news
23 Nov 2008: Awadukt results
This morning we've had our first chance to look at our ground to air energy transfer, in the absence of any building heating (other than waste heat from the lights) and snow falling! The system (REHAU Awadukt) takes in external air (0.6°C today), filters it to remove large particles of dust and passes it up the length of the driveway about 2m below ground level, through a specially developed polymer pipe. As the air travels through the pipe it takes energy from the ground to warm it, arriving at the house at about 10°C, where we use it as the input supply to our passive heat recovery vent units. These simple “plate to plate” units extract warmth from the stale air extracted from bathrooms and kitchen and transfer it to the fresh, pre warmed air from the Awadukt, resulting in air entering the bedrooms and living space at about 15°C – not a bad result for the cost of running 4 small fans!
The system will work all year round, so in summer (remember what that means?) it will take in hot air (maybe 25°C to 30°C, if we are ever that lucky) and pre cool it ready for delivery into the living spaces. This, in conjunction with our reversible floor heating / cooling system, will provide for all year round comfort conditions with minimum energy consumption and running cost.