Heat
Pumps and Underfloor Heating
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps
Solar Panels
Biomass
There are several types of heat pump that can be used in a building but the main types for space heating and DHW will be ground source and air source units. To provide as wide a range of single phase units as possible, Renenergy is supplying from both the high quality Viessmann an Stiebel Eltron ranges manufactured in Germany. For further information www.viessmann.co.uk and www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk
Many of the heat pump installations will have associated buffer tanks. This enables the heat pump to run for longer in any one heating period. This is an advantage as it improves efficiency while at the same time allowing maximum control of the heating in the property.
Underfloor heating is the ideal way of distributing heat from a heat pump system. Heat pumps work most efficiently at lower flow temperatures, this fits well with the requirements of wet underfloor heating systems. The underfloor heating systems we supply can have 'intelligent control' which again increases efficiency. These systems are specifically designed to match your heat supply either via a heat pump. or if preferred biomass system to provide a completely integrated system.
See www.eco-conversions.co.uk
Ground source heat pumps harvest energy from the ground via buried pipes. A liquid is pimped through these underground pipes where it collects low grade heat and is returned to the heat pump via a manifold. The heat pump compresses this liquid and extracts, via a heat exchanger, usable heat for the heating system and domestic hot water.
The size of the ground loop needs to be calculated on the energy requirements of the building and on the thermal properties of the soil. Renenergy does these calculations for you. For every 1KWh of electricity purchased to run the ground source heat pump, you can budget on 4KWh of energy supplied to the property.
Air source heat pumps use a heat exchanger, compressor and expansion valve to extract heat from the air. The heat pumps can effectively extract heat even when air temperatures are well below zero. Air source heat pumps are less thermally efficient than ground source heat pumps. However as they do not require the installation of round loops or bore holes they can be a more economic solution in many situations.
The pumps can be installed inside or outside and are very quiet in their operation despite the very large volumes of air that circulate through them. For every KWh of electricity purchased to run the pump you can expect 3KWh of heat delivered to the building.
Good quality, well positioned and properly integrated and controlled domestic solar panel heating installations can readily produce 50 - 60 % of a dwellings domestic hot water (DHW)
This technology targets a relatively small % of the total energy used in a building. As a result, the total reduction in overall building running costs will not be as great as that achieved by heat pumps or biomass installation. However the reduction in CO2 emission, particularly in new build projects means solar panels will have a role to play in fulfilling the requirements to use a proportion of renewable energy to fit Target Emission Rate (TER) for Building Regulation purposes as specified in the SAP calculations.
Burning Biomass, as in recently produced plant material such as logs, wood pellets, wood chip and grain, is considered to be more or less carbon neutral. There is a significant increase in the use of biomass fuels across Europe. The calorific values of these fuels in £/KWh vs. heating oil is making a very attractive option.
Technology to exploit these fuel sources has come a very long way in the last 10 years. The boilers from the best manufactures are now so efficient and controllable that they make direct replacements for conventional oil and gas boilers.
