1 Kilowatt-hour is 1kWh.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a kilowatt of electrical energy through an immersion heater, or a kilowatt from a boiler. One kilowatt-hour of heat energy, no matter where it comes from, will have much the same effect.

A single kilowatt-hour of energy will raise the temperature of a 100 litre hot water cylinder by 8.6°C. Or 200 Litres by 4.3°C, or 50 Litres by 17.2ºC.

A kilowatt-hour of energy, is equivelant to a 1 kilowatt appliance being left on for 1 hour. Or, a 500W Appliance for 2 hours. Or a 10kW boiler burning for 6 minutes. Or the output of the 1000kW engine of a Bugatti Veyron travelling at full speed for just under 4 seconds. All of these equal One Kilowatt-Hour (kWh). This is also, conveniently, a single unit of electricity, for billing purposes.

Energy is Energy.

What does it replace?

The first and most important thing you need to know when working out the benefits of your heat pump install, is to work out what it replaces. Energy that comes from a Heat Pump is energy that does not have to be provided by your existing, or backup, heating systems. 1 kWh of heat from your Heat Pump is 1 kWh of energy that does not have to come from your boiler.

In other words, from fuels you do not have to burn and money you do not have to spend

How much per Kilowatt-hour?

The SEAI has produced a document which gives the effective cost per kWh from various fuel-types. It’s summarised quickly in the table below.

You must, however, factor in the efficiency of your heating technology. Modern boilers can be up to 95% efficient, meaning 95% of the energy delivered from the fuel can be actually used. For older boilers this value can be as low as 75%, meaning that for every kilowatt-hour of fuel you pay for, up to a quarter of it goes to waste. Put more succinctly, a quarter of your fuel budget is being burned for no benefit to you whatsoever. In fact, this system will have to burn 1.3kWh worth of fuel, to achieve a 1kWh output.

Or, an increase in fuel consumption of a 33%.

Your boiler or appliance should come with an efficiency rating – from this you can calculate the actual cost of the fuel being burned to achieve a 1 kWh output from this system. Assuming an efficiency rating of 80%, the effective cost per-kWh from these appliances may be as high as.

Electrical heating systems such as Immersion Heaters, on the other hand, are effectively 100% efficient. 100% of the electrical energy goes towards heating. Howver, it can also be seen above that raw electricity, on a per-kWh basis, is the most expensive energy source by far.

How much does the energy from a Heat Pump cost?

Heat Pumps are electric devices, so draw power and energy from the National Grid. How heat pumps work has been discussed by us before. The energy you receive from a Heat Pump in a multiple of the energy used to drive the compressor. This is the Heat Pump’s Coefficient of Performance, or COP. Unlike the rating on a boiler, this is not a static figure. It varies depending on the difference between the output temperature of the heat pump and the ambient temperature of the atmosphere. The higher the difference, the less efficient the Heat Pump will be.

The Hitachi Yutaki heat pumps offered by Greentherm gives an average COP of above 4 under normal condtions, when matched to a well-designed heating system.

Or, for every 1 kWh of energy the Heat Pump uses, it gives you 4 kWh worth of heat out.  This means that, with a delivered electricty cost of – on average – 18c per Unit, the effective cost per-kWh of heat received is 4.5c.

Adding this to the above table, gives the following comparison:

Clearly then, the Yutaki heat-pump offers the best cost-per-kWh of any heat source.

1 kWh of energy from a heat pump is almost half the price of 1 kWh from Gas.

The Bottom Line.

1000kWh of heat from a gas boiler will cost you €82.

1000kWh of heat from a kerosene boiler will cost you €119.

1000kWh of heat from a heat pump will cost you €45.

The Average Irish home can require up to 30,000kWh of energy to heat, annually.

For more information.

Contact us. This is only a quick, generic overview. The exact results depend on many other factors – such as your lifestyle, specific heating system design characteristics and heat-loads of the building. We take these factors into account when we design our heating systems to ensure that you receive the best value for money, while still achieving low runnings cost and guaranteed, hassle-free comfort all year round.

Short answer: Yes. Solar Panels work in Ireland.

It’s that simple. There’s no catch. From April to September, Ireland receives more than enough sunshine to enable a well-designed and well-sized solar thermal system to meet your domestic hot water needs. It might not seem like it when you look out the window, but the statistics bear it out. Ireland receives between 910 and 1100 kWh of energy per meter squared, per annum from the sun, with the majority of this falling during the summer months.

