Add Solar Heat to ASHP > GreenBuildingTalk - Green Building Forums on Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF), Structural Insulated Panels (SIP), Radiant Heating, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar Power, Green Construction Projects

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bigkelse

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Posts:2

06/03/2009 11:29 AM
I live in Canada and would like to use my Evac. tube HW system to increase the efficiency of my Air Source Heat Pump during the cold snaps where the back up electric coil kicks in. I use the panels for HW now, but there is excess capacity most of the time. Is it possible to insulate around the ASHP, which is generally covered in snow, and run a coil inside the insulation to raise the temp a few degrees so the efficienty would go up and maybe not run the back up heating coil on sunny winter days? Any thoughts/products? Thanks,

joe.ami

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Posts:1401

06/14/2009 8:39 PM
Of course it's possible, but we need a marriage of available BTU's to required BTU's. Did you have a plan in mind? Joe

Just a Mechanic; Geothermal; Savings Underfoot

bigkelse

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Posts:2

06/15/2009 8:36 AM
Not a solid plan, b/c there are some variable that I don't have a grasp on. I was thinking about using some rigid insulation to make a winter covering of the unit, probably a foot larger on either side, then run a loop off my HW panels, after the HW tank and run it inside the insulation housing to raise the temperature a few degrees, then return it to the solar panels. It would be a seasonal modification, installed in Nov, removed in March. I don't know how much air flow the ASHP requires? What issues I will have if I reduce/enclose the air flow around the unit? Any thoughts?

jongig

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Posts:17

06/15/2009 8:51 PM
I don't like the idea because the two systems were not designed to work together and just trying to bring the warm back outside seems like a waste of btu's/ Why not try to use the excess heat in the house in some way. Maybe heating a floor or using water storage or even some poured concrete blocks with pex in them. Something that will either store the heat for later use or to give off some heat over time. Many have designed systems that look good in the house but may give off heat at night from heat generated by solar durring the day. I like block and you can build a simple exchanger and storage into one block. You can put in aluminum tubes and seal both ends to duct work and run air from your air handler through it at night and durring the day run hot water through the same block with water in pex pipe. Warm it in the day and draw the heat out at night. This will move and store btu's without running hot water outside. The block of concrete is inexpensive and it doesn't take much concrete to store heat. Just insulate the outside of the block when done.

ANGELofDEBT User is Offline

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Posts:14

06/18/2009 7:29 AM
Get a water to air heat exchanger and place in the return air duct going to the Heat Pump. The reason for the placing it in the return duct is it will produce higher air temps going into the heat pump which might be enough to allow the heat exchanger and heat pump to increase the temps above the setpoint of the electric heaters.

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