Stommel Haus has equipped a private dwelling in Aberdeenshire with new ‘Heating with Ice’ technology by Viessmann.
The ice store system is installed in a highly energy efficient eco timber house from Stommel Haus, a combination that makes the home the first of its kind in Scotland. This heat pump technology recovers heat from renewable sources only, such as the sun, air and ground, to heat, cool and provide hot water for the building.
While drawing energy from ice to heat or cool a house is a new concept, over the past four years, Stommel Haus has installed many such systems in its eco houses in Germany. The ice storage system, which consists of an underground water tank, in combination with solar air absorbers, supplies energy to the heat pump that in turn generates hot water for taps and baths as well under-floor heating on all floors of the house. The system also cools the home in summer months.
The heat pump extracts energy from the water stored in the ice storage tank. The energy used to provide the heat slowly turns the water in the underground tank to ice. Freezing is an exothermic process so as liquid water changes to solid ice, crystallisation energy, known as latent heat, is released. This latent heat is retained in the ice store system and releases additional usable heat – therefore the term “ice store”.
A heat source management system integrated in the heat pump draws energy from either the ice store or solar air absorbers on the roof. The ice store also draws energy from the surrounding ground to regenerate heat.
In summer, the ice store can be used to provide natural cooling. At the end of the heating season, the water in the store is turned to ice. The ambient summer heat around the store, the solar thermal energy, and the heat that is drawn from the system via an extraction heat exchanger, melt the ice in the ice store and cool the heating circuit of the house.
Barbara Fischer-Clark, UK Agent for Stommel Haus says, “We are proud to have built the very first Stommel Haus home in Scotland and fitted it with the latest in heat pump technology from Viessmann.
“Our Scottish clients will enjoy a warm house regardless of the weather and a comfortable ambient temperature in their 216m² house, with minimal running cost. In addition to the heat pump function, utilising energy from the sun, ground and ice, photovoltaic panels on the south-facing roof will generate more electricity than required by the house.”
Christian Engelke, Technical Director at Viessmann, says: “The standard ice storage tank measures ten cubic metres, which corresponds to the energy content of approximately 120 litres of heating oil. The key difference is that, while the oil is eventually consumed, the water content of the ice store represents an almost limitless heat source that is continuously regenerated with energy from the sun and air.”
Major benefits of the ‘Heating with Ice’ technology
- No fossil fuel consumption required – combined utilisation of ambient air, the sun and ground as heat source
- No drilling – no environmental risk, no permits required
- Low operating costs thanks to the high COP (Coefficient Of Performance) of the heat pumps, up to 5.0 (B0/W35) to EN 14511
- Particularly high efficiency thanks to intelligent heat source management and heat pump with RCD (Refrigerant Cycle Diagnostic) system with electronic expansion valve (EEV)
For more information, visit: www.viessmann.co.uk