What can Solar Panels really achieve in Ireland?

A well designed Solar thermal system can supply up to 60% of your annual domestic hot water needs. This energy replaces either your boiler, or an electric immersion heater. Over the winter months, Solar Panels give a lower output – but are still capable of providing some pre-heating to your hot water. The effect in winter then is similar to boiling a half-boiled kettle.

Can I heat my home with Solar Panels?

The energy output from your solar panels is at its lowest, when demand from your heating system is at its highest. For normal houses, it’s a challenge. It’s not impossible, but it may be impractical.  For passive houses, or houses that are highly airtight or insulated, it may be doable. What we can do is highly dependent on the home design and is something that needs to be discussed with us in detail.  We will advise you on what’s possible with your home and what the costs will be.

What about Stagnation?

Stagnation is a problem for Solar Panels in Ireland. Greentherm however, offer Viridian Clearline Drainback Solar Panels.  Drainback Solar systems eliminate the potential for stagnation damage by leaving the panels dry when the circulating pump is not operating. For conventional pressurised systems, a dedicated heat-dump radiator controlled by a motorised valve can be fitted.

Do I need to replace my existing hot water cylinder?

It’s up to yourself. If your cylinder already includes a solar coil as standard then it can be connected straight up. Furthermore, if your cylinder is still reasonably new and fully insulated, but doesn’t have a solar coil – or if you would simply prefer to do without the hassle of dismantling the hot-press, draining a cylinder, then refitting, we do have another option. The Viridian Pod offers an alternative that allows you to retain your existing hot water cylinder and hot-press, while still achieving an acceptable system performance. However, if your cylinder is of an older, uninsulated type, then it may be better to replace it with a 316L Stainless Cylinder which will be more efficient.

I have a heat pump/Biomass Boiler/Stove/Gas Boiler, can I install Solar.

Of course! The exact method we use however will depend on your exact system and setup. Our expertise will ensure that your Solar Panels complement the existing energy sources in your home, allowing them all to work at their best potential and efficiency to achieve the best out of your energy sources.

Why Should I go with Greentherm?

First and foremost, we at Greentherm are an Engineering company. This means that – while our competitors will sell you a one-size-fits-none product – Greentherm offer genuine solutions. We work to understand the needs and expectations of our customers, then build an integrated solution for them that meets their expectations and budget. It means we can back all our work with hard figures and show our customers how we arrived at those figures.

Contact Us for more information on Solar Panels in Ireland

What is the ACA?

The Accelerated Capital Allowance is a Tax Incentive offered by the Revenue Commisioners to encourage Irish Businesses paying corporation taxes, to invest in the provisioning and installation of energy efficient technologies.The ACA allows a company to write off 100% of the purchase value of qualifying energy efficient equipment against their profit in the year of purchase.

In other words, the Revenue pays You to install Renewable Energy technologies.

Full Details can be found on Revenue.ie

What Products Qualify for ACA assistance?

A full list of qualifying products is maintained on the SEAI website here, through a list of Statutory Instruments. 54 Individual Technologies in 10 sectors qualify. Products vary from the Nissan Leaf EV, to Greentherm’s own Clearline Solar Panels.

The Benefits of the ACA

The benefits to the ACA are simple. It enables you to make an investment in the installation of ACA-qualifying products, which will reduce the ongoing energy costs of your business, increasing profiteability. While the purchase price of ACA-qualifying products is often higher than non-ACA products, the full cost of an ACA-qualifying technology can be written off against your profits.

What this means is that, for a business achieving an annual of profit €30,000, if that business where to invest in energy efficiency technologies costing €10,000 – this cost can be written off against profit. The business therefore, will only pay taxes on €20,000 of their profits for the year.

The Payback period on qualifying products is therefore shortened dramatically

Who’s Elegible for the ACA?

• You must be a company operating in Ireland
• You must be paying Corporate tax in Ireland
• The equipment must be bought after the 31st January 2008
• The equipment must be bought new, not second hand.
• The equipment may not be sold, leased or rented on to another customer.
• The equipment must be used in trade.
• The ACA can only be claimed for the accounting period in which the equipment was first provided and used.
• A claim can only be made if the equipment was on the ACA list at the time it was first provided.
• Expenditure must exceed a minimum amount.(For BEMS, €5000. For Lighting and lighting controls,, €3000. For all other categories, €1000)

What Categories of Technology are covered by the ACA?

