Heat Pumps: A Sustainable Solution for large objects

Advantages of using heat pumps in commercial facilities:

• Efficiency: energy savings of up to 80% compared to traditional heating and cooling systems.
• Convenience: Heat pumps provide all-round comfort - heating, cooling and hot water.
• Simple to maintain: Heat pumps are easy to operate and don't require long and complicated care.
• Durability: Heat pumps have a long service life of up to 20 years.

Heat pumps can help business owners reduce energy costs, increase comfort, and ensure long-term operation. In this article, we will introduce you to several options for using heat pumps in large facilities.

Example 1: Cold heating network with individual heat pumps.

• Application: residential areas, cottage towns and apartment buildings.

The concept of "cold heat network" involves the installation of a centralized geothermal field, i.e. a system that uses the heat of the earth to heat buildings and prepare hot water. The coolant with a temperature of 0 to 20°C is transported to separate (individual) buildings using a common network of pipelines. Heat pumps installed in each house raise the temperature to the level suitable for heating the house and provide the owners with hot water. Also, this system allows you to get a centralized system of passive cooling of the house, which ensures that the house is kept cool by natural processes without requiring the active use of additional electrical or mechanical devices. A central geothermal system can combine several sources of energy: soil, groundwater, sewage and solar energy.

Solution: geothermal heat pumps with the function of cooling and hot water preparation and highly reliable geothermal probes for heat extraction.

Example 2: Decentralized heat supply

• Application: apartment buildings.

Concept: heat pumps are installed in each apartment to avoid heat loss in the main pipeline network  that carry the coolant over long distances. An individual heat pump provides heating, hot water and cooling in each apartment. This concept allows the developer to gradually implement the construction project in steps.

Solution:  the renewable energy of the earth is distributed to individual residential premises from a central geothermal heat source. A geothermal heat pump in tandem with a stainless steel tank water heater also guarantees a hygienic hot supply. Thanks to such a system, individual apartments with an area of ​​up to 120 m2 can be provided with heat, cold and hot water.

Example 3: Centralized heat supply and decentralized hot water supply

• Application: apartment buildings.

Concept: centralized heating station based on geothermal heat pumps with the highest energy efficiency requirements. Hot water is prepared using individual apartment-by-apartment heating points.

Solution: industrial geothermal heat pumps provide heat to the building (in winter) and actively cool the building. The central heating station with heat pumps and apartment stations for distribution and hygienic preparation of hot water perfectly complement each other.

Example 4: Centralized heat supply and decentralized hot water supply

• Application: optimal for apartment buildings.

Concept: heat pumps for decentralized hot water production can be combined with existing underfloor heating in new construction and renovation projects. With little effort, you can install an efficient hot water supply system. In this case, the pipe system of the warm floor serves as a source of heat for the operation of heat pumps.

Solution: thanks to the industrial lines of heat pumps. The heat pump is located in the central heating station and covers three tasks: heating (in the cold season), cooling (in the summer) and hot water preparation.

Example 5: Centralized heat supply with an air-to-water heat pump

• Application: Residential and commercial building.

Concept: if it is not possible to install a geothermal heat pump, air-to-water heat pumps are an effective alternative in new construction and renovation. By making a cascade of several outdoor units, we can achieve high capacities for heating, cooling buildings, as well as for preparing hot water.

Solution: an industrial line of cascade heat pumps plus a flow-through hot water supply station that complements the heat pump system with energy-saving and hygienic hot water heating.

In the summer, the heat pump works in reverse mode, providing active cooling of the building.

Example 6: Use of soil energy and heat utilization

• Application: Supermarkets and industrial premises.

Concept: thermal energy, generated during certain technological processes can be used for the concept of sustainable heat supply. For example, waste heat generated as a by-product of cooling products, for example in supermarket refrigerators. This energy can be optimally utilized by integrating waste heat into an energy supply concept based on heat pumps.

Solution: waste heat from food cooling is used as a heat source for the heat pump. Large supermarket parking lots are ideal for locating geothermal probes or horizontal collectors.

Example 7: Use of geothermal energy in the city center

• Application: Office and administrative buildings.

Concept: every year, due to the constant upward trend in energy costs, the question arises of how to save money on heating and cooling in office and administrative buildings. 

Solution: a bank or office building will be heated and cooled comfortably and at the same time ecologically with the help of an industrial line of geothermal heat pumps Operating costs remain low thanks to the high efficiency of the system. 

Example 8: Use of wastewater heat

• Application: Aqua centers, sports complexes and swimming pools.

Concept: using the potential of wastewater after showering, washing dishes or laundry. According to statistics, waste water enters the sewage system with a temperature of 10°C to 20°C and with the help of special heat exchangers, this energy potential can be used as a heat source for heat pumps. A large part of the use of water is related to its heating. 

Solution: the sewage system located in the vicinity of the facility serves as a source of heat energy for the industrial line of heat pumps. In combination with storage tanks, this solution guarantees not only sustainable heating and hot water supply, but also cooling of the buildings. By installing special sewer pipes with an integrated geothermal heat exchanger, it is possible to utilize the heat from wastewater and economically heat or cool both residential and commercial buildings. The heat exchanger circuit, filled with a propylene glycol solution (non-freezing solution), is located outside the pipe, the inner surface is smooth and does not create obstacles to the flow of wastewater.

Example 9: Reliable heating and cooling

• Application: Healthcare institutions.

Concept: The heat pump performs the function of heating and cooling the building. An additional high-temperature heat pump is responsible for hot water heating.

Solution:  The building will be provided with heat thanks to the use of the energy of the earth, thanks to the use of an industrial line of geothermal pumps. The system provides maximum operational safety and is an ideal solution from the point of view of hygiene.

Complex geothermal solutions will allow you to create any configuration of the geothermal field for heat pumps, which allows you to combine several sources of heat - soil, wastewater, and disposal of the body of technological processes.

Example 10: Reliable heating and cooling

• Application: Hotels or SPA centers.

Concept: geothermal energy provides such facilities with heating, cooling and hot water supply.

Solution: heating and cooling needs are provided by a central heating station with a cascade of heat pumps. The hotel has different temperature zones. In addition to providing hotel rooms, the building may contain a fitness area, a health center and a swimming pool. Therefore, in addition to the industrial pump that provides hot water supply, four heat pumps for different temperature regimes are additionally installed. In combination with temperature sensors in individual functional areas in the building, the system ensures a comfortable climate in every room. The building with heat pumps meets the most modern construction standards and ensures constant saving of resources.