23 Jun, 2010 By Mary
Visit to Daikin Manufacturing Plant – Bruges, Belgium

We were invited by Daikin to visit their manufacturing plant in Bruges, Belgium. Daikin has more than 50 years of experience with heat Pumps and provides more than a million of them to homes and commercial applications each year. Daikin Altherma is a total domestic heating and hot water system based on air source heat pump technology. It represents a flexible and cost-effective alternative to a fossil fuel boiler, with a cooling option. The inherent energy efficiency characteristics of Daikin Altherma make it an ideal solution to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Daikin Showhouse, Bruges.

People are becoming more and more aware of the cost of heating. Traditional heating systems and boilers use fossil fuels, making them an expensive and non sustainable option for the environment. Nobody wants to waste their money. Since two thirds of the heat generated by the Daikin Altherma air source heat pump system is free of charge and maintenance is minimal, the perfect solution is just around the corner.

Daikin Altherma air-to-water heat pump quickly creates an optimal room temperature for you and your family. You enjoy a comfortably warm environment in just 3 steps.

  • The heat pump extracts free low temperature heat from the outside air.
  • The system raises the temperature of the recovered heat
  • This greater warmth is then distributed throughout your home via heating emitters
Daikin Air-to-Water Heat Pumps

The Daikin Altherma is the ideal choice for both New Build and Renovations. It is available in both a Low Temperature and a High Temperature Heat Pump option.

For New Build there is the Split Option or the Monobloc Option.

Split Option:  Consists of an Outdoor Unit and an Indoor Unit. The Outdoor Unit extracts heat from the outside air and raises its temperature to a level high enough to supply heating. This heat is then transfered to the indoor unit through refrigerant pipes. The compact outdoor unit is easily installed, and no drilling or excavation work is required, it can also be installed in flats and apartments.

The Indoor Unit heats the water that circulates through low temperature radiators, floor heating systems or fan coil units and also provides domestic hot water. If you opt for the combination of heating and cooling, then the indoor unit can also decrease the water temperature to distribute a refreshing coolness.

Monobloc Outdoor Unit: All in one. In addition to Daikin Altherma indoor and outdoor unit systems, Daikin has introduced a Monobloc version in which all hydraulic parts are located within the outdoor unit. In this system the water pipes, rather than refrigerant lines, run indoors from the outdoor unit. The monobloc can be used for both heating and cooling.

Advantages of Low Temperature Heat Pumps:

  • Cost effective low energy consumption
  • Ideal system for Underfloor heating and Alurad High efficient radiators
  • Heating and Cooling
  • Eco-label for low temperature split
Daikin Altherma Range

The Daikin High Temperature Heat Pump for Renovations consists of an indoor and outdoor unit. The outdoor unit extracts heat from the outside air and raises the temperature to a level high enough to supply heating. This heat is transferred to the indoor unit via refrigerant piping. The indoor unit then increases the temperature, allowing water temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius for heating through traditional steel radiators and for domestic hot water use.

Advantages:

  • Heating up to 80 degrees Celsius without electric heater
  • Easy replacement of existing boiler, without changing heating pipes.
  • Combinable with high temperature radiators
  • Low energy consumption: best COP levels in its class (up to 3.08)

Daikin was the first company to obtain the Eco-label for its Daikin Altherma air-to-water heat pumps. The EU awards an Eco-label to a heat pump when its evaluation shows it to be more energy efficient than the average for heat pumps without an Eco-label. In being awarded the Eco-label, Daikin Altherma was assessed in a range of categories: heating and cooling efficiency, refrigerant global warming potential (GWP), noise, training, documentation, availability of spare parts and detailed information at point of sale.

http://www.ecoevolution.ie/air-to-water.html

10 Jun, 2010 By Mary
EPA Improves Access to Public Information on Emissions Trading

Press Release 10th June 2010

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) operates the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in Ireland. Over 100 major industrial and institutional sites in Ireland are covered by the Scheme (over 12,000 sites in the EU as a whole).  These include power generation, other combustion, cement, lime, glass and ceramic plants and oil refining. Also included are large companies in areas such as food & drink, pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors. Each company must record their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions every year onto the National Emissions Trading Registry which is an on-line web-based system which tracks GHG emissions and records allowance holdings.

The Environmental Protection Agency has now made information from Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry publicly available in line with the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol.

This publicly available information covers:

  • Account holders authorised to hold Kyoto units in an account on Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry.
  • Unit holdings by account type (e.g. Party account or entity account).

To view this information please click on the Publicly Accessible Information link on the homepage of Ireland’s National Emission Trading Registry.

Further information on accounts in Ireland’s National Emissions Trading Registry (including annual emissions data for each installation) can be found on the website of the EU’s Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL).

Find out more information on the operation of the Emissions Trading Scheme in Ireland.

Source: http://www.epa.ie/news/pr/2010/name,28658,en.html

9 Jun, 2010 By Mary
New Consumer Features to be introduced to Home Energy Saving Scheme

~Online Home Energy Self Survey and Building Energy Rating Integrated into Grant Scheme~

On June 8th, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) will introduce two new features to the Home Energy Saving (HES) scheme, designed to further empower consumers, first by guiding them on suitable upgrade works and secondly informing them of the impact of works undertaken.

The Home Energy Saving scheme, administered by SEAI provides grants to homeowners for insulation and heating system upgrades and continues to prove very popular with over 58,000 homeowner applications approved since the scheme was launched in March 2009.

Sample of BER Cert ~ Photo Credit SEAI
Sample of BER Cert ~ Photo Credit SEAI

Online Home Energy Self Survey

The smart online Home Energy Self Survey will only take minutes to complete, taking homeowners through a number of simple steps to identify the current condition of their home and guiding them towards the most suitable upgrade works.  This new survey will be offered to all applicants at the start of the online application process and will also available in hard copy on request from the SEAI call centre.  The survey complements the existing fast track online application system and links directly to SEAI’s other resources including the Buyers’ Guides.

Integral BER Requirement

At the same time a Building Energy Rating (BER) is to become an integral part of all grant applications under the HES scheme, whereby homeowners must undertake a BER to measure the impact of works undertaken.  This will give homeowners a thorough and objective assessment of the energy performance of their home following upgrade works, including a BER certificate with a A-G performance rating.  The first such BER assessment will attract grant aid of €100.

At the time of completing the BER, the assessor will also provide an estimate of the energy performance of the home before upgrade works, based upon the pre-works condition of the house.  This will inform the homeowner of the effectiveness of the upgrade works in terms of energy and CO2 emissions improvements.

Householders making applications  on or after Tuesday 8th June will be required to use the new application system or  the new application forms.