A Few Heating and Hot Water Alternatives

Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Talk : 2/24/99

Rob Harrison AIA

updated 4/22/06

Contents:

General Information/Links
Production Vs. Delivery
Space Heating
Combined Heat/Hot Water Systems
Domestic Hot Water
Local Experts, Contractors & Installers

General Information

Environmental Building News
www.buildinggreen.com
One of the best sources for current information.

EBN - The Furnace-Free House Discussion
www.buildinggreen.com/elists/furnacefree.cfm
A very interesting e-mail conversation between Marc Rosenbaum, Amory Lovins and Donella Meadows about whether it's possible to build a house without a furnace.

DOE Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Network
www.eere.energy.gov

The Home Energy Saver
hes.lbl.gov
Online energy use and home analysis program.

WSU Energy Program
www.energy.wsu.edu
Almost local resources.

ENERGY STAR® Labeled Heating and Cooling
www.energystar.gov
Lists of energy-efficient appliances and equipment.

Resources for Environmental Design Index (REDI)
www2.oikos.com/products/%20Server:%20WebSTAR/4.2
Online searchable database of environmentally-friendly products, run by Guild member Bruce Sullivan. Also available on disk.

Centre of Biomass Technology - Introduction Page
www.videncenter.dk/uk
Info on heating with wood and other bio-mass fuels.

Production vs. Delivery

Example: Furnace = Production, Duct = Delivery

Tubing in Floors or Ceilings
Radiators
Ducts

A delivery system will most likely be in use for the life of the building. Concentrate on providing a good delivery system, because it is much more disruptive and costly to change later. Technology of heat production is improving.

Space Heating

Wood

Rumford Fireplace
www.rumford.com
Example Applications: Wallingford Renovation, Lavender Farm, van Roessel Renovation.
Cost: building fireplace $5,700, 245 for cap, 2,500 for foundation = $8,445.

Rumford fireplaces were common from 1796, when Count Rumford first wrote about them, until about 1850. Jefferson had them built at Monticello, and Thoreau listed them among the modern conveniences that everyone took for granted.

Rumford made his fireplaces smaller and shallower with widely angled covings so they would radiate better. He streamlined the throat, or in his words "rounded off the breast" so as to "remove those local hindrances, which forcibly prevent the smoke from following its natural tendency to go up the chimney...."

Wood-fired Boiler
www.centralboiler.com
Potential Applications: Remote hotel/resort in the Cascades.
Cost: $4,975 for house-sized unit. Firebox only - $3,400.

The Classic is a self-contained, wood-fired, hot water furnace that can be located up to 500 feet away from the home or building being heated. The Classic pumps heated water to the home via insulated underground pipes. It can be connected to an existing forced air, radiant baseboard, or radiant floor heating system to provide thermostatically controlled heat throughout a home. One drawback is that it looks like a Home Depot-style storage shed. EPA tests show The Classic is the most efficient outdoor wood furnace, with the fewest emissions. A mid-range model, the Classic CL 40SB, allows for up to 96-hour burn time for a properly insulated home at temperatures of 30 degrees below zero.

Combined Heat/Hot Water Systems

Electric

Geothermal Heat Pump
www.awesomesonsolar.com/geotfaq.htm
Example Application: Lavender Farm.
Cost: About $30,000.

Geothermal heat pumps, also called ground source heat pumps, are electrically powered systems that take advantage of the earth's relatively constant ground temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes. They are self-contained systems. The heat pump unit is housed entirely within the house or building and is connected via pipes to the outside buried ground loop.

Advantages:

• Economical operation.
• Warmer supply air temperatures (what you feel coming out of the air registers) than conventional heat pumps. Even in sub-freezing temperatures, geothermal heat pumps produce supply air 20° F warmer than conventional heat pumps.
• Last longer than conventional heat pumps.
• Low Maintenance
• Low Noise (Doesn't' have outside unit.)
• Efficiencies are good. EER ratings of 13.0 to 20.0 and COP ratings of 3.5 to 5.0 are common.

Disadvantages:

• High initial capital costs.
• Still requires electricity for pumping.
  

Gas

Integrated Boiler and Fan Coil Furnace
Example Applications: Wallingford Renovation, Harding Home.
Cost: $7,400 including heating, ventilation, ductwork, gas piping and permits
 
Sample Specifications:

New Space Heating and Domestic Hot Water System: Gas-fired sealed combustion combination boiler/domestic hot water unit by Polaris, GlowCore or approved, with fan coil unit. Duct a passive outside air intake with a damper into the fan coil return before the filter for whole house make up air. Manually set the damper to provide approximately 110cfm make up air when the fan coil unit is on high. Submit catalog cuts.

