Whether you are building a new home or just replacing your hot water cylinder it’s always a good idea to make the most of the energy efficiency provided by today’s heat-pump and gas technology.
Euro Plumbing have a passion for designing economic solutions that will suit your budget and demand.
These solutions can incorporate the following water heating demand:
- Domestic hot water heating
- Space heating including radiators and underfloor heating
- Pool and Spa Heating
- Commercial water heating and space heating systems
Combine one requirement with another and use a priority system to get the best return on investment. European heating systems made available in Auckland!
HEATPUMPS
A heatpump uses electricity to operate. The heat is extracted from the ambient air, upgraded with a compressor, and then transferred to the underfloor and/or domestic circuit. Making this a very cost-effective way to heat the whole house continuously all year round. The electricity used by the heat pump does not generate heat, but moves the free heat from the air to the underfloor heating system, or other heating applications, such as spa, domestic hot water or swimming pool, no matter what the weather conditions are.
Due to their efficiency, Heat Pumps have low operating costs compares to gas and diesel boilers, electric elements and even other brands of heat pumps.
SUITBALE APPLICATIONS
- Ideal for underfloor Heating due to efficiencies at lower temperatures
- Rural properties where access to natural gas is limited or not available
- All pool heating applications all year round
- Use 1 heatpump to heat your pool and underfloor heating, additionally the system can be configured to preheat your domestic hot water as a priority.
- If access to gas is available Heatpump can be combined with gas boilers that compensate for higher temperature demand. E.g underfloor heating and radiators.
SYSTEM AND CONDENSING GAS BOILERS (LPG and Natural Gas)
Gas central heating is proven. In Europe more than 75% of heating systems use gas as the heat source.
Gas boilers are clean, effective, healthy and safe. They provide efficient, highly controllable heating, are quick to respond, they are very compact and extremely quiet.
They provide a flexible heat source, not only providing controllable heat to every part of your home, but also able to efficiently satisfy the hot water requirements of any home.
Which boiler?
Though there are other types of gas boiler, wall hung boilers are most suited for domestic and light commercial applications. In New Zealand these are most often found in the following formats:
System boilers
System boilers have a heating output only. They have no on-demand hot water facility but can be used to heat water in a domestic hot water cylinder as well as providing heat output.
Combination (combi) boilers
Combination boilers have an additional feature that allows the boiler to provide on-demand domestic hot water as well as heating. They can also heat a domestic hot water cylinder as well if required. They may be set up for heating only, leaving the hot water facility available for use at a later date.
The on-demand capacity of combination boilers is typically around 13 to 15 litres per minute at 35 deg rise (this equates to around 18L per minute at the 25 deg rise quoted on an ‘infinity’ type unit).
Condensing boilers (mandatory requirement in Europe)
Condensing boilers (also described as HE boilers) are far more efficient appliances. They are able to recover heat normally lost through flue gasses and can be up to 30% more efficient than non-condensing boilers.
The UK’s Sedbuk rating for boilers is an independent verification of seasonally adjusted efficiency. This serves as a good guide in New Zealand where the figures often quoted by manufacturers are optimums rather than what can be achieved in normal day-to-day use. Condensing boilers are typically in band A or B, A being the better.
If you are looking at other boilers make sure you are comparing apples with apples. If you are looking for efficiency you should always look for the A rating.
Beware, there are boilers made in Europe that are no longer sold or installed there. These can usually be identified by a rating below B or no rating at all.
SUITBALE APPLICATIONS
- Main heat source to Underfloor heating, radiators, pool and domestic hot water. A combination of one or multiple applications
- Can be combined with Solar Heating with Solar acting as the primary heat source with gas backup. For more information on such system design follow THIS LINK
- Can be used as “backup” to more efficient systems such as heatpumps or compensate for high temperature differentials.
