ith house-building high on the Government’s agenda, the challenge for the design and construction community is not only to ensure the right mix of housing is available in the locations where demand is greatest, but to ensure those new homes are sustainable too.
The use of renewable technologies can play an important role in reducing the carbon impact of new homes but how can specifiers ensure that the inputs of those technologies are maximised in terms of heating and hot water outputs?
Specifying an unvented cylinder or thermal store specifically designed for renewable technology, or a combination of technologies, can ensure the available energy sources are utilised at optimum efficiency, reducing the property’s reliance on the grid.
Unvented cylinders
If a cylinder is being specified for hot water only, an unvented cylinder is the ideal solution for solar, heat pump or combined solar and heat pump installations.
It is vital that the model selected is designed specifically for the technology specified because the cylinder’s coil must optimise heat transfer from the energy source to the stored water.
For example, for heat pump installations, the cylinder specified must have an internal coil designed to maximise the lower energy inputs of heat pump technology. Gledhill’s StainlessLite HP cylinder is fitted with an innovative multi-pass coil heat exchanger, manufactured from corrugated stainless steel tube, which provides low pressure drop and high flow rates.
Thermal stores
Where there is a requirement to use renewable energy sources for both heating and hot water, a thermal store is the ideal solution for optimising energy inputs from multi-renewables.
Thermal stores provide a safe and efficient means of capturing the heat from one or more renewable energy sources with energy being fed directly into the store for use when needed, delivering both financial and carbon reduction benefits. On-demand domestic hot water is generated using mains cold water, which passes through a highly-efficient plate heat exchanger.
Gledhill’s range of Torrent Eco thermal stores includes models designed for use with either an open-vented boiler or a sealed primary boiler in combination with a solid fuel burner, solar panels or heat pumps. Because the thermal store is open-vented, it is inherently safe for use with uncontrolled heat sources, such as wood-burning stoves and solid fuel. As a result, thermal stores are ideal for use with a variety of renewable technologies and uncontrolled heat sources, with a 3kW immersion heater for boost or emergency back-up.
Energy savings for all
The challenge of creating the right mix of housing to address pressure points across the country has to be combined with the continuing need to ensure we prioritise a sustainable and energy-efficient built environment.
To achieve this, we must ensure that renewable installations, including cylinders and thermal stores, are carefully matched to the needs of the individual property. All cylinders should be specified in line with the size of property and hot water/heating output required. Where space is restricted, slimline cylinder options for use with renewables can be installed and Gledhill has a horizontal StainlessLite option, which is ideal for installation in the loft space.
