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THERMODYNAMIC SOLAR ENERGY – DHW IN MULTIFAMILIY HOUSING
SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER / 2018
The choice of equipment/system for Domestic Hot Water in multifamily housing is based on 3 key points: Cost-benefit, Space and Efficiency.
This decade of maturity of the solar thermal technology in the markets, revealed weaknesses and some disadvantages of that particular technology. Specially after the Regulation for Residential Buildings to that predicts the Heat Pump technology as an alternative, provided that it exceeds the minimum efficiency requirements achieved with solar thermal technology.
This alternative solution has gained wide acceptance in the Portuguese market, being clearly transversal in all European territory.
With great growth registered all over Europe since 2007 and with a tendency to keep growing until 2030 (EHPA data), the Heat Pump not only has many advantages but also a varied and versatile range of options for multifamily housing.
ENERGIE is a Portuguese brand and manufacturer that has been developing Heat Pump technologies for more than 35 years, is a member of CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and is present in more than 40 countries, offering a wide range of products for Domestic Hot Water (DHW).
The range of solutions is divided into Solar Heat Pumps and Air Heat Pumps. The Solar Heat Pump technology consists of a Thermodynamic Solar Panel (outdoor unit), with reduced dimensions (2m x 0.80m), low weight (8 kg), low architectural impact and high resistance to marine environment and a DHW deposit (indoor unit) with a supper efficient Thermodynamic Block coupled to it. This technology is an evolutionary solution to solar thermal technology.
In multifamily housing the advantages over the implementation of the traditional thermosiphon with electric support or intelligent water heater are:
- The cost-benefit ratio is clearly an added value, where the price of the equipment is similar, the associated infrastructure has lower cost, the architectural impact does not exist (urban invisibility), as well as the absence of scheduled maintenance.
- The space occupied inside the house is reduced, there are options of mounting the equipment in standard 60×60 cabinets, specially designed for this type of housing.
- This type of equipment produces hot water with the exclusive use of a low consumption compressor with instantaneous thermal production that is variable according to the climatic conditions. However, even without sun, the equipment efficiently produces the amount of heat required to raise the water temperature from 10 to 54°C, having outside air at 14°C (Test conditions EN16147) with a COP of 3.8.
- The equipment produces hot water according to the needs of the user and not according to the climatic conditions.
- The efficiency / effectiveness ratio of the equipment has empirical basis; the mechanical element responsible for the generation of heat is a compressor.
- The user does not change consumer habits to “take advantage” of efficiency. It’s a paradigm shift.
- Hardware and software control with 100% Portuguese design and development, created to be intuitively handled and offers the user the most varied options and functions: electric consumption monitor, holiday function, anti-legionella function with timer-programming, bi-hour, among others.
