The Benefits of Multi V with AI Engine at Commercial Space

Hello, I’m Jung-hoon Kim. I own and operate a cafe in Iksan, South Korea. Our cafe has two floors. The first floor is about 248m2 and the second floor is around 496m2. Originally, we used an HVAC system that operated each unit individually. Because of the large floor plan of the cafe, there was a total of 10 air conditioning units. We used a single 1-way unit and nine 4-way units.

When it came to managing the system, it was a bit inconvenient. Each unit had to be turned on and off one at a time, and because high electricity bills were becoming an issue, we would use air conditioning less when there were no customers in the cafe, then we would rush to turn on the AC units at full capacity for the areas where customers would sit as soon as they arrive.

There were temperature differences between areas with hot coffee machines and where customers were seated or between seats near windows and areas far away from windows. If we hadn’t replaced the HVAC system with a new Multi V with AI engine this time, some areas will continue to be too cold and other areas won't receive enough cool air.

The previous system wasn’t working as we expected. Even though the air conditioning was running non-stop, some areas remained relatively warm, so the air conditioners needed to be turned up even more. Eventually, this resulted in financial strain for our cafe. We needed a solution that could provide energy savings, precise temperature management in each space, and a more convenient method for system management.

LG replaced our 10 individually operated units with 9 integrated system indoor units. On the first floor, an AI-powered Multi V outdoor unit was installed with three 4-way indoor cassette units. There is the main indoor operating unit in the middle, and the two units on the sides are supplementary indoor units. On the second floor, a Multi V outdoor unit was installed with six 4-way indoor cassette units. The two units placed diagonally at both ends of the space are the main indoor operating units, and the two units on the side of each main unit are the supplementary indoor units.

We often turn up the lights because we have many customers studying at the cafe these days. But people were feeling uncomfortable because the heat of the lighting was too hot for them. Utilizing AI Indoor Space Care kept the temperature of the entire space uniform because the main operating indoor unit automatically identifies indoor units nearby and turns them on and off according to the cooling load.

It is now very convenient for our staff to have the air conditioner automatically adjust the temperature when it gets too hot. When the air conditioning system operates automatically and keeps the store at a consistent temperature, not only are the customers more comfortable but our staff is more comfortable as well.

Since we switched to Smart Care, we found that energy consumption decreased by 17% in July and 31% in August on the first floor, 30% in July, and 16% in August on the second floor. We also found that after implementing the AI Indoor Space Care function, the total operating time was shortened with operation driven primarily by the main indoor unit and other indoor units cooperating naturally according to the conditions in the store.

As soon as I saw the electricity bill, I knew making the change was the right decision. We switched it in June, right when the electricity bill is at its highest due to the warmer weather. Of course, the electricity bill was also lower. You know that electricity prices have risen again recently. We actually talked about how if we hadn't switched our system, it would have been a major problem. We saved close to $1,000 in both July and August.

We could tell LG engineers take pride in their work. In places with a lot of customers visiting like our cafe, LG engineers’ jobs don’t just stop with installation. They continue to monitor and maintain the system so we can use the system in the most efficient way every day.

There are no reasons not to switch. The air conditioner operates smartly by itself, we're more comfortable with less effort, and reduced usage also saves us money. I think that business owners will agree that the savings could amount to hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. We recommend switching to a Multi V system with AI engine as soon as possible!

We appreciate the time we spent with Jung-hoon Kim and the LG engineers. We look forward to hearing more success stories from LG customers and how their businesses are benefiting from the new AI-powered VRF system. Check out the video below to see the full story of this LG customer’s experience.

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