GB2493582A

GB2493582A - Climate control system

Info

Publication number: GB2493582A
Application number: GB1204807.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Burns
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-07-28
Filing date: 2012-03-19
Publication date: 2013-02-13
Also published as: GB201112984D0; WO2013014455A1; GB2478897B; GB2478897A; GB201204807D0

Abstract

A climate control system 10 arranged to condition air in a room 12 comprises a fireplace 12 with a fire surround 28 having an aperture 26. A space is provided behind the surround for receiving a slave unit of an air conditioning unit which delivers a flow of conditioned air into the room via the aperture. The slave unit is concealed from view by the surround. A means 44 separates a first airflow entering an air inlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner from a second airflow exiting via an air outlet of the slave unit. The means may comprise of resilient deformable strip of tubular foam interposed between one of the inlet or outlet of the slave unit and a periphery of an inlet or outlet aperture of the fireplace. The surround may receive a gas fire or electric fire with flame simulation. The slave unit may draw air in via the fire receiving aperture and expel conditioned air (heated or cooled) into the room via one or more apertures in the fireplace (fig 3) or vice versa (fig 2). The air conditioner may be of the reversible type, include dehumidification and / or air cleaning.

Description

SPACE HEATERS

Description:

This invention relates to improvements in and relating to space heaters, in particular, but without limitation to space heaters suitable for use in domestic situations.

Most domestic and commercial properties nowadays are fitted with some form of climate control, such as a central heating system, an air conditioning system, plug-in heaters/coolers and so on to regulate the internal temperature of the property to make it more comfortable to inhabit.

Many climate control systems are purely utilitarian and can often be unsightly. However, in a domestic setting it is generally undesirable to have an unsightly heating/cooling device and a great deal of effort is therefore spent to make heating/cooling devices more attractive to look at.

In recent years, it has become fashionable to install real flame fires because the pleasing visual effect they create. However, real flame fires can be costly to install because they must be installed in a fire-safe, usually require a specialist flue /chimney and must be located near to a supply of fuel. Maintenance of real flame fires is also essential to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and to maintain efficiency of the fire. Furthermore, increasing fuel costs make real flame fires increasingly expensive to operate and given their inherent inefficiency, are unlikely to be economically viable in the future.

As a result, many people are nowadays choosing to install an electric fire as a more convenient and cost-effective solution to some of the above problems. In particular, an electric fire does not require a flue/chimney, requires minimal maintenance and generally maintains its efficiency throughout its life. However, electricity prices are also rising meaning that the cost of operating an electric fire is likely to increase over time. Nevertheless, electric fire provides the convenience that many users seek and can be designed to resemble a real flame fire. As a result, "flame effect" electric fires are becoming an increasingly popular choice in domestic settings.

Given that fuel and electricity prices are generally on the increase, and need arises for increasingly more efficient heaters, mainly to reduce the operating costs associated with heating.

This invention aims to provide a solution to one or more of the above problems, and/or to provide an alternative/improved climate control system.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a climate control system arranged to condition air in a room comprising a fireplace with fire surround having an aperture therein and providing a space behind the surround for receiving the slave unit of a split-unit air conditioner the air slave unit of the air conditioner being adapted to deliver a flow of conditioned air into the room via an aperture in the surround, the slave unit of the air conditioner being concealed from view by the surround and further comprising means for separating a first airflow entering an air inlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner from a second airflow exiting via an air outlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner.

By providing means for separating the airflow entering the inlet of the slave unit from the airflow exiting via the outlet of the slave unit, recirculation of the air from outlet to inlet can be reduced or eliminated.

The reason that this is important is that many slave units are provided with thermostatic controllers that automatically adjust the output temperature of the conditioned air in response to a sensed "room" air temperature. In an "open" installation, that is where the slave unit is not housed in a surround or other housing, the temperature reading that slave unit utilises in its thermostatic control is substantially representative of the temperature in the room. However, where the airflow exiting the outlet of the slave unit is able to feed back into the slave unit's inlet, the sensed temperature can be representative of the output airflow temperature, rather than that of the air in the room. In such a situation, the slave unit's thermostatic controller can "cycle", based on a false or erroneous reading of the room's air temperature, which can lead to premature shut-off, or a premature change in the set output temperature. This can lead to poor operational efficiency and failure to condition the air within the room.

