John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop

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As building codes and programs such as Energy Star and Passive House require higher degrees of air sealing in new construction, the use of heat recovery ventilation (HRV) is increasing.

Nearly all closed-loop hydronic heating and cooling systems are supposed to be filled with water or a mixture of water and antifreeze. The only intentional air in the system is that contained in the expansion tank.

As residential building codes and energy conservation standards continue to evolve, many are requiring proof of high quality air sealing.

Over the last few years, I’ve written several columns describing how air-to-water heat pumps can provide heating, cooling and domestic hot water for homes. Many of the systems involve buffer tanks to help stabilize heat transfer from the heat pump to a zoned distribution system.

Aside from the fact that they are all used in hydronic heating systems, what do the following items have in common?

As interest and incentives build to transition space heating and domestic water heating systems away from fossil fuels and toward electricity, a somewhat predictable but only marginally quantified problem is developing. Two words describe it: Peak demand.

For many years, I’ve been offering a free demo version of the “Hydronics Design Studio” software that I co-developed with my long-time colleague, Mario Restive. It’s there for the taking at www.hydronicpros.com.

If your office routine is anything like mine, you’re probably typing cryptic passwords into your desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet throughout the day to access websites or cloud-based software that’s essential to your business.

I recently reviewed a project in which a municipal building was being connected to a district heating system supplied by pellet-fueled boilers.