Altherma: Heat pump technology at its best ...
The Daikin Altherma
total heating and cooling system is based on heat
pump technology and represents a flexible and cost
effective alternative to a fossil fuel boiler, with
a cooling and sanitary warm water option.
The inherent energy efficiency characteristics of
Altherma makes it an ideal solution to reduce energy
consumption and CO2 emissions.
Daikin: the leader
in heat pump technology
Altherma’s remarkable
energy efficiency stems from its unique combination
of the highly efficient Daikin inverter driven compressor
and variable set point temperature capability, which
enables the system to match its output precisely
to the actual heating demand of the building.
Furthermore, comfort is maximized and energy consumption
minimized by its ability to regulate heat emitter
temperature to the optimum level.
Outdoor unit
The outdoor unit extracts free low temperature heat
from the surrounding air and increases its temperature.
Upgraded heat is then transmitted via the refrigerant
circuit to the indoor hydro-box.
Indoor hydro-box
The indoor hydro-box transfers the heat in the refrigerant
to the water circulated in the central heating
radiators, underfloor heating system and sanitary
hot water tank. In the combined heating & cooling
version of the indoor hydro-box cooling is achieved
by reducing the water temperature to 4°C and circulating
it through fan coil units. The system can also
provide moderate cooling via the underfloorheating
system or radiators by limiting the lowest water
temperature. The preparation of sanitary hot water
is performed by switching the system from cooling
or heating to sanitary mode.
Sanitary hot water tank (optional)
A purpose built stainless steel water tank, constructed to maintain the highest
levels of energy efficiency, is available to meet sanitary hot water needs.
The combination of an electric booster heater in the upper part of the tank
and a heat pump heat exchanger in the lower part ensures the lowest possible
energy consumption with rapid water heating. In addition, a built in function
raises the water temperature to 70°C or higher at least once a week to remove
any possibility of legionella growth.
Indoor fan coil units
(optional)
Our fan coil range can be connected to the Altherma
system for cooling.
System controls
System controls and the user interface are contained
within the hydro-box and feature a weekly timer
that enables the indoor temperature to be controlled
according to user requirements. The timer is programmable
on an hourly or daily basis so that temperatures
can be reduced at night or during holidays and
increased prior to rising in the morning or returning
home. User comfort according to personal preference
is thus maintained at all times. Where control
over individual room temperatures and comfort levels
is needed a conventional room controller should
be added.
Question:
What is a heat pump?
Answer:
A heat pump extracts low temperature energy from the environment and increases
its temperature for heating purposes. Heat pump efficiencies are normally quoted
as the coefficient of performance of the system, these are typically in the
range 3 to 5. In other words, extracting heat from renewable sources requires
just 1kW of electrical input in order to generate 3kW to 5kW of heating output.
Heat pump systems therefore, are 3 to 5 times more efficient than fossil fuel
boilers and are more than capable of warming a house completely, even during
the lowest winter temperatures. The increasing popularity of these heating
systems is reflected by their overwhelmingly successful application in the
cold climates of Scandinavia.
Low temperature heating
combined advantages
Rapid progress in heating technology and improved building insulation allows
water temperatures of 55ºC or less to be sufficient nowadays to heat a house
thoroughly, even at extremely low outside temperatures. High levels of comfort
with the added benefit of lower energy consumption can therefore be achieved
due to the smaller temperature differential between the heat emitter and
the room itself. Most modern water based heating systems operate at low temperatures,
supplying heat via radiators or underfloor heating systems, individually
or in combination.
Optimised use of Heat
Pump technology
Heat pumps are inherently clean and reliable, and
traditionally use ’water to water’ or ‘air to air’
technology. The Altherma ‘air to water’ system, however,
represents the best of both technologies, combining
· the accessibility
of air as the heat source,
· low investment cost:
no high cost drilling or extensive excavation work
is required nor the construction of a chimney. Consequently,
the system is ideally suited for inner city application
or where space is limited,
· emission free operation,
· easy installation
and maintenance, with the comfort of using a water
based heating system.
Free energy from the
air
Heat sources for low temperature heating systems
include conventional fossil fuel boilers and electricity.
Altherma as an alternative is a far more efficient
solution. More than 2/3 of the energy used by
Altherma over the year is freely available in the
air. The system can operate down to -20°C (Including
back up heater). As a result, Altherma can generate
all the heat necessary to warm a house comfortably.
All heat pumps require electrical input in order
to upgrade the low temperature.
Altherma for example, can supply 3.8kW (preliminary
at Eurovent design conditions i.e. 7°C ambient /
35°C leaving water temperature) of heat to a building
from just 1kW of electrical input.
Flexible application,
Easy installation
The Altherma system features an outdoor and indoor
unit, both are compact. The outdoor unit can be located
discreetly outside new and existing residential buildings.
The indoor unit can be installed in any convenient
space, removing the need for a dedicated technical
room.
Total solution for
year round comfort
In addition to the basic comfort requirements of
providing heat, Altherma can deliver even more. The
system is designed to supply your sanitary hot water
needs all year round and can be selected with a cooling
option for the hot summer months, thus satisfying
your desires for all year round comfort.
Altherma can be configured
in three ways - Monoenergetic, Monovalent and Bivalent
- to optimise the balance between investment and
running costs, and to extend the types of projects
for which Altherma can be used.
Professional Daikin installers will provide details
on how each of these versions can be applied to any
particular building. In addition to these three configurations,
Altherma can also be combined with alternative renewable
heat sources such as solar panels for domestic hot
water heating.
The Monoenergetic
Altherma system
The heat pump is sized to provide 90-95% of the annual
heating requirement, with the remaining 5-10% supplied
by a small electric back up heater. A good practice
is to select the heat pump to cover 60% of the heating
demand on the coldest day. Using
Altherma in the monoenergetic configuration is recommended
for the majority of applications because it offers
the optimum balance between investment costs and
running cost.
The Monovalent Altherma
system
The heat pump is sized to provide 100% of the heating
requirement on the coldest day of the year.
This solution is recommended for ultra-low energy
houses and for moderate climates without severe winters.
The initial investment costs may be higher but energy
consumption is the lowest of all systems.
The Bivalent Altherma
system
Bivalent systems combine two separate heat sources,
the heat pump and a fossil fuel boiler. There are
two types of bivalent system: series connected (where
the configuration is the same as a monoenergetic
system but with the back up heater replaced by the
boiler) and parallel connected. When series connected
the boiler is sized to cover capacity peaks only,
in parallel configuration the boiler is sized to
cover the full capacity on the coldest day of the
year. The parallel bivalent configuration is recommended
where a heating system exists. Adding Altherma optimises
the energy consumption of the system.
Contact
us for advice on best solution for your space, best
cooling system to suit your needs and budget, free
quote etc.
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