By providing a means for separating the slave unit's intake and outlet airflows, the problem of recirculation and cycling can be reduced or eliminated.

To achieve this, the means for separating the slave unit's intake and outlet airflows may take the form of a duct or conduit surround one or both of the slave unit's inlets or outlets, which directs air entering or leaving the slave unit to or from a sufficiently remote location that recirculation issues are reduced. In one possible embodiment of the invention, the means for separating can comprise duct extending from the outlet of the slave unit to an outlet aperture of the fireplace.

Additionally or alternatively, the means for separating can comprise duct extending from the inlet of the slave unit to an inlet aperture of the fireplace.

In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for separating comprises a resiliently deformable strip interposed between a portion of the slave unit surrounding one of the inlet or outlet apertures thereof, and a periphery of an inlet or outlet aperture of the fireplace.

The resiliently deformable strip can partially or completely surround the slave unit's inlet or outlet aperture, but in any case, provides an obstruction that prevents direct recirculation of air from outlet to inlet, or vice-versa.

The resiliently deformable strip can be held in place by one or more pressure-sensitive, self-adhesive strips, or by friction. The resiliently deformable strip preferably comprises a length of tubular foam.

The aperture in the surround can be arranged to least partially receive an electric or gas fire.

The aperture can serve as either an inlet aperture or an outlet aperture for an airflow entering or leaving the slave unit of the air conditioner. Supplementary inlet or outlet apertures may also be provided. Any one or more of the apertures may be concealed from view and/or covered by a grille.

In the context of the invention, the term "air conditioning unit" can comprise any heat pump adapted for transferring heat from one location to another. In many cases, the air conditioning unit may be a conventional air-to-air, or air-source heat pump. however, a ground-source heat pump may also be used in addition or alternatively.

The fireplace can be free-standing or built into a room/wall. The fireplace can be manufactured from any suitable material, for example, medium density fibreboard (MDF), marble, granite, limestone, wood, a composite material, e.g. resin composite, concrete, etc. The space behind the fire surround in which the air conditioning unit is receivable, may at least partially comprise a chimney or flue space such that the air conditioning unit is at least partially located within the chimney or flue space. The air conditioning unit is concealed from view, which may be accomplished by locating it a point relative to an upper periphery of the aperture in the surround so as to be concealed from view when viewed from within the room.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the slave portion of the split unit air conditioner can be at least partially located within the chimney or flue space. The master unit may be located remotely from the slave unit and connected thereto by pipework. Where the master unit is located remotely, it may be located externally of the building in which the climate control system is installed, e.g. on an external wall or at ground level adjacent the building.

By separating the master and slave units, it is possible to make the fire surround more compact, locate a potentially noisy master air conditioning unit in a location where cannot be heard from within the room and/or to locate it in an area that may give rise to greater efficiency, e.g. in a position that is shaded from direct sun, insulated from cold weather/ice etc. The master unit of the split unit air conditioner is preferably located outside the building, although it could be located internally, for example within a chimney breast.

A supplementary heater, e.g. an electric fire, may be provided in the fireplace, located at least partially in the chimney or flue space. In such a situation, there must be at least one gap between the supplementary heater and a periphery of the aperture in the fire surround to permit conditioned air from the air conditioning unit to enter the room.

An inlet aperture is preferably provided in the chimney, wall or flue space near to the slave unit to provide a source of fresh air, and/or recirculated air from the room, to the air conditioning unit.

Where the room does not comprise a chimney or flue, a false chimney breast may be provided within which the air conditioning unit can be concealed.

One important feature of the invention is the fact that the electric resistive heating coil of a conventional electric fire is replaced by a heat exchanger of an air conditioning unit. Given that the efficiency of air conditioning units can be considerably higher than that of an electric resistive heating element, the efficiency of the climate control system of the invention can be significantly higher than that of a conventional electric fire.

In addition, it will be appreciated that an air conditioning unit can be operated in two modes, namely a "forward cycle" mode in which it produces cold air at its output heat exchanger, or a "reverse cycle" mode in which produces warm air at its output heat exchanger. Preferably, therefore, the climate control system of the invention is incorporated into a combined forward/reverse cycle air conditioning unit such that it can be used as a heater (e.g. in cold months) or as a cooler (e.g. in warmer months).

