ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL - HVAC news

RADIATORS WORK WELL WITH HEAT PUMPS…..OFFICIAL!

Here in the UK the changing nature of the heating sector is seeing companies like Stelrad needing to adjust to the new requirements of the heating sector, to meet the demands of the new renewable heating systems that are becoming ever more popular. The rise and rise of the heat pump marketplace is seeing the need for larger and higher capacity radiators. Stelrad has responded to these needs by broadening its already massive range of sizes and shapes for its most popular radiators and the introduction of in particular, a wider range of vertical radiators.

It is also meeting the enhanced need for its K3 radiators – with three panels and three fins offering 50% more heating capacity from a radiator with the same footprint as a K2 format radiator for example. Despite what you might see and read, radiators are very much able to provide the levels of comfort heating and hot water required in UK homes, when paired with heat pumps.

The arrival of the low temperature heating system has brought with it perhaps understandable questions that installers want answers to; Can we still use products we use now with traditional boiler driven heating systems if the heat source is a heat pump? Is there anything we need to consider that we take for granted nowadays? The answer is of course yes – we need to look closely at how to ensure that the heat generated is shared effectively in the new home or the existing home that is having its heating system upgraded. The key to radiators operating well in any situation is to size them properly at the outset, which involves accurately working out heat loss calculations to achieve the necessary number of BTUs required to provide comfort heating in each room and to select a radiator that can provide that level of heating.

Stelrad offers a simple to use and free radiator sizing and heat loss calculator along with a Renewables Advice page on its website. Facts and helpful information are also shared through a free to take CPD also available on its website, to anyone – not myths and misleading statements. So do we need to ditch radiators altogether and look for alternatives as some are suggesting? The answer is a resounding no.

Radiators are very much ‘fit for the future’ but as always, correct sizing will need to be undertaken to ensure that they keep the home warm and cosy. But can radiators work well with air source heat pumps? Very definitely yes they can - and they already are in a host of installations across the UK. www.stelrad.com

ESI PROVIDES HEATING CONTROLS FOR TALLEST CITY CENTRE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SECOND CITY

ESi has seen its controls specified for a landmark development in the centre of Birmingham as it continues to highlight the use of controls to control costs for heating. It’s a 132-metre skyscraper - the tallest residential building in the city. The 42-storey 2one2 Broad Street features a slim rectangular profile thrusting out of a three-storey podium set to house 3,251 square metres of retail space. It’s built on the site of the old Tramps Night Club, close to Brindley Place.

The 481-unit apartment tower will include a 200-metre outdoor running track on the podium roof, the first of its kind for a residential building in the United Kingdom. Nearly 3,000 square metres of communal and amenity space will be provided within the skyscraper, including a residents' lounge, dining club area, and wellness zone. The building's elevators will be tech-savvy, with smart elevators controlled by an app on residents' phones. 481 of ESi’s ESRTP4 wired programmable room thermostats adorn the walls of these exciting new apartments.

The ESRTP4 is an easy to install-and-use 7 day, 5/2 or 24hr programmable room thermostat which offers up to six time and temperature changes each day with different programmes for weekdays and weekends. The ESRTP4 has all the energy savings features such as TPI, Delayed Start and Optimum Stop and the all-important Landlord Service Interval. www.esicontrols.co.uk

OMNIE WHOLE-HOUSE SOLUTION FOR DEVON BARN CONVERSIONS

The conversion of three stone-built agricultural buildings near the beautiful Devon town of Totnes is employing a full selection of renewable and low-energy technologies from the range of Exeter based manufacturer, OMNIE, to create a comfortable living environment for the new occupants. The hundred year old buildings at Ritson Farm are being renovated and turned into highly desirable rural retreats.

Each of the luxury homes is to be heated by an LV air source heat pump, which will be connected via multibranch manifolds to OMNIE’s Staple underfloor heating system across the ground floors with the company’s LowBoard being specified to warm the upper levels. Then to maximise fuel efficiency and help guarantee a healthy indoor living environment, a constant supply of pre-warmed and filtered fresh air will be supplied via one of OMNIE’s Zehnder ComfoAir mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units.

