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Heat Pumps And Underfloor Heating – A Match Made In Heaven?

THE NATIONAL ENERGY

FOUNDATION

Ground Source Heat Pump Seminar

12th May 2005

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Introduction

• Steve Alldritt Business Development Manager: Central

Region Uponor Housing Solutions Ltd

• Nick Wincott Managing Director Eastern Heat Pumps Incorporating

Screedmasters

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Uponor• Net Sales Worldwide : 1.3 billion EUR• Sales to 100 countries worldwide• 27 production sites in 13 countries• 4800 employees

• Main Areas of Business• Heating & Cooling systems• indoor water systems (heating / potable)• Sewer & storm pipework• ground loop collector pipework

Who Are We????????

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•Aims– Explain how underfloor Heating works.

– Examine advantages & disadvantages UFH used

with GSHP

•Outcome– Show how you and your clients can benefit from

UFH & GSHP

– Effect energy efficiency improvements

Introduction

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HOW DO MODERN HEATING SYSTEMS WORK?

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What are we trying to achieve?

UFH is very close to the ideal temperature distribution

0,1 m

1,7 m

24°C 16 20

Radiator

0,1 m

1,7 m

24°C 16 20

0,1 m

1,7 m

24°C 16 20

2,7 m

Ideal Underfloor

7Just like one big low temperature radiator

How Does UFH Work?

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General Control Principles

UFH Pump

40°C Flow Detector

Wirsbo Underfloor Heating

Room

‘Stat

WTC ControlBox

Primary Pump

82°C

Energy Source

72°C

35°C

Min Flow Bypass

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GSHP Control Principles

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1960’s Underfloor Heating

• Mainly electric cable in thick concrete

floors

• Floor used as storage heater

• Poor controls

• Floors too hot (Uncomfortable)

• Inefficient (Generally poor insulation)

• Ineffective (Huge number of air changes)

• Ultimately unreliable (Expensive to run)

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Modern Underfloor Heating

• Mainly warm water

• High tech plastic pipe in or just below floor

• Water is 45-60OC

• Forms to suit most floor constructions

• Well proven controls

• Economical to run (Especially with GSHP)

• Reliable, long lasting

• Maintenance-free

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Underfloor Heating / GHSP Design Principles

• Ultimate performance from both systems• Perform Heat Loss Calculations• Match W/m2 from UFH with GSHP• Agree flow / return temps, depending on

floor constructions• Agree control strategy (i.e individual room

temperature control)

• Tel the customer what we can give him!!!!

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Manifold cabinet & Thermostatic adjustment

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Solid Floor – 100 W/m2 max (40-45° Flow)

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Carpet Tile Wood

Floor Cross Section

Insulation

Screed

Over site

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Pipe set in place before screed is laid

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Pipe positioning plate

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Clip Rail

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Suspended Floor – 70 W/m2 max (50-55°C Flow)

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Unifoil System – 70 W/m2 (50-55°C Flow)

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Floating Floor – 70 W/m2 max (50-55°C Flow)

Floating floor

panel

Heat emission plate

14mm pipeFinal floor

covering

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Sports Hall

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Underfloor Heating / Cooling via GSHP

• Comfort cooling can be achieved by reverse cycling GSHP

• Cooling outputs of approx. 40 W/m2

• Flow / Return temperatures of 10/15°C

• Dew point control to avoid ‘Wet Floors’

• Heating / Cooling changeover controls

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Underfloor Heating / Cooling Via GSHP

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Five Areas of Energy Saving with UFH

•No hot air in front of glass

= Less heat loss through window

•No hot air at ceiling level

= Less heat loss through ceiling & walls

• Lower air temperature for same comfort

= Reduced number of air changes

• Uses lower water temperature

= Lower transmission losses

• Options to use Ground Source Heat Pumps

= Fuel saving economies

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Advantages of UFH / GSHP

• Very comfortable– No ‘hot heads or cold feet’

– Does not promote floor draughts

– No drying of the air

– Reduced dust levels

– Beneficial to allergy sufferers, asthma etc

– Simplifies controls i.e. minimal mixing

required

• Unobtrusive– Walls left completely clear

– Floors and walls are easier to clean

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• Quiet

– No creaks and groans, especially in solid floors

• Safe

– No hot surfaces - important to HSE

– No sharp edges to cause injury

– Ultimate low surface temperature radiator

– Nothing to vandalise

– In Sweden, only UFH is allowed, by law, in

children's nurseries

– Ultimate in ‘green’ energy

Other Advantages of UFH

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• Complements other aspects of heating– Keeps options open for water heating

– heat pumps

• Cost effective installation– Less damage & less pilferage

– Installable in most stages of the construction

process

• Lower running costs– Low water temperature direct from GSHP

– Reduced installation problems

Other Advantages of UFH

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BA Headquarters Heathrow

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Kingdom Hall

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Ancient manuscript archive

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Pizza Express Restaurant

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• Improving building insulation standards leads to

reduced heating requirements

• EU regulations on energy efficiency and pollution

require low temperature emitters such as UFH

• Options are kept open for green energy sources

based on low temperatures (heat pumps)

The UK is now to rediscovering

Underfloor Heating

Why UFH / GSHP’s Relevant to You

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Underfloor Heating today is:-• clean and ‘green’

• comfortable

• invisible

• quiet

• safe

• energy-efficient

• maintenance-free

Summary

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UPONOR HOUSING SOLUTIONS

LTD