A further advantage of using an air conditioner, as opposed to a conventional electric heater coil, is that an air conditioner can additionally provide dehumidification and air scrubbing functionality enabling not only the temperature of a room to be maintained within desired parameters, but also its humidity and air quality to also be maintained within desired parameters.

The climate control system of the invention could be adapted to re-circulate the air within the room, thereby improving its efficiency. Additionally or alternatively, the housing may comprise an inlet aperture and/or outlet aperture communicating with another room or the exterior of the building. Control means is preferably provided to enable climate control system to operate in a re-circulating mode, or a "fresh air" mode either as desired automatically. One of the advantages of providing a control means for selecting between a recirculating mode or a fresh air mode is that the climate control system could select the source of air that gives rise to the greatest efficiency. For example, on a cold day, a hot room could be more efficiently cooled by blowing cool air from outside the building into the room, rather than trying to cool the already warm air within the room in a recirculating mode. However, when the ambient temperature was in the room reaches or drops below the ambient temperature outside, the climate control system could then switch to a recirculating mode.

The climate control system with the invention preferably comprises a number of controls to enable the user to select between different modes of operation. The various modes of operation may include a heating mode, a cooling mode, and air cleaning mode and/or dehumidifying mode.

Additionally, the climate control system may comprise a number of adjustable settings such that the user can select a "target" temperature/humidity for the room and the climate control system preferably has a number of sensors and a controlled system built into it to enable that target temperature/humidity to be maintained within pre-set parameters.

The controls may be adjustable using buttons, or using a remote control for controlling the slave unit. Where a remote control is used, the slave unit may need to be provided with a sensor on a fly lead because the slave unit itself may be concealed from view by the fire surround. In such a situation, the sensor can be located in an unobtrusive location, for example, within the fire-receiving aperture, to enable an out-of-sight slave unit to be remotely controlled from within the room.

A second aspect of the invention provides a climate control system arranged to condition air in a room comprising a fireplace with fire surround having an aperture therein and providing a space behind the surround for receiving the slave unit of a split-unit air conditioner the air slave unit of the air conditioner being adapted to deliver a flow of conditioned air into the room via an aperture in the surround, the slave unit of the air conditioner being concealed from view by the surround, the climate control system being characterised by a portion of the fireplace being moveable or removable.

By providing a moveable or removable portion of the fireplace, it ban become easier to access the slave unit of the air conditioner, for example, during maintenance, servicing, repair and cleaning of it.

A nioveable portion of the fireplace may be hingedly connected to enable it to fold or hinge to reveal the slave unit. Where the moveable portion is arranged to hinge upwardly to an open position, lift-assist means, such as a counterweight, gas strut or spring may be provided. The use of a lift-assist means may enable more heavily or sturdily constructed fireplace portions to be manipulated by a single operator, preferably with minimal effort.

Preferred embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a part cut-away view of a first embodiment of a climate control system in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a climate control system according to the invention; Figure 3 shows the same embodiment as Figure 2, but with the airflow direction reversed; Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section through a climate control system in accordance with the invention; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a climate control system according to the invention.

In Figure 1, a climate control system 10 according to the invention comprises a fireplace 12 located within a room 14 to be heated/cooled. The fireplace 12 comprises a false chimney breast 16 providing a hollow cavity 18 whose dimensions are sufficient to accommodate the slave unit 20 of a split unit air conditioner. The slave unit 20 is firmly secured to the wall 22 using screws (not shown) and is located at a level slightly above the upper periphery 24 of an aperture 26 in a fire surround 28.

The slave unit 20 only needs to be sited slightly higher than the upper periphery 24 of the aperture 26 because in most situations, the eye level of an observer will be higher than the upper periphery 24 of the aperture 26. By siting the slave unit 20 just out of view, it is still relatively easy to access via the aperture 26, for servicing, repair etc. The slave unit lois connected to an externally-located master unit 30 via insulated pipes 32.

The pipes 32 are insulated to minimise heat transfer into/out of the system between the master and slave units, which is more important where long pipe runs are involved. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, the pipes 32 are "heat pipes" enabling extremely efficient transfer of heat between the master and slave units.