Prior to executing the work, submit copies of floor plans to Architect marked up in red showing locations of proposed duct runs, duct sizes, locations and model numbers of supply and return registers.

Filter: Provide Viledon "MV95 1/1" (nominal) 24"x24"x12" 95% efficient extended surface filter for fan-coil unit. Initial resistance is .33"wg @ 2,000CFM. Size fan for reduced flow of no greater than 350 to 400 CFM across filter to extend filter life. Contact Ken Brown at Air Commodities, 206.767-2600 for system sizing and further information.

Advantages:

• Can combine radiant floor, heated towel bars, radiators (in baths and kitchens, for example) with ducted warm air.
• Good for second-story additions where ducting to new second floor is a problem.
• Easy to integrate filtration.

Disadvantages:

• More expensive than standard gas forced air furnace.
  
  

Domestic Hot Water

Heating

Seisco On-Demand Electric Water Heater
www.seisco.net/index.html
Application: Houseboat renovation.
Cost: About $450.
The RA-28 model of the Seisco water heater, with over 95,000 Btu input, has been proven and recognized as the first single full house electric tankless water heater. At the equivalence of a 125,000 Btu furnace, the Seisco RA-28 may have hydronic heating applications.

Advantages:

• Incredibly compact.
• Energy efficient - no standby losses.

Disadvantages

• Requires adequate electrical capacity. (60 amp circuit)

Delivery & Waste Heat Recovery

GFX Waste Heat Recovery Unit
www.vaughncorp.com
Example Applications: Wallingford Renovation, Mt. Baker Second Story Addition, Thein-Durning Renovation. Especially useful with electric water heaters.
Cost: $500 installed.

Sample Specifications:

Waste water Heat Recovery: GFX Shower Drain Heat Exchanger #S3-60 by Vaughn Manufacturing Corporation, installed inline with waste stack in basement, per manufacturer's instructions. Contact Tom St. Louis, (360) 705-2868. Run separate cold water line to kitchen sink.

GFX is a new plumbing product developed under a U.S Department of Energy Grant and engineered to recycle the enormous amount of energy carried by hot drain water from residential showers and sinks - energy equivalent to "2 billion gallons of oil" wasted every year, according to their evaluation.

According to Waterfilm Technology's web site, in an all-electric home, installing a GFX triples the shower-capacity of an electric water heater and halves the cost of a hot-shower. For example, whenever GFX boosts the cold water temperature by 30 degrees. it's recycling about 10 kW of power from drain water, more than enough to triple your family's showering-time and save 2 kW of energy per shower.

Advantages:

• No moving parts.
• Doesn't take up any extra space.
• No maintenance.

Disadvantages:

• May have long payback with gas or heat pump hot water systems, and in areas (like ours) with low rates for electricity.
• Warms cold water. (Keep a Britta in the 'fridge.)

Hot Water Delivery System

Metlund D'MAND
www.gothotwater.com
Example Application: Wallingford Renovation
Cost: $350 installed. Additional cold water line for recirculating option- $250

Sample Specifications:

Hot Water Delivery System: Metlund D'MAND System, Model #S-01 Standard. Install unit below sink in Upstairs Bath vanity. Provide hard-wired activation at Upstairs Bath. Provide remote activation at Kitchen, Powder Room and Basement Bath. Coordinate with Electrician. Contact: 1-800-METLUND. (800-638-5863)

The average home wastes up to 14,000 gallons of water every year as people wait for hot water. With the Metlund Hot Water Demand System a recirculating pump brings hot water quickly to the faucet when it's needed. The pump is installed between the hot and cold water lines at the faucet furthest from the water heater. It's activated by push buttons connected with low-voltage wire or via a wireless remote control. Once activated, the pump rapidly pulls hot water from the water heater down the hot water line. At the same time, it pushes the cold water back through the cold water line to the water heater. The pump comes on only when it's needed. Once hot water has filled the line, the system shuts off.

Advantages:

• Convenient
• Saves energy
• Saves water

Disadvantages:

• May have long payback with gas or heat pump hot water systems, and in areas (like ours) with low rates for electricity.
  
  

A Few Local Experts, Contractors & Installers
see Contractors and Consultants for a complete list

Jonathan Heller
Ecotope, Inc.
206.322.3753
Energy consulting

Scott Finley
Atmospheres
206.526.2700
Duct sealing and air tightening

Jon Alexander
Sunshine Construction
206.782.4619
General Contractor

Marty Josund
Bright Street Construction
206.782.0153
General Contractor

Stuart Nelson
Nelson Heating
206.367.5700
HVAC contractor, has worked with combo units

Curtis Schneider
Schneider Plumbing
206.486.1295
Installed GFX system, Seisco water heater