Gecko Towers
Today we have the next in a series of articles from a guest contributor, John Pearce, an advisor on energy management.
Winter Heating
Most homes built in the last 20 years have air cooling/heating systems installed during construction and unless a home is being renovated the options are limited. Whether being used in the summer for air conditioning or in the winter for heating it is likely that the power will be used during the highest cost period with little opportunity to reduce the running cost.
Broadly, an air cooling/heating installation can be either a “split” system with each room having its own indoor and external equipment (fan and chiller) connected by refrigerant pipe or a centralised system where the fans are connected to a central chiller connected by means of water pipes. With both systems the room air temperature is controlled by the room thermostat.
It is generally accepted that the absence of fan coil units mounted on the wall in each room, makes the central system less intrusive, but in terms of running cost the split system has the advantage. Split systems give nearly instantaneous cool or warm air as the connection is made by the refrigerant without a pump. The central system has to heat/cool from the chiller to a heat exchanger (refrigerant to water), and then the water has to be circulated by pump throughout the home and finally to a fan coil unit (water to air). Think of it as being the same as waiting for your hot water when the bathroom is well away from the water heater. The need for a water pump inevitably reduces the system efficiency and if only one room is being heated the efficiency drops dramatically as the water is still circulating and there is energy loss from the complete pipe system.
Where a variable time tariff is being used, the installation of storage radiators will provide an overall saving in electricity use. These store heat that is built up during the overnight – cheap electricity period – and released during the day when heating is required.
Where floors are being renovated consideration can be given to under floor heating, which has the advantage of not needing wall space for radiators.
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