Dual function water heater and air-conditioning unit

A dual function water heater and air-conditioning unit comprising an air-conditioner subassembly and a water heater subassembly interconnected for circulation of a refrigerant within a fluidic circuit configured as a vapour compression refrigeration circuit:

• the air-conditioner subassembly comprising an interior air-conditioning unit configured for installation within a building and an exterior air-conditioning unit configured for installation outside the building;
• the interior air-conditioning unit including a first heat exchanger interconnected in-circuit in the refrigeration circuit;
• the exterior air-conditioning unit including a second heat exchanger interconnected in-circuit in the refrigeration circuit;
• the water heater subassembly including a water tank and a third heat exchanger interconnected in-circuit in the refrigeration circuit and configured for location within the water tank;
• the first and second heat exchangers each including outlet tubes and first and second inlet tubes in-circuit in the refrigeration circuit;
• the third heat exchanger including inlet and outlet tubes in-circuit in the refrigeration circuit;
• the first refrigerant inlet tube of each of the first and second heat exchangers having an expansion valve installed in the refrigeration circuit upstream of the heat exchanger;
• the second refrigerant inlet tube of each heat exchanger having no expansion valve;
• the refrigeration circuit including a plurality of control valves settable to direct the refrigerant within the refrigeration circuit;
• the control valves being settable such that:
• at least one of the first or second heat exchangers is configured to operate as an evaporator, in which setting of the control valves, refrigerant is introduced into the heat exchanger through the expansion valve installed in the first inlet tube of that heat exchanger;
• at least one of the first or second heat exchangers may be configured to operate as a condenser, in which setting of the control valves, refrigerant is introduced into the heat exchanger through the second inlet tube of that heat exchanger;
• and
• the third heat exchanger may be configured to operate as a water heater within the water tank, in which setting of the control valves, the third heat exchanger is configured to operate as a condenser.