A supplementary, flame-effect, electric fire (not shown) may optionally be located within the aperture 26 of the fire surround 28 to provide a pleasing visual appearance and also to provide a supplementary/alternative source of heat for the room 14. Where a supplementary heater is provided, there will be a gap between the upper periphery of the supplementary heater and the upper periphery 26 of the aperture 26 in the fire surround 28 to permit conditioned air 40 from the slave unit 20 to be blown into the room 14.

The slave unit 20 has an outlet grille 42 through which conditioned air is expelled. A length of tubular foam 44, such as that conventionally used as pipe lagging, is sandwiched between a rear surface of the surround 28 and the front surface of the slave unit 10, and is held in place by friction and/or self-adhesive tape. Such an arrangement enables the foam to be easily removed, should the need arise.

The tubular foam insert 44 surrounds three sides of the slave unit's outlet grille 42, that is to say on either side of the grille 42 and above it. As such, conditioned air 40 expelled from the grille 42 is ducted towards the aperture 26 of the surround 28, and is prevented from being drawn back into the fireplace where it may re-enter the slave unit's inlet 46. Such an arrangement prevents recirculation of conditioned air, and thus "cycling" of the slave unit 20.

The chimney breast 16 is provided with inlet ports 48, 50 that communicate with the room 14 and the exterior of the building, respectively to provide a supply of recirculated 52 or fresh air 54, respectively for the slave unit 20. A control valve (not shown) is fitted to each of the inlet ports to enable them to be automatically opened or closed by a control circuit (not shown) of the slave unit to enable an appropriate combination of fresh air/recirculated air to be used for the reasons previously described.

In Figure 2, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in which the air conditioning slave unit is 20 is concealed within a traditional fireplace 60 that projects outwardly from the wall 22. In this embodiment, the fireplace 60 comprises a surround 62 having an aperture 64 therein for receiving a conventional gas or electric fire. The surround 62 is spaced from the wall 22 by a distance sufficient to accommodate the fire (where provided) and the air conditioning slave unit 20. A pair of pilasters 66 is provided on either side of the surround 62 and comprise side walls that extend rearwardly to the wall 22 thereby enclosing and concealing the fire and air conditioning slave unit 20. The pilasters 66 and upper edge of the surround 62 support a mantle 68, which projects slightly forwardly of the pilasters 66. In the particular embodiment shown, the air conditioning slave unit 20 is located within a hollow portion of the mantle 68.

The air conditioning slave unit 20 comprises a downwardly directed outlet grille 42 that is arranged to direct the conditioned air 40 out through the aperture 64 in the surround, through a small gap 70 located between an upper periphery of the fire and the upper periphery of the aperture 64. Air 72 is drawn into an inlet port 74 of the air conditioning slave unit 20 via one or more concealed inlet apertures 76 in the fireplace.

The inlet apertures 76 are formed as slots that are positioned at locations where they are not easily visible in normal use, for example on the underside of the mantle 68 or at an intersection of the pilasters and the wall, the mantle and the wall and the like.

In Figure 3, which shows an identical construction to Figure 2 other than the inversion of the slave unit 20. In this case, the direction of the airflow is reversed such that air is drawn into the slave unit 20 via the aperture 64 in the surround and is expelled though the concealed slotted apertures 76 in the fire surround. Again, a length of compressible foam or other ducting has been used to separate the incoming air from the outgoing air to inhibit or prevent "cycling" of the slave unit 20.

Figure 4 is a simplified partial cross-section of Figure 2 on IV-IV, and shows the placement of the foam strip 44 to create a duct for separating the incoming and outgoing airfiows. As can be seen, the foam strip 44 is sandwiched between the rear surface of the surround and the front fascia of the slave unit to plug the gap, and/or to form a seal, therebetween. Also shown in Figure 4 is a condensate outlet 70 through which water condensing, or melted ice formed, on the slave unit's heat exchanger can be discharged. The condensate outlet 70 comprises an outlet conduit, and optionally a pump 72, which can optionally be provided where the discharge point 74 is higher than the slave unit, for example in a below ground installation, or where the heater is installed on an internal wall a distance from a suitable drain or soak away. The pump 72 can be an inline impeller pump, a sump pump, or any other suitable type of pump.

