The Altherma 3 has the advantage of providing both heating and hot water needs in a single internal unit about the size of your average fridge and included in the unit is a 230 litre hot water storage cylinder which eliminates the need for a hot press.  Heating distribution was provided by a mixture of underfloor piping and low temperature radiators with full zone controls and the systems were designed and set to provide a constant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius to each of the homes, 24 hours a day across the heating season.  The Altherma 3 has an outside heat unit designed to compress and heat the outside air and deliver it to the inside unit.  This outside unit can be either wall mounted or placed at ground level and is about 1M X 1M X 350MM in size.

The underlying principle of heat pump technology is that a compressed gas is used to raise the temperature by a few degrees and this heat is distributed at low temperatures (usually around 30 to 35^O Celsius) using ideally, an underfloor pipe network or where this is not possible, low temperature radiators.  The reason for this is that the radiators require a few degrees more of heat than the underfloor heating and are therefore slightly less efficient.  In 7 of the 9 homes we fitted underfloor heating at ground floor level and low temperature radiators at first floor level and in the other two homes we fitted low temperature radiators everywhere.  In the two homes where we could not install underfloor heating we increased the levels of insulation in the walls and attic to help with reducing the demand for heat and to compensate for the fact that we could not fit insulation at ground floor level.

Central to the efficient distribution and management of the heating systems was upper and lower temperature control in every area.  To achieve this we installed sophisticated zone controls that were capable of switching on and off the heat pump on a room by room basis as the need demanded.  The system worked using wall mounted thermostats which monitored the temperature in each room or area of the home.  These thermostats were both time and temperature controlled and were set to deliver heat at a constant 20^O Celsius at the times set by the clients.  They also had a fallback temperature when the timers were not activated that switched the heating on once the room temperature fell below 18^O Celsius thereby guaranteeing a constant heat that never fell below 18^O Celsius.  Although the systems were designed to operate at this constant 20^O Celsius, if the homeowner wished to increase or decrease this temperature it was a simple act of adjusting the thermostat to alter the temperature not just of the whole house but on a room by room basis.

If you are considering an energy up-grade of your home or business premises, why not call FloElen Construction on 087 7542450 and we will be delighted to call out to discuss your plans.  Our expert team provides a full service beginning with a free energy consultation, a full planning service and a team of very experienced construction professionals dedicated to completing your project to the highest standards.  We are an SEAI/NSAI registered contractor for all grant schemes and we guarantee a very a competitive quotation for your works.