• Building Energy Management Systems
  • BEMS Controls and supporting hardware
• Lighting and Lightning Controls
  • Lighting Units.
  • Lighting Controls.
• Motors and Variable Speed Drives
  • AC Induction Motors
  • Variable Speed Drives (VSDs)
  • Permanent Magnet Motors
• Information and Communications Technology
  • Rack-mounted servers
  • Eneterprise Storage Equipment
  • Precision Cooling
  • Centralised DC Power
  • UPS
  • Blade Servers
  • ICT Communications
  • ICT Optimisation Solutions
• Heating and Electricity Provision
  • Co-generation
  • Localised Steam Generators
  • Boilers and Hot Water Heaters
  • Steam Systems
  • Biomass Boilers
  • Boiler Controls
  • Condensate Recovery Systems
  • Solar Thermal Collectors
  • Photovoltaic Systems
  • Inverters
  • Wind Turbines
  • Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems
• Process and Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) Control Systems
  • HVAC Zoning Controls
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Pumps
  • Hydraulic Power Recovery Turbines
  • Blowers
  • Fans
• Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles
  • Electric Vehicles and Chargers
  • Alternative Energy Vehicle Conversions
• Refrigeration and Cooling
  • Compressors and Condensers
  • Condensing Units
  • Refrigerated Display Cabinets
  • Refrigeration System Controls and Monitoring
  • Chillers and Fluid Coolers
  • Heat Pumps.
• Electromechanical Systems
  • Electrical Actuators
  • Extrusion Blow Moulding Machines
  • Injection Blow Moulding Machines
  • Injection Moulding Machines
  • Process Energy Management Systems
  • Voltage Stabilisation
• Catering and Hospitality
  • Commercial Dishwashers
  • Commercial Laundry Dryers
  • Commercial Combination Ovens
  • Commercial Laundry Washers
  • Water Boilers

How do I claim the ACA?

ACA is claimed in the same manner as standard Capital Allowance.

• There is a seperate field on the return of income form (CT1) which is used for ACA claims.
• Claims can be made for the period in which the equipment was first provided and used for trading purposes.
• Standard wear and tear allowances for machinery still apply.
• There is no requirement to obtain prior approval. Self assesment provisions still apply

 Do Greentherm Products Qualify for the ACA?

Yes. Currently, our Viridian Clearline Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic panels are ACA compliant, as is the Hitachi Yutaki heatpump.

The list of approved products is continuously changing. Contact Us for the current list of qualifying Greentherm products.

Irish conditions are unique, to put it mildy. If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it’ll change. To meet these changes, you need a heating system capable of rapid response and adaptation. A Hitachi Yutaki heat pump from Greentherm is ideal for weathering Irelands weather. Greentherm supply both Air-To-Water and Geothermal heat pumps, as requested.

Can I heat my home with a Heat Pump alone?

We’ve completed many projects in homes where the sole source of heat is a single Hitachi Yutaki Heat Pump. These have continued to operate through the coldest of winters without complaint, providing both central heating and domestic hot water.  This requires an appropriatel designed central heating system, suited to heat-pump operation.

What temperatures can be achieved?

Hitachi Yutaki heat-pumps can supply water at up to 55°C. Under normal circumstances we design our systems to optimise heat-pump operating temperatures. Heat pump efficiency decreases as the output temperature increases. Our heating designs focus on achieving low operating temperatures for your heating system without sacrificing your comfort.

What’s the minimum air temperature a heat-pump can operate at?

Heat-pumps suppled by Greentherm are rated to operate at -20°C. This is comfortably within the margins of even the worst Irish winter.  Geothermal heatpumps are unaffected by air-temperatures as they extract ambient heat from the soil.

Do I need a Buffer Tank?

Greentherm always recommend installing a buffer tank alongside a new heat-pump. A well-sized buffer tank will act as a thermal ‘battery’, which can be charged up on night-rate electricity to a higher temperature, with heat being drawn off throughout the day, reducing the consumption of more expensive day rate electricity. It ensures that the heat pump performs better in extreme temperature conditions as air to water heat pumps do not have the same energy output in very cold temperatures, the ‘battery’ storage effect of the buffer tank allows the heat pump to keep up with the building heat demand.