Figure 5 is an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the mantle 68 is hingedly connected to the wall 22 and is supported on gas struts 80. By making the mantle 68 hingedly removable, full access to the slave unit 20 can be obtained, for example when its air filters need to be changed, for servicing and repair etc. It will be noted in Figure 5 that the foam sealing strip 44 surrounding the slave unit's outlet grille 42 is affixed to the slave unit 20 using self-adhesive strips.

When the mantle 68 is lowered, its inner surface presses against the foam strip 44 to form a seal, thereby creating separated pathways for the incoming and outgoing air supplies.

The mantle 68 of the fireplace shown in Figure 5 comprises slotted side inlet apertures 76, similar to those described previously. As before, the slave unit can be inverted, or its operation reversed, such that direction of airflow is reversed.

In Figure 5, there is also shown an infra-red sensor 84 for the slave unit's remote control, which extends from the slave unit 20 on a fly lead and which is adhered to the fire surround at an unobtrusive location. The IR sensor 84 interfaces with the slave unit's control panel (not shown) which comprises a circuit having various feedback loops associated with it. In many cases, the slave unit has a first temperature sensor located within its inlet for sensing the temperature of the air entering the unit, and a second temperature sensor located at the outlet for sensing the temperature of the air expelled from the unit. The controller comprises a circuit that compares the target temperature set by the user with the air temperature in the room and operates to control whether air is drawn in from the room or drawn in from another source, such as from outside the room/building, obtain the optimum efficiency.

The fireplace can be manufactured of a decorative material, for example, sheets of marble, stone or reconstituted stone giving the visual appearance of a conventional fireplace. However, by concealing an air conditioning unit within the fireplace, in addition to a conventional fire, it is possible to achieve improved control of the room temperature and to save energy by using the air conditioning unit alone) or in combination with the conventional fire. Moreover, because the air conditioning unit is concealed from view, the invention overcomes the problem of siting an unattractive or non-coordinating (with the rest of the room's decor) air conditioning slave unit within a room.

One of the main advantages of the invention over a conventional electric fire is that the heating/cooling efficiency of an air conditioning unit is considerably higher than that of a resistive coil heater element. For example, a 1 kW air conditioning unit can provide an equivalent heat output, in certain circumstances to a 3 kW system coil heating element thereby greatly reducing the amount of electricity required for a given heat output. A further advantage of the invention over a conventional electric fire is its ability to provide a cooling function in warmer weather in addition to heating function in cool weather. Furthermore, air conditioning units often comprise air filters and/or dehumidifiers thereby enabling the air in the room to be cleaned/dehumidified, if required.

The invention may be particularly suited to homes/environments where air contaminants and allergens (e.g. pollen, dust etc.) need to be controlled -the air conditioning unit's air scrubbing functionality serving to scrub the air of potentially harmful contaminants/pollutants.

A further advantage of the invention is that because the air conditioning unit is located with a housing, such as a fireplace, chirnneybreast or within a housing, its noise emissions can be significantly reduced/damped. In that regard, it may be desirable to incorporate sound insulation within the fireplace, chimneybreast or housing to abate the air conditioning's noise emissions.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments which are merely exemplary. For example, the shape, relative size and arrangement of the features could be altered to suit different applications. In addition, the air conditioning unit need not necessarily be able to heat and cool, but could be a heating only "reverse cycle' air conditioning unit, or a conventional cooling only air conditioning unit. The hinged arrangement shown in Figure could be modified such that a different part of the fireplace is removable.

