Avery Family Farms is a vertical lettuce farm in Okanagan Falls. Its farming process uses less land, energy, and water than traditional methods to produce 10,000 heads of fresh, local lettuce per day.

When the new facility was being built, Kimco Controls was subcontracted to a mechanical contractor to install 18 outdoor Mitsubishi VRF heat pump units and 70 indoor heads, among other HVAC and building automation systems.

The result of Kimco’s largest heat pump project to date is a more efficient, reliable, and redundant heating/cooling method for the farming operation compared to other technologies. Today, 216 tons of heating/cooling is produced by the VRF heat pumps.

The Challenge

Kimco Controls was tasked with installing the VRF system for a new, low-impact vertical lettuce farming facility in Okanagan Falls.

The project, which encompassed 18 Mitsubishi VRF heat pumps and 70 indoor heads, is Kimco's largest heat pump project to date.

While VRF heat pump technology has been long established and commonly used in other regions of the world, it is only gaining in popularity in Canada now, particularly at this scale.

The challenges for this project included:

• The scale of the project (number of heat pumps).
• Working with newer technology.
• The volume and length of pipework required to run between the heat pumps and heads.

Advantages of utilizing multiple VRF heat pumps

Energy efficiency is an important piece of the Avery Family Farms mission, which strives for lower-impact farming.

• VRF heat pumps are multi-unit systems and have the ability for redundancy.
• Ease of ability to adjust heating/cooling output to the changing load conditions.

The Kimco Solution

The Avery Family Farms project was an excellent opportunity for Kimco to implement large-scale, efficient VRF heat pump cooling technology for the state-of-the-art facility.

Kimco’s team drew on diverse skills to complete the project successfully.

Teamwork

• Multiple technicians worked on the project daily over the course of a year to meet project goals.

• Collaboration with Mitsubishi’s technical team onsite.

Expertise

Working with technology at this scale, Kimco could depend on rigorous planning, research, and knowledge sharing for increased success.

• Kimco Controls does its homework through preparation, planning, and research before a project begins.
• Kimco has extensive knowledge of VRF heat pump systems.
• Kimco can provide a comprehensive package that includes installation, startups, and a preventative maintenance program.

Planning and communication

For a project to be successful, planning and collaboration with other trades is essential.