A buffer tank will also ensure there is no disruption to your hot water supply when the heat-pump switches to a defrost cycle.

Finally, a buffer tank eliminates short-cycling of the heat pump compressor, reducing wear and tear and increasing the life time of the compressor. Heat-pumps are an ideal match for a Greentherm Tank-in-Tank system.

What is a defrost cycle on a heat-pump?

Air-to-Water heat-pumps by design tend to accumulate ice. This is a natural part of their function. Ice acts as an insulator, stopping the flow of atmospheric heat to the heat-pump. Therefore, the heat pump must switch to a defrost cycle to clear this ice. The heat pump effectively operates in reverse, drawing a small amount of heat from the buffer store to melt the ice. Geothermal systems do not require defrost cycling.

Can I retrofit a Heat Pump to my existing home?

Heat pumps operate at their best efficiency at lower temperatures and should ideally be paired with heating technologies that work at those temperatures. Conventional radiators require higher temperatures to give their best performance. Ideally, these would be replaced with low temperature radiators, with fan-coil radiators, or underfloor heating being an ideal companion. If conventional radiators are to be used, a bi-valent system with a backup boiler will likely give the best operating economics.

Can Heat Pumps be used with Underfloor Heating?

Heat Pumps and Underfloor Heating make ideal companions. Underfloor heating operates at lower temperature than conventional radiator heating systems, allowing the heat pump to operate in its most efficient regime. Greentherm supply both Heat Pumps, and Underfloor Heating Systems, and can advise on the installation of combined systems.

Why Should I go with Greentherm for Heat Pumps?

First and foremost, we at Greentherm are an Engineering company. Which means we don’t just supply generic one-size-fits-all products, we offer genuine solutions, tailored to meet your budget and your unique requirements. We will consult with you to discuss your needs, expectations and budget, and work with you to craft a solution that will fit all three.

Contact us for technical information, or to arrange a no-obligation consultation.

Click Here for more information on Heat Pumps in Ireland.

At Greentherm, we sell the Grundfos Amazon  range of shower pumps. These are high-quality, quiet running shower pumps that are built to last. We’re often asked by Customers why they should consider an Amazon pump, in comparison to cheaper pumps on the market that might do the same job?

The simple truth is, because you want a shower pump that will last.

Shower pumps supplied by Greentherm are manufactured from potable-water quality materials. Pump housings and impellers are made from brass- a material which has good corrosion resistance and inherent antimicrobial capabilities. Brass kills germs and mold.

Why would you want potable-quality water coming from a shower?

Ultimately, because most people don’t wear masks while showering – there’s always the chance of accidentally swallowing shower water, so it needs to be safe to drink.

Furthermore, a metal housing for the pump allows it to run with high-temperature water safely. Water can be supplied a hot enough temperature to prevent the growth of Legionella bacteria – responsible for Legionnaire’s disease, then blended down with cold water at the shower head to ensure a comfortable and safe showering temperature.

Another advantage of a brass-bodied pump is durability. Plastic-bodies pumps will wear out faster than a metal pump. Exposure to hot water temperatures and the effects of ageing can embrittle plastics, leading to cracking, and premature failure and requiring a replacement. Not to mention, leaking hot water into your hot-press or utility room, then the cost of buying a new pump and the disruption required to install it.

A Grundfos Amazon shower pump will last for the life of your hot water system.

So what’s it like to live with?

Grundfos Amazon pumps are one of the quietest shower pumps available on the market today. Rubber mounting feet and flexible hose couplings minimise the transmission of noise through the building structure and through your plumbing.

Grundfos pumps are rated at 70dB, measured from a metre away from pump. Sound intensity decreases with the square of distance – meaning that every doubling of the distance between the observer and the pump, reduces the intensity of the sound by a factor of four. In the graph below, a drop of ten decibels represents a reduction in sound intensity by a factor of ten.

It’s clear then, that, when isolated from solid methods of transmission the noise from your high output shower pump will drop off rapidly.

The Thing to Remember.