SOLAR WATER HEATING COMBINATION SYSTEMS
Solar water heating is water heated by solar energy (the sun). The systems may be used to heat water for a wide variety of purposes, including home domestic water, business and industrial uses. Application may include heating swimming pools, domestic hot water and pre-heat underfloor and space heating.
For more information about solar heating and areas of specialisation please visit our Solar Heating Page
Types of Solar
Types of Solar water heating systems include:
- Open Loop (direct heating)
- Closed Loop (indirect heating via heat exchanger)
- Thermo Siphon
- Pumped
- Integrated systems and split systems
Open-loop systems (direct heating systems)
Open loop systems circulate the potable water that is to be delivered to the house hold as hot water directly through the collector. Direct heating systems have potable water in direct contact with the heating source. In these systems water quality must be good enough to ensure that the collector heat transfer surfaces are not restricted by impurities depositing on them, reducing the flow and the heat transfer ability of the system.
Closed-loop systems (indirect or heat exchange systems)
The system described above can have performance issues when the mains water contains impurities which may deposit on the inside of the collector tubes or they are installed in locations which suffer from frosts. These problems can be resolved by circulating a special transfer fluid through the collector circuit. The heat is transferred to the potable water via a heat exchanger. This keeps the solar circuit separate from the potable water. This system can be known as a closed-loop, indirect, or heat exchange system.
SUITBALE APPLICATIONS
- Solar Heating can be combined with any other form of heating system as long as there is a storage tank or hot water cylinder available.
- Can be used as a pre-heat for underfloor heating and radiator systems
- Can be used as the primary heat source with auxiliary heating such as Gas, diesel or electricity
- Suitable for pool and spa heating
Euro Plumbing offer specialist solar heating design and installation services. For more information on solar combination systems and obligation free quotes please contact us 0800 TEAM EURO or email us on solar@europlumbing.co.nz
GROUND SOURCE HEATING (GEOTHERMAL)
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) use sub soil or ground water as the heat recovery source. During the year the sun’s energy is absorbed into the ground. Temperature levels fluctuate near the surface, but go deeper and you will find year round stable temperatures.
Capable of producing output temperatures around 55 / 60 degrees, ground source heat pump systems offer an excellent energy efficient solution for home heating, particularly into under floor systems.
The difference between ground source and air source is simply greater efficiency through greater stability. At the times we require the most heat in our homes, the outside air temperature is at its coldest, and an air source heat pump is at its least efficient.
Collectors
There are three types of collector: Deep bore, Field and Trench, and each has benefits. Deep bore can be done in limited space though it will cost more; a field is often easiest to excavate in limited space and works well, but possibly the best solution is a trench with a slinky pipe.
A trench offers good pick-up and will only chill where the flow returns to the ground. By comparison, due to the proximity of the pipes to each other, field collectors will tend to self-chill more over time.
With ground source, the pickup temperature hardly changes allowing the heat pump to maintain higher efficiency however cold the day may become. GSHPs can achieve 5:1 COP figures.
Efficiency
Efficiency is influenced by the ground type, wet and sandy being the best ground while free draining and stony is the worst. In order to get the best heat transfer, wet ground is best, with good soil contact all around the collector pipe. If the ground is poor or free-drained and particularly dry, there are ways to improve the collection medium layer. (We can advise).
GSHPs – the fastest growing choice of heat source in the EU and US
Despite their increasing popularity overseas, they are relatively new to New Zealand, but Heat IQ have extensive experience and knowledge of GSHP’s. Please feel free to compare our products with those of our competitors but take care to ensure you buy from a knowledgeable supplier who is not simply putting a product on a shelf & offering it for sale. At the very least they should offer a sizing service for the ground collector and collector pump.
Sizing of the ground collector and collector pump
This is critical to efficient performance. You cannot just “throw in some pipe and hope for the best”. Depth, type, size and length must be determined. A calculation taking account of several factors and typically including an initial ground survey should be done.
For more information and references on combination heating systems, please contact our heating specialists on 0800 TEAM EURO
