EFFICIENCY

A well-designed hydronic system can achieve your energy-use goals and incorporate renewable and load-sharing technologies.

No other HVAC system is more capable of shrinking a facility’s energy profile as a hydronic system.

Water naturally provides the most effective means of energy transfer, based on its high specific heat and the low horsepower needed to move the liquid. Unlike a refrigerant-based system, hydronic systems use multiple, variable-speed components (chillers, boilers, pumps etc.) that, in effect, compound their efficiencies. The true energy efficiency levels of hydronic systems typically exceed that of VRF systems by 30 to 80%.

As next generation technologies and innovations are introduced by manufacturers, like inverter-driven air-to-water heat pumps or self-sensing variable speed pumps, they can be integrated into existing hydronic systems. You’re never stuck with an outdated system that needs to be replaced in its entirety when new technology is introduced or even when refrigerant laws change in the future.

Save money today while future-proofing your building for what tomorrow may bring.

During a recent building renovation, a side-by-side study was conducted to learn about commercial building performance and state-of-the-art sustainable technology. As a part of this living lab concept, the building uses three separate HVAC systems: a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system for spaces on the first floor, a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system, primarily for spaces on the second floor, and a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS), which supplies fresh air to both floors. An array of 1,600 sensors has provided researchers with a vast amount of real-world operational data.

A primary conclusion was that the VRF system used 98 percent more total energy than the GSHP system – 41 percent more in the summer cooling season (May – Sept.) and 172 percent more in the winter and shoulder seasons (Oct. – April). Read about all the results in these published articles and research papers: