Harness the Renewable Resource of Air to Heat Water
Back to Article Index...The WWK 300 A/AH Heat Pump
Introduction...
STIEBEL ELTRON, founded in 1924, is Germany’s number one hot water heating company and has operated in South Africa for the past 30 years. With a history of over 80 years, you have peace of mind knowing you have invested in German quality at an affordable price.
STIEBEL ELTRON is Germany’s market leader in heat pump technology. Tried and tested German technology for over 30 years, to give real energy, environmental and money savings. Over 30 000 heat pumps are produced at the STIEBEL ELTRON factory each year.
Renewable Energy Resources
What are the alternatives to heat water besides electricity? There are two important renewable energy sources to heat water. They are both harnessed from the sun.
- The direct heat from the sun - Solar
- The heated air by the sun - Heat Pumps
- Uses up to 80% of free environmental energy and converts that into useful heat
- The most efficient domestic heat pump available on the market
- Able to operate at temperatures as low as 0°C
- Up to 80% in savings on your normal electric bill, no longer have to worry about rising electric prices
- Works efficiently at night or when cloudy
- Active defrost to keep efficiencies and savings high
- 303 litre storage cylinder
- Long life German steel enameled tank
- Tidy condensate drain
- Very Low heat losses through CFC- free thermal insulation
- Low noise level
- Cheaper to install than solar
- Savings comparable to solar, but with more advantages
- Attractive modern design. Neat wherever it’s installed
- Outdoor/Indoor installation
- Heat Pump can withstand all weather conditions. e.g. hail, extreme heat or cold, and is wind resistant
- Coated evaporator - corrosion and salt resistant (good for seaside environment)
- One of the best alternatives for a hot water supply system in houses, villas, bungalows, resorts, spas etc.
- Proven German, Stiebel Eltron brand quality
We all know about solar heating in this country, but not many know about the advantages of extracting heat from the air to heat water. It has far more advantages than solar heating.
The New WWK 300 Domestic Heat Pump
The new WWK 300 warm water heat pump has just being launched in Germany, designed for the Australian market. It uses the ambient outside air temperature to heat your household water with electrical consumption comparable to that of a fridge (maximum power consumption 0.7 Kw) the unit is able to heat your water efficiently with ambient temperature as low as 0 C, but at lower temperatures it is equipped with a 1.55 kW backup heating element. The tank holds 303 litres of water and can deliver 516 litres of mixed water at 40ºC with a maximum temperature setting of 60ºC. The WWK 300 can be installed indoor or outside, plus it’s easy to install and has a low noise level.
What is a Heat Pump?
The principle is very similar to the operation of a refrigerator, but only in reverse. It utilizes the energy latent in the ambient air, and can extract up to 80% of this free energy from the air, to provide enough hot water for a detached house. With a 303 litres cylinder, it delivers in excess of 500 litres of domestic hot water of up to 40°C. The beauty about this technology is that the amount of electrical energy required to operate the heat transfer process is far less than the energy used by a conventional electric element. For example 25°C air temperatures, 70% humidity and 45°C rise of water temperature, the fan and compressor consume 1 kW of electricity to generate 4 kW of heat to the water cylinder. The energy use is approximately 25% of conventional electric hot water cylinders, saving you 75% off your electric bill, higher air temperatures mean more savings. With the predicted increase in energy costs and the cutting of greenhouse gas emissions, the WWK 300 makes real sense for you and the environment. In case a greater volume of hot water is required occasionally, the WWK 300 can also be equipped with a 1.5 kW electric booster heater. This reduces the heat-up time during times of demand.
How a Heat Pump Works
The heat pump system contains a fan that forces air through an Evaporator (1). The evaporator contains very cold liquid refrigerant. The heat in the air passes through this evaporator and is absorbed by the refrigerant. The now warm gaseous refrigerant is then circulated in the system via a Compressor (2). As it goes through the compressor its pressure rises and the temperature increases further. From here it travels to the Condenser (3). where the heat from what is now a super hot refrigerant is transferred to the water supply tank. The cooled down refrigerant then goes through an Expansion valve (4), which reduces its pressure cooling further, and the cycle starts again.
AT A GLANCE.........THE ADVANTAGES OF A WWK 300
Article Written by Managing Director; Dereck Mocké.
For the "Plumbing Africa" Magazine
April 2008
