Hello everyone,
We have been using the cooling function of our air-to-water heat pump for a few days now. At a perceived temperature of 38°C (100°F), we have 22-23°C (72-73°F) on the ground floor and 24-26°C (75-79°F) on the upper floor. I had hoped the cooling effect would be more noticeable.
On the upper floor, we have lowered all exterior roller shutters (made of aluminum). Downstairs, only where the sun shines through.
Are these good values or rather low? What are your experiences?
We have been using the cooling function of our air-to-water heat pump for a few days now. At a perceived temperature of 38°C (100°F), we have 22-23°C (72-73°F) on the ground floor and 24-26°C (75-79°F) on the upper floor. I had hoped the cooling effect would be more noticeable.
On the upper floor, we have lowered all exterior roller shutters (made of aluminum). Downstairs, only where the sun shines through.
Are these good values or rather low? What are your experiences?
Mycraft schrieb:
Upper floor / ceiling, preferably air space/stairwellI always thought you need at least one unit per floor. They usually only manage to cool a maximum of 30 m2 (320 sq ft), right?
Every house is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. There are many factors to consider. However, open floor plans and open doors are helpful.
Every closed door acts as a natural barrier, and if you want to cool that space as well, the door must either be open or there needs to be another indoor unit, or the warm air must be somehow directed away while cool air is brought in.
Adequately sized systems (assuming an open concept and open doors) can be installed on each floor or even just one per house to actively cool the entire structure. Naturally, the room where the indoor unit is located will be the coldest, with decreasing cooling effect as more obstacles stand between it and other rooms. The size of the house also matters. Here, I am referring to modern homes typically ranging from 120 to 180m² (1300 to 1950 sq ft).
Since modern houses are well insulated, less cooling capacity is required, so smaller systems can achieve what used to require twice the power. For this reason, air conditioning is not as bad as its reputation suggests.
Every closed door acts as a natural barrier, and if you want to cool that space as well, the door must either be open or there needs to be another indoor unit, or the warm air must be somehow directed away while cool air is brought in.
Adequately sized systems (assuming an open concept and open doors) can be installed on each floor or even just one per house to actively cool the entire structure. Naturally, the room where the indoor unit is located will be the coldest, with decreasing cooling effect as more obstacles stand between it and other rooms. The size of the house also matters. Here, I am referring to modern homes typically ranging from 120 to 180m² (1300 to 1950 sq ft).
Since modern houses are well insulated, less cooling capacity is required, so smaller systems can achieve what used to require twice the power. For this reason, air conditioning is not as bad as its reputation suggests.
Hmm, does this really work that well, and what kind of effect is realistically achievable?
Structurally, we could quite easily install an indoor unit in the upstairs hallway and connect it to an outdoor unit positioned on the flat roof of an adjacent room via an existing roof penetration. (Power/KNX/network connections are available on the roof.)
Would the hallway then be very cold, so that the cooling effect is also noticeable in the adjoining rooms (even on the ground floor)?
Which manufacturers/products are easily integrated with KNX? 🙂
Structurally, we could quite easily install an indoor unit in the upstairs hallway and connect it to an outdoor unit positioned on the flat roof of an adjacent room via an existing roof penetration. (Power/KNX/network connections are available on the roof.)
Would the hallway then be very cold, so that the cooling effect is also noticeable in the adjoining rooms (even on the ground floor)?
Which manufacturers/products are easily integrated with KNX? 🙂
I used to have several indoor units, but eventually, I didn’t like it anymore. So, I installed a single large 7 kW system with one indoor unit located in the stairwell. Right now, I’m sitting on the sofa in the south corner of the living room downstairs, feeling a very slight cool airflow. It has been around 35°C (95°F) outside for a few days.
The system is running and located one floor above. Between there and here is a concrete ceiling with just the stairwell opening.
The system cools the entire house relatively quickly within 2–3 hours and maintains comfortable temperatures, or you can simply turn it on only when needed.
Additional electricity costs per season are around 200–250 € (Euros). But the benefit is always having pleasant temperatures.
Daikin, Mitsubishi, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and many other manufacturers offer a direct KNX gateway. Daikin is my choice.
The system is running and located one floor above. Between there and here is a concrete ceiling with just the stairwell opening.
The system cools the entire house relatively quickly within 2–3 hours and maintains comfortable temperatures, or you can simply turn it on only when needed.
Additional electricity costs per season are around 200–250 € (Euros). But the benefit is always having pleasant temperatures.
Daikin, Mitsubishi, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and many other manufacturers offer a direct KNX gateway. Daikin is my choice.
We have been using the cooling function of our air-to-water heat pump for the third summer now. It was simply included as part of the system. When programmed sensibly (starting already at 24°C (75°F) outdoor temperature and, of course, keeping the blinds mostly on "tilt" during the day on the south side), it works perfectly. All our family members envy us for how comfortably tempered (not cold!) the whole house is. Room temperatures downstairs and upstairs (open floor plan) are around 23°C (73°F). We like it that way. Electricity costs are negligible thanks to our photovoltaic system. However, in our area (altitude over 700 meters (2300 feet)), it is usually about 5°C (9°F) cooler than in the lowlands, and the nights cool down fairly well. It’s always a matter of the overall conditions; for us here, a “real” air conditioning system would certainly have been too much effort.