Your home heating or hot-water system isn’t an iPhone. It’s not something that can be thrown away or replaced year-in, year-out for the latest model. It’s something that you want to have work, year-in, year-out, without ever giving you trouble.

A relatively small investment today – when compared to the cost of the entire system being replaced – will earn you years of peace-of-mind. This is something that will be part of your home for a long time to come. Peace of mind is priceless, after all.

Contact Us for more information on Shower Pumps.

A picture is worth a thousand words…

This is mold.

Nothing illustrates the importance of good ventilation more than this photograph. It was taken in a bedroom that had no natural ventilation whatsoever. Worsening conditions was the fact that this bedroom is located right beside an unventilated bathroom, regularly used for showers, and tends to capture humid air.

Once all that moisture reaches the cold surface of the window at night, it condenses into water, soaking the surrounding plaster. As this is a South-facing window, it heats up during the day, warming the moisture trapped in the plaster, creating ideal conditions for rapid mold growth.

The resident who sleeps in this room complains of regular coughs and head colds.

It has – according to the homeowners – resisted any and all attempts at eradication. Thorough cleaning with bleach and even applying fungicidal paint have failed to eliminate the growth. Plaster has already flaked away in places, damaging the weather seals on the windows in the process. This is a sure sign that the mold has penetrated deep into the plaster itself. The only way to remove it at this point would be to completely remove the plaster and replace – something that will cost both time and money to put right.

Even then, this will only treat the symptom, and not the cause.

Keep Mold from Taking Hold

Maintaining good ventilation not only ensures your comfort, it minimises the chance of mold taking hold in your home. Heat Recovery Ventilation from Greentherm extracts humid air from your bathrooms, utility room and kitchen, exhausting it to the open atmosphere while simulataneously drawing in fresh, clean air to the inhabited parts of your home, ensuring your comfort.

Greentherm Ventilation Systems are designed to capture the heat still in stale air, using it to preheat the incoming fresh air to ensure valuable heat isn’t lost from inside your home, while maintaining a clean air supply. Bad smells and odours are pulled from your home, carried away along with the stale air.

Greentherm Heat Recovery Ventilation is an active solution, ensuring optimal ventilation rates regardless of weather conditions. A single electronically controlled silent-running fan unit provides extraction and ventilation, helping to maintain air quality in your home, ensuring that you always have fresh clean air in your home and that mold can never take hold.

Part F of the Building Regulations.

Recent revisions to the building regulations have – since March 2014 – effectively made some form of active heat recovery ventilation mandatory for new constructions, in order to achieve the required performance while still maintaining adequate ventilation levels. While it is possible to achieve compliance with passive systems, it can be difficult and the performance can be variable and weather dependant. For an optimal solution, Active Ventilation is the only convenient option.

Greentherm are experts in the new regulations, and can advise you on installations for your new-build home in order to ensure that you both remain in compliance with the regulations and have a system that is comfortable and reliable for years to come.

Contact us for technical inquiries on Heat Recovery Ventilation.

 It’s a Tank, inside a Tank

With conventional buffer stores, domestic hot water is provided either through a plate heat exchanger, or a coil tapping within the buffer store. The limitations of this should be clear. The temperature of the domestic hot water is limited by the ability of the heat exchanger to transfer heat from from the buffer water, through the coil. With a high draw-off, cold water may flow faster than it can be heated, you may end up with lukewarm water at the taps. Or, you need higher cylinder temperatures, and correspondingly higher fuel use.

Greentherm Tank-in-Tank Cylinder Cutaway

A Greentherm Tank-in-Tank system saves you money.

Greentherm tank-in-tanks offer:

• Generic Pricing for Custom Cylinders.
  All Greentherm cylinders are custom made to your exact specifications. We deal directly with the manufacturer, cutting out the middlemen to ensure you get exactly what you need, at a price that suits your budget.

• 316L Stainless Steel Strength
  Domestic Hot Water tank manufactured from 316L Stainless Steel, for maximum resilience and corrosion resistance.

• Rapid recovery of domestic hot water with reduced cylinder temperatures.
  Domestic Hot Water tank is surrounded by heating system water, ensuring a rapid recovery of domestic hot water temperatures.

• Get the best out of your heating systems
  Allows multiple sources of heat to be combined into one store, capable of supplying both your central heating and domestic hot water ensuring no kilowatt-hour goes to waste. Operates at lower temperatures, for maximum efficiency.

