ᐅ Cooling via underfloor heating with a ground-source heat pump
Created on: 30 Apr 2015 11:27
S
SirSydom
Hello everyone,
I am very sensitive to heat, so this will be a major focus in our new build.
In addition to an automatic shading system with venetian blinds and roller shutters, and a solid construction method, as well as a ventilation system with a bypass (and possibly a ground heat exchanger), I am considering whether "passive" or "free" cooling through the underfloor heating system makes sense. This is said to have only low operating costs since only electricity for the pumps is required. The technology also seems quite simple—a heat exchanger between the brine circuit and the underfloor heating circuit, possibly with a few valves and a mixer.
Now I am wondering if the effort is worthwhile—does it really make a difference? Does anyone have a direct comparison in the same house, once with and once without?
My wife is still quite hesitant because she fears having cold feet. "In summer, I want to walk barefoot." Is this concern justified?
Are there alternatives for cooling that won’t immediately break the budget? A separate cooling ceiling would certainly cost several thousand euros.
With a conventional split air conditioning unit, I can already hear my wife complaining about drafts, so that option is probably off the table.
I am very sensitive to heat, so this will be a major focus in our new build.
In addition to an automatic shading system with venetian blinds and roller shutters, and a solid construction method, as well as a ventilation system with a bypass (and possibly a ground heat exchanger), I am considering whether "passive" or "free" cooling through the underfloor heating system makes sense. This is said to have only low operating costs since only electricity for the pumps is required. The technology also seems quite simple—a heat exchanger between the brine circuit and the underfloor heating circuit, possibly with a few valves and a mixer.
Now I am wondering if the effort is worthwhile—does it really make a difference? Does anyone have a direct comparison in the same house, once with and once without?
My wife is still quite hesitant because she fears having cold feet. "In summer, I want to walk barefoot." Is this concern justified?
Are there alternatives for cooling that won’t immediately break the budget? A separate cooling ceiling would certainly cost several thousand euros.
With a conventional split air conditioning unit, I can already hear my wife complaining about drafts, so that option is probably off the table.
SirSydom schrieb:
I am wondering whether the effort is really worth it – does it actually make a difference? Does anyone have a direct comparison in the same house, once with and once without?
My wife is still quite reluctant because she’s afraid of cold feet. “In summer, I want to walk barefoot.” Is this fear justified?
Last year, on a very hot day, we visited the show home exhibition in Mannheim. There was a house from the company Weiss with a cooling underfloor heating system. You could feel it immediately upon entering the house. It was the only house in the entire exhibition that wasn’t unbearably warm. We didn’t want to go back outside into the heat. I found it very pleasant.
Best regards,
Sabine
We can also cool our house using the air-to-water heat pump through the underfloor heating system. For us, there was no extra charge because the heat pump includes this function as standard.
However, we haven’t tested it yet since we just moved in. We are looking forward to the first summer.
There is no real need to worry about cold feet because no truly cold water flows through the pipes. I believe the lowest temperature is around 17 or 18 degrees Celsius (63 or 64°F) *hopefully I’m not mistaken*.
And regarding the question above: tiles do get warm in summer, especially if they are right behind a patio door.
However, we haven’t tested it yet since we just moved in. We are looking forward to the first summer.
There is no real need to worry about cold feet because no truly cold water flows through the pipes. I believe the lowest temperature is around 17 or 18 degrees Celsius (63 or 64°F) *hopefully I’m not mistaken*.
And regarding the question above: tiles do get warm in summer, especially if they are right behind a patio door.
S
Sebastian7930 Apr 2015 16:43Then try walking barefoot over tiles that are cool at 20°C (68°F)
Yes, there is definitely a difference between tiles being 23-24°C (73-75°F), which is room temperature, and 19-20°C (66-68°F). Usually, it doesn’t get any colder because of the dew point issue.
I always wear house slippers, Birkenstock, so it doesn’t bother me, but when barefoot, especially on tiles, you will notice it. They still feel cool, even at room temperature.
If you search for “heating and cooling with ground-coupled heat pumps,” you will find a study on the subject. Very interesting!
I only know split air conditioning from holidays, and it’s ALWAYS a discussion between me and my dear wife about whether the unit can be turned on or not.
Also, decent systems can easily cost around 2,000€ and they consume quite a bit of energy.
I always wear house slippers, Birkenstock, so it doesn’t bother me, but when barefoot, especially on tiles, you will notice it. They still feel cool, even at room temperature.
If you search for “heating and cooling with ground-coupled heat pumps,” you will find a study on the subject. Very interesting!
I only know split air conditioning from holidays, and it’s ALWAYS a discussion between me and my dear wife about whether the unit can be turned on or not.
Also, decent systems can easily cost around 2,000€ and they consume quite a bit of energy.
S
Sebastian7930 Apr 2015 19:42Decent appliances don’t actually draw that much power – last summer we ran the air conditioning for a few hours almost every day and didn’t notice any difference in our electricity consumption.
Four units with a multi-split system probably cost around 3500 euros.
Four units with a multi-split system probably cost around 3500 euros.
Don't forget: humidity must be removed – otherwise, cooling with the (ground-source) heat pump is almost ineffective!
So, keep the controlled ventilation system running. In our case, room temperature can be reduced by nearly 2°C (3.6°F) – which makes a big difference in summer.
Power consumption: only the ground loop circulation pump – nothing more.
Best regards
So, keep the controlled ventilation system running. In our case, room temperature can be reduced by nearly 2°C (3.6°F) – which makes a big difference in summer.
Power consumption: only the ground loop circulation pump – nothing more.
Best regards
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