Description
Perhaps the best heating system for any heat pump is radiant floor hydronic heating. The reason is simple, the lower the design temperature, the higher the performance of the heat pump. Radiant floors typically require a supply temperature of 110-120 F, and larger systems can go as low as 80-90 F. This lower design temperature/higher performance applies to any type of heat pump, including geothermal systems. Virtually all modern hydronic heating is designed around lower temperatures. Condensing gas boilers, solar heat pumps and heat pumps all work better at lower design temperatures.
Radiant floor heating is ideal for heat pumps because it is designed for cooler temperatures and has a greater buffering mass than other heating emitters. The large mass necessitates small temperature changes in the heat pump, but at the same time this mass can accommodate a large amount of energy, thus reducing short cycles of the heat pump. Leomon heat pumps can adjust their frequency to match the load, allowing for maximum performance output. Because radiant floors are a very stable thermal mass, Leomon heat pumps can adjust themselves to match the load and maintain their frequency to match the load better than other types of emitters that dissipate energy quickly. For example, a forced-air furnace has less mass and is more difficult to maintain a precise temperature, requiring more on/off cycles.
Types of Radiant Floor Installation - There are four main methods of introducing radiant floor heating when using a heat pump. The more mass the better, so concrete slabs or suspended slabs are always best. There are also some great products using aluminum panels that can be installed between joists or over a plywood subfloor.
Complete loop control
Leomon heat pumps can be integrated into any radiant floor heating design and replace any gas or electric boiler. Using a surge tank we can set the heat pump to operate at the minimum design temperature and maintain that temperature in the surge tank. From here, the system can deliver heat to any part of the house by eliminating the energy in the surge tank.
* Radiant heating
* Radiant heating and cooling
Liquid circulation floor radiant cooling can also be achieved by floor radiant cooling. This is done by monitoring the dew set point in the system to avoid condensation. The Leomon heat pump now cools the surge tank and the control system uses chilled water to remove heat from the floor. Remember, thermal energy is always transferred from hot to cold, so a cooled floor acts like a big sponge, absorbing the hot air in the building.
Get more information
If you are planning to buy a floor heating system. Please contact us. We are a professional heat pump manufacturer. Our heat pump experts will give you the best advice.