• Flexible installation
  All Greentherm tank-in-tanks feature six configurable tappings in 1″ BSP, along with a single dedicated solar coil, allowing you to use any combination of heat sources in the one installation. Compatible with heat pumps, solid fuel boilers, solar panels and conventional boilers.

Introductory Offer:

Call us now to avail of special introductory pricing for the month of June.

Stagnation is a common problem faced by Solar Panels in Ireland.

Often, stagnation is a symptom of poor system design, or cost-cutting by an installer.

Stagnation occurs when the solar cylinder is up to its set temperature, but heat is still being collected in the solar panels. This can happen on especially sunny days, or on days when the homeowner is away on holiday and there has been no hot water drawn off from the cylinder. Once the solar cylinder is up to working temperature, the solar pump shuts down and circulation within the system is prevented. As the solar panel is still producing heat and cannot be shut off, it will heat up to the point where the solar fluid will begin to boil. Depending on the set pressure, most pressurised solar thermal systems will begin to boil at 130°C.

Steam temperatures of 180°C or more in a stagnating vacuum tube solar panel are not unheard of.

Effects of Stagnation on Solar Panels.

First and foremost, extreme temperatures accelerate wear and tear on the system. While most solar panels are rated for stagnation on paper, continuous extreme-temperature heating and cooling will stress fittings and accelerate the breakdown of any sealants. Boiling solar fluid can damage system components if it is allowed to move from the collector down to the pumpstation or tank. We’ve seen cases of pumpstation impellers being outright melted by overheated solar fluid, and expansion vessel membranes being ruptured.

When the fluid in the panel boils to steam, it expands massively, causing a pressure spike inside the sealed solar system which further stresses overheated fittings. Pressure can get high enough to open the system’s pressure relief valve, dumping solar fluid into a catch tank, and causing a loss of system pressure when the solar panel cools and boiled fluid condenses. The loss of pressure only accelerates the boiling process and makes the system more likely to blow-off in the future.

Stagnation also has the effect of accelerating the decay of solar antifreeze. Boiled propylene glycol antifreeze not only loses its effectiveness rapidly, it begins to turn acidic. Acidic antifreeze will attack system components accelerating corrosion and reducing the lifespan of your solar system. Furthermore, antifreeze that has lost its effectiveness may allow the system to freeze solid in winter, bursting pipes and fittings, leading to an expensive suprise when everything melts again.

Clear Fresh Glycol, Aged Glycol, and burnt Glycol degraded by Stagnation.

How do I prevent Stagnation on my solar panels?

There are techniques to mitigate stagnation. Some installers will undersize a system slightly, fitting a smaller solar panel or larger solar cyclinder. This ensures that the system will only stagnate in unusual circumstances. The downside of this, is that the system will require supplimentary heating more often, which has the effect of increasing your energy bills.

An alternative is to fit a heat dump to the system. A heat-dump is a secondary radiator sized to match the solar panel’s rated heat output, with a diverter valve that switches flow to the radiator automatically when the cylinder is up to temperature. It’s a good solution, but it’s also an expensive one. A heat-dump fitted to a solar system can represent an additional cost of €400-€500 on an installation.

For this reason, most installers outright ignore stagnation as a problem. By the time it begins to affect the homeowner, the system has left its statutory warranty. A solar thermal system will be a part of your home for decades to come.

The bottom line is, excessive stagnation will cost you money. Either on installation, or several years down the line due to accelerated wear and tear.

The Alternative Solution: Drainback Solar Panels from Greenthem

Drain back Solar Panels offer a much better solution. Greentherm are the national agents in Ireland for the full Viridian Clearline range of flat panel drain back solar panels.

With a Drain back solar thermal system, fluid is only present in the collector when the circulating pump is active. At all other times, fluid is allowed to flow back to a storage vessel under gravity flow, leaving the panel dry. Therefore, there is no fluid left in the panel to boil and turn to steam.

Because of this a drainback solar system does not require a heat-dump or an expansion vessel. Because the panels remain entirely dry when the system is shut down, it is safe to leave them idle over the summer. Furthermore, in Winter, because the panels remain dry, the risk of freezing is minimised. Antifreeze isn’t even required.

