. The building
was built in the early 1900s and still operated from

the original boiler system, which ran off of coal
and, more recently, from natural gas sources. The
building also didn't offer any air conditioning in the
summer and the boiler was housed separately
in a large mechanical room. The boiler system
simply wasn't energy or cost efﬁcient, didn't offer
individual resident control, and, in turn, was difﬁcult
to charge independent tenants based on their
energy use.
Howey wanted to keep the historic brick
structure intact throughout the project, so, it
would be necessary to have a non-invasive
HVAC solution. Chris Kallstrom from Residential
Heating & Air Conditioning suggested Daikin
ductless products to ensure a minimal amount
of alterations to the glamour of the historical
structure and preserve the urban feel of
the apartments.
Kallstrom also solved Howey's concern of how
to charge for individual resident energy usage by
offering AURORA indoor wall-mounted units. Each
AURORA system is equipped with a handheld
controller that allows each resident the ability to
set their own comfort.
To further Appleton Villa's objective to become
environmentally proactive, Howey had a goal for
Appleton Villa to become carbon neutral. To help
toward that goal, Howey installed grid-tide rooftop
solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to assist with the
carbon reduction efforts.The solar panels, combined
with the Daikin inverter system technology,
minimizes peak energy spikes to reduce energy
consumption. "By installing Daikin equipment
with the PV panels, I've already seen initial energy
savings, and I'm looking forward to seeing the true
savings amount at the end of this year" stated Dale
Howey, Owner. Individual electric meters were
connected to the individual AURORA systems
providing independent electrical usage and billing,
offering more ﬂexibility and control for resident
desired comfort.

Residential
Heating
&
Air
Conditioning
recommended the AURORA inverter heat pump,
engineered for extreme weather conditions, which
was ideal for the harsh winter weather Minnesota
experiences. Kallstrom and his team proved
knowledgeable in recommending AURORA, as it
was truly put to the test in the winter of 2018/2019
- with the historical eastern U.S. polar vortex -
where nighttime low temperatures never rose
above 10°F for over 20 straight days. "The Daikin
equipment performed as expected, ﬂawlessly and
without any issues the entire time," stated Dale
Howey, Owner.
Another distinct advantage that Daikin product
solutions brought to Appleton Villa Apartments
was the ability to reclaim the space from the old
boiler system, which was now no longer needed.
With his tenants in mind, Howey repurposed the
large mechanical room into a new, state-of-the-art
gym facility, further promoting Howey's goal of
tenant wellness.
The success of the retroﬁt was in large part
due to the collaborative efforts from Chris
Kallstrom and Residential Heating & Air
Conditioning, as well as Dale Howey and
Stevens Equipment Supply - Eagan, Minnesota,
who provided on-going support throughout
the project.

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ASHRAE Journal - December 2019

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