This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Controls Continued from page 48


Selecting the Components Researching and designing an integrated renewable


Uponor modules make interconnections simple for the con- tractor, according to Wallace. Here, all thermostats are wired to modules, which then connect to the master panel directly below with CAT5 cable. Touch Panel Interface (TPI) is shown at upper right for central control of all systems.


encompasses sustainable design, energy efficiency and unprecedented comfort that our customers will enjoy for decades to come. How do you achieve this? By looking at systems holis-


tically and finding similarly minded folks in those trades to partner with, or by expanding your own staff to include these disciplines. At the 2010 Uponor seminar, I used as a case study my own experience with the Uponor Climate Control Network (CCN) as an enabling technology to pro- vide systems integration.


School of Hard Knocks Some of you may be asking: “Who is this guy Al


Wallace, and what qualifies him to tell me how to grow my business?” That’s a fair question. Like most critical lessons in life,


I came to understand the importance of becoming a sys- tem integrator the hard way. On Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007, a fire engulfed and destroyed our home in Centennial, Colorado. I am a long-time proponent and practitioner of sustainable design, and this tragedy provided my family an opportunity to design and build an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly home, capable of achieving a Platinum LEED rating from the United States Green Building Council. Built atop the old foundation and basement, the new


3,300-sq.-ft., two-story residence took over two years to complete. The integrated systems provide unparalleled comfort and indoor climate. The combination of passive solar design, a high-quality building envelope, and advanced digital controls delivers net-zero energy for heating and cooling the structure; that is, our new home produces more energy than it consumes over time. By itself, the home is 80% more efficient than a similar structure of comparable size, using standard con- struction and conventional control systems.


Page 50/Plumbing Engineer


energy system that manages heating, cooling, hot-water production and ventilation takes time. When you also include radiant cooling, the task may be daunting. I looked to my experience with enterprise software companies for the answer. Inherently, systems integration requires sophisticated off-the-shelf technologies to maximize interoperability, performance and savings. For example, the major components of our new home’s integrated system include ground source water-to-water and water-to-air heat pumps (GHPs). Although only the water-to-water unit is required for heating and cooling, we use the water-to-air unit for ventilation and to test the per- formance of hydronic systems over a ducted forced-air system. The integrated system also includes four rooftop solar-


thermal collector panels, a six-kilowatt solar photovoltaic Continued on page 52


Energy-Efficient Design Features The following summary details the design, compo-


nents, and optimization techniques implemented to help increase the performance and energy savings of the integrated systems in our rebuilt home in Centennial, Colorado. We estimate that energy effi- ciency of these systems is approximately 80% greater than conventional HVAC systems. • Heating water primarily with 4 Viessmann solar


hot water collectors, augmented by a water-to-water dual-stage geothermal heat pump (GHP). In both ground source heat pumps, the dual-stage GHP com- pressor operates at 60% of the rated energy when operating in first stage. • Microprocessor-controlled GHPs equipped with


variable speed ECM2 (electronically commutated motor) motors for water-to-air configurations. • Reversible GHPs that provide comfortable radi-


ant floor cooling with real-time dew-point control to eliminate condensation potential. • Soft-start compressors to reduce startup current


loads. • Solar thermal-assisted heating and domestic hot


water production to increase GHPs COPs by increas- ing entering water temperature (EWT). • Reduced installation costs creating outstanding


indoor air quality and efficiency by utilizing open plan for return to the water-to-air GHP. • MERV 11 filtration on the GHP with integrated


energy recovery ventilators incorporating HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) bypass filtration. • Pool heating while GHPs are in cooling mode


using a virtual ground loop (Coefficient of Performance exceeds 7.0) • In-floor radiant heating and cooling with dew


point control. • Uponor Climate Control Network for heating,


cooling, domestic hot water, ventilation, solar ther- mal, and snowmelt.


October 2011


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