Clearly then, Drain back solar thermal represents the ultimate solution to stagnation questions. It’s more cost-effective to install than a heat-dump system. The system is longer lived, and more robust, and can be sized to give a higher output.

Contact us now, for sales inquiries, or more information on Drainback Solar Panels.

A common saying in Ireland is that, if you don’t like the weather all you have to do is wait five minutes for it to change.

Underfloor heating in Ireland needs to be designed with this maxim in mind. With such variable weather, your heating system needs to be able to respond quickly, supplying heat when needed, then turning off rapidly as the temperature increases. Greentherm underfloor heating systems are designed first and foremost to be controllable. A dedicated thermal store and a lightweight floor screed gives a fast response to changing conditions, ensuring optimal comfort and efficiency.

Some installers like to replace the dedicated thermal store with a thick slab of concrete or heavy screed, especially when combined with a heat pump system. They justify this as ‘thermal mass’ doing the same job as a thermal store, saving on the cost of a large cylinder.

The effect of ‘thermal mass’ is to make the effective control of the heating system almost impossible.

A system with too much thermal mass will respond far too sluggishly to changes in temperature or demands for heat. The underfloor heating systems will only begin to supply heat to the room one the floor slab surface has exceeded room temperature. In some cases, with heavy concrete floors, this can take hours.

Heat will continue to soak up through the slab long after the thermostatic valves have closed, pushing the room temperature beyond that set on the thermostat until the air temperature matches the slab. With so much heat stored in the slab, it will take hours for the room to cool back down again unless a window is opened.

The graph below illustrates the effect. The low thermal mass system in blue has already reached a comfortable temperature, before the high mass system in red begins to respond. The high mass system also overshoots the set ‘comfortable’ temperature, continuing to radiate heat even after it is no longer required.

Effect of ‘Thermal Mass’ on underfloor heating response time.

The effect is similar to trying to push a heavy train with no brakes. It takes a lot of effort to start it moving slowly. And once it is finally moving, it takes so much effort to pull it to a stop again that the train overshoots the point where it was supposed to stop and must be pulled back again. It responds slowly to temperature changes and takes a long time to settle down afterwards.

Compared to this, controlling a Greentherm underfloor heating system is like pushing a lightweight car. It takes little effort to get it moving, and once you stop pushing it, it stops all on its own. The thermal store acts as a heat ‘battery’, charging up and then releasing energy exactly when and where it is needed.

Your own comfort is at your fingertips.

Click here for more information on Greentherm Underfloor Heating.
Contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation.

Solar, Simplified with the Viridian Pod:

One of the costliest and most time-consuming jobs in any solar thermal retrofit, is fitting a new solar cylinder. The old cylinder must first be removed and disposed of, with central heating and hot-water systems being disconnected, before a new cylinder is fitted, then plumbed into place. Not to mention the lost space in the Hot Press which is consumed by a large hot water tank.

The Viridian Pod is a game-changing new approach that simplifies installation work, saving you time and effort. And saving the Hot Press.

Why Pod?

The Pod acts as a preheating buffer tank, supplying the existing domestic hot water cylinder in the home. Therefore:

• Plug and Play Technology
  Compatible with both Drainback and Pressurised Solar Panels. Pump station and controller integrated into one package. No unnecessary wiring. No time consuming plumbing work. It just Works.
• Discrete space saving design
  Horizontal design. Can be fitted into any attic or crawlspace. Can be located directly beneath the panels for maximum installation convenience.

• Fewer connections required. Robustness built in.
  No need to disassemble and rebuild the existing plumbing system to fit a new solar cylinder. Reduced potential for leaks requiring repairs and costly call backs, saving time.

• Compatible with any heating system.
  Preheated water can be supplied either to an existing domestic hot water cylinder or to a combi-boiler, simplifying system design. Custom designed systems are not required.
• Greentherm Recommends Viridian Clearline Solar Panels.
  Greentherm recommends matching Viridian Clearline Solar Panels with your Pod, for maximum compatibility and ease of installation.

• Special Introductory offer.
  Call now, at 01 5314781 to avail of introductory pricing on full system kits, and individual Pod systems.

Existing Cylinder

Combi-Boiler

The Viridian Pod saves you Time.

• Time designing.
• Time installing.
• Time commissioning.
• Time on maintenance and repair.

Contact us now for sales and technical inquiries.