Claims

<claim-text>Claims: 1. A climate control system arranged to condition air in a room comprising a fireplace with fire surround having an aperture therein and providing a space behind the surround for receiving the slave unit of a split-unit air conditioner the air slave unit of the air conditioner being adapted to deliver a flow of conditioned air into the room via an aperture in the surround, the slave unit of the air conditioner being concealed from view by the surround and further comprising means for separating a first airflow entering an air inlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner from a second airflow exiting via an air outlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A climate control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for separating the slave unit's intake and outlet airflows comprises a duct or conduit at least partially surrounding at least one of the slave unit's inlets or outlets.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A climate control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the duct is adapted to direct air entering or leaving the slave unit to or from a remote location.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A climate control system as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the duct extends from the outlet of the slave unit to an outlet aperture of the fireplace.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A climate control system as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the duct extends from the inlet of the slave unit to an inlet aperture of the fireplace.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. A climate control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for separating comprises a resiliently deformable strip interposed between a portion of the slave unit surrounding one of the inlet or outlet apertures thereof, and a periphery of an inlet or outlet aperture of the fireplace.</claim-text> <claim-text>7. A climate control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the resiliently deformable strip at least partially surrounds the slave unit's inlet or outlet aperture.</claim-text> <claim-text>8. A climate control system as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the resiliently deformable strip surrounds at least three sides of the slave unit's outlet.</claim-text> <claim-text>9. A climate control system as claimed in any of claims 6, 7 or 8, wherein the resiliently deformable strip obstructs direct recirculation of air from the slave unit's outlet to its inlet, or vice-versa.</claim-text> <claim-text>10. A climate control system as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the resiliently deformable strip comprises tubular foam.</claim-text> <claim-text>11. A climate control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the aperture of the surround is arranged to least partially receive an electric or gas fire.</claim-text> <claim-text>12. A climate control system arranged to condition air in a room comprising a fireplace with a fire surround having a fire-receiving aperture therein that can be arranged to at least partially receive an electric or gas fire and providing a space behind the surround that is arranged to receive and conceal the slave portion of the split unit air conditioner, the slave unit being adapted to draw air in via the fire-receiving aperture and to expel conditioned air into the room via one or more outlet apertures in the fireplace.</claim-text> <claim-text>13. A climate control system as claimed in claim 12, comprising means for separating a first airflow entering an air inlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner from a second airflow exiting via an air outlet of the slave unit of the air conditioner according to any of claims ito 11.</claim-text> <claim-text>14. A climate control system as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the fire-receiving aperture serves as an inlet aperture or an outlet aperture for an airflow entering or leaving the slave unit of the air conditioner.</claim-text> <claim-text>15. A climate control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the fireplace comprises supplementary inlet or outlet apertures.</claim-text> <claim-text>16. A climate control system as claimed in claim 15, wherein any one or more of the supplementary inlet or outlet apertures is concealed from view.</claim-text> <claim-text>17. A climate control system as claimed in claim is or claim 16, wherein any one or more of the supplementary inlet or outlet apertures is covered by a grille.</claim-text> <claim-text>18. A climate control system as claimed in any preceding claim 1, wherein the air conditioner comprises any one or more of the group comprising: an air-to-air heat pump, an air-source heat pump; a ground-source heat pump; and a water-source heat pump.</claim-text> <claim-text>19. A climate control system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the slave unit comprises a number of controls to enable a user to select between different modes of operation, the controls being adjustable using a remote control unit.</claim-text> <claim-text>20. A climate control system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the slave unit comprises an IR sensor on a fly lead.</claim-text> <claim-text>21. A climate control system arranged to condition air in a room comprising a fireplace with fire surround having an aperture therein and providing a space behind the surround for receiving the slave unit of a split-unit air conditioner the air slave unit of the air conditioner being adapted to deliver a flow of conditioned air into the room via an aperture in the surround, the slave unit of the air conditioner being concealed from view by the surround, the climate control system being characterised by a portion of the fireplace being moveable or removable.</claim-text> <claim-text>22. A climate control system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the moveable portion is hinged.</claim-text> <claim-text>23. A climate control system as claimed in claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the fireplace is manufactured from any one or more of the group comprising: medium density fibreboard (MDF); marble; granite; limestone; wood; a composite material; resin composite; and concrete.</claim-text> <claim-text>24. A climate control system as claimed in any of claims 21, 22 or 23, wherein the moveable portion is arranged to hinge upwardly to an open position and further comprises lift-assist means.</claim-text> <claim-text>25. A climate control system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the lift-assist means comprises any one or more of the group comprising: a counterweight; a gas strut; and a spring.</claim-text> <claim-text>26. A climate control system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20 comprising a moveable or removable portion according to any of claims 21 to 25.</claim-text> <claim-text>27. A climate control system substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.</claim-text>