ᐅ Underfloor heating with an air-to-water heat pump. House gets too warm when the sun is shining.

Created on: 4 Dec 2019 14:18
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chewbacca123
Hello everyone,

I have a general question.

We moved into our new build four months ago. The living area on the ground floor has three large floor-to-ceiling windows facing south. We have underfloor heating and an air-to-water heat pump.
It provides a really comfortable temperature inside the house, but we have a problem – whenever the sun is shining in winter, even if it’s -2°C (28°F) outside, the temperature suddenly rises to 24°C (75°F) in the living room. It gets uncomfortably warm in here, and the underfloor heating can’t be turned down quickly.
Should we assume that the large floor-to-ceiling windows are responsible for the heat gain? A photo of the south-facing side of the house is attached.
What would you do – always lower all the blinds as soon as sunlight is forecast? That seems quite annoying...
We have motorized blinds controlled by Somfy. Would you consider buying a sensor that automatically lowers the blinds at a certain temperature?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Neues zweistöckiges Haus auf Baustelle mit weißer Blockfassade, pinker Dämmung und großen Fenstern
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Tego12
5 Dec 2019 13:34
ludwig88sta schrieb:

Do you have a photo of your sunshade ready?
Aren't there already fairly weather-resistant awnings nowadays that can perhaps even withstand rain (nanotechnology or something)?

Because I don’t find a fixed overhanging roof, like you often see on urban villas, very appealing, and it also reduces the heat energy coming in to warm the house, doesn’t it?


I don’t have one handy at the moment, but they are currently quite common anthracite-colored aluminum canopies with glass and an integrated retractable awning underneath. If you search for "terrace canopy anthracite aluminum glass," you’ll find various examples; ours, for instance, is from Venomenaal, but there are thousands of suppliers offering almost the same systems. These are usually modular systems, which can also be expanded into an unheated winter garden (but I’m not a fan of that). Whether it fits the house aesthetically obviously depends on the building itself. If the house has a fairly clean, modern design, I usually find such canopies to be an aesthetic upgrade.

As for awnings without a canopy... honestly, I don’t know. However, I assume that no matter how they are coated, once an awning is rolled up wet, you’re likely to have issues with mold.
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ludwig88sta
5 Dec 2019 14:50
Tego12 schrieb:

Not from mine directly at the moment, but they are the currently quite common anthracite-colored aluminum canopies with glass and integrated retractable awnings. So if you Google "terrace canopy anthracite aluminum glass" you’ll find various examples; Ours is, for example, from Venomenaal
Okay, thanks, now I have a better idea of what you mean. Yes, something like that is really essential if you have south-facing windows. Or alternatively, external venetian blinds, although I always associate those with office or school buildings...

How do you keep the glass of your aluminum and glass canopy as clean as possible?
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ypg
5 Dec 2019 15:18
ludwig88sta schrieb:

How do you keep the glass of your aluminum and glass canopy as clean as possible?

This doesn’t really fit into this thread or topic, unless you are playing the bad pirate and hijacking it.
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ludwig88sta
5 Dec 2019 15:33
Since the original poster apparently has not installed any sun protection yet, the cleaning requirements of the possible alternatives (in this case, the glazed aluminum canopy with an integrated retractable awning) should definitely be considered during the selection process.
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Müllerin
5 Dec 2019 15:35
We also have something like that – I have the windows cleaned 2-3 times a year anyway, and they clean the roof at the same time.
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ypg
5 Dec 2019 16:18
ludwig88sta schrieb:
Since the OP apparently hasn’t installed any sun protection yet, ....
chewbacca123 schrieb:
we have roller blinds with Somfy,