The Totnes conversions vividly demonstrate how high efficiency heat pumps, combined with underfloor heating developed to bring the best performance from them, can heat any home and keep fuel consumption to a minimum. Coupled with the ComfoAir MVHR units, the development also illustrates OMNIE’s capabilities to design and deliver its ‘Whole-House” concept, with a nationwide service able to assist clients with any type of application. www.omnie.co.uk

FIRST CHOICE HEAT PUMP SOLUTION FOR NEW BUILD HOUSING

The new LG R32 Monobloc range has already had a massive impact on the residential heat pump market in the UK. Its new Monobloc S version of the unit which combines the indoor and outdoor features in one module is connected by only water piping, eliminating the need for refrigerant piping, making this heat pump an installer’s dream when it comes to ease of installation.

Hydronic components like the improved plate heat exchanger, the expansion tank, water pump, flow sensor, pressure sensor, air vent valve and safety valve are all built in - inside the outdoor unit – preinstalled and ready to run. And the R32 Monobloc ‘S’ provides excellent heating performance especially at low ambient temperatures whilst lowering its carbon emissions even more with the use of R32.

The original version was extremely quiet, but this new ‘S’ version is even quieter and up to 9kW units can be installed at the minimum of 4 metres away, and up to 16kW units - up to 5 metres away from neighbouring houses complying with international noise regulations.

Installers will love the new Monobloc ‘S’ – the all-inone concept and reduced weight of the unit makes for easier and quicker installations. The new version requires lower amounts of refrigerant compared to the existing model – 16.7% less in fact – reducing emissions and lessening its environmental impact still further. The new version features LG’s revolutionary R1 Compressor technology which offers advanced efficiency, reliability and operational range due in part to the enhanced tilting motion of the scroll. It offers enhanced operational range – up to 135Hz, a shaft-through structure and support at both ends of the shaft which ensures higher durability and offers bottom compression and simple structure that offers lower noise and vibration, less weight and superior reliability. The Health and Safety Executive’s HSG76 advises on a number of areas that need to be taken into account when planning the layout of a site so that ‘…pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely. Where vehicles and pedestrians use the same traffic route, there should be adequate separation between them’.

This involves the installation of clear signage and floor markings, which are crucial to the safe and efficient movement of people, vehicles and machinery around the industrial workspace. HSG76 also recommends combining this clearly discernible signage with guardrails and pedestrian handrails used to create clear segregation and traffic routes.

Racking and storage is another area where incremental gains in safety can be achieved in a relatively straightforward and cost-effective manner. The application of clip-on protection to rack ends and any sharp edges of units will for example, protect people, vehicles and the units themselves from impact and collision damage.

Careful consideration should also be given to choosing the right products supplier. First and foremost, it is critical that they must offer products appropriate for the project. This might seem somewhat obvious, but it is not uncommon for some safety products to look good on paper only to lack the necessary performance characteristics that make them suitable for the required application.

Within the outdoor unit the new version of the LG Monobloc offers a new compressor noise shield, a new Black Fin coated heat exchanger, a new water flow sensor and a new water pressure sensor. There is an option to include a 3kW or 6kW electric back up heater. The unit comes with a Seasonal Coefficient of Performance of up to 4.67 (Average climate/Low temperature application) and a A+++ rating. The COP rises to 4.9 (Outdoor air 7°C/Leaving water temperature 35°C) and can deliver leaving water temperature of 65°C if required.

LG has launched a New Build Design Service, to assist new build developers when specifying heat pumps into new homes.

This new service is for developments of 6 or more plots and will provide full designs for plumbing and heating layouts along with equipment schedules that specify the heat pump required, radiator or underfloor manifold heating positions, pipework type and length and controls to ensure that the system which is specified will provide the necessary heating and hot water solution for any house archetype. Furthermore, LG also offers a unique service for CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis, determining the optimal location and performance simulation of the outdoor units.

This new service comes hot on the heels of the recent launch of the latest version of the LG Therma V Monobloc air to water heat pump – the Therma V Monobloc S - which builds on the success of the original Monobloc with a number of important new features and improved performance criteria.

The new Monobloc S range further supports LG’s Split, Hydro Split and High Temperature Split Heat Pumps which all benefit from the company’s in-house revolutionary R1 Compressor technology. Homeowners can further benefit through the LG’s ThinQ platform, which the company integrates in to products ranging from TV’s to refrigerators and enables a total smart home control for the consumer with the purchase of the LG Wifi Modem and by downloading the ThinQ app.

To find out more about the new service and to get details of how LG can help you in the months ahead, visit https://b2bmkt.lge.com/newhousebuilders or email peter.spurway@lge.com for information. For more information on the LG Therma V range, contact LG by emailing aircon.sales@lge.com or head for www.lg.com/uk/heating-awhp.