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Geothermal heat pump in combination with a domestic hot water unit ensures pleasant temperatures in single-family home

Efficient heating, comfortable living 

After a respectable 30 years, the old oil-fired boiler in the Seewald family's home had done its job - it was about time for a general overhaul in the boiler room. After weighing up the possibilities and looking to the future, the family decided on the particularly sustainable solution of a geothermal heat pump. In combination with a domestic hot water interface unit and other modern system components from Taconova, the new heating system silently provides increased energy efficiency, lower running costs and well-distributed, comfortable heat throughout the house.

 

The Seewald Family found their new home about nine years ago in an idyllic, natural landscape at the gateway to the Zurich wine country. Since moving into the single-family home from the 1960s, the Seewalds had regularly repaired and modernised the charming old building - replacing windows, renovating the building shell to make it more energy efficient, and in the process modernising the appearance of the house.

It was clear that it was time to update the heating system. The old oil boiler from 1989 was to be replaced by a modern and energy-efficient heating system. In search of a suitable solution the owners turned to Th. Inauen AG, a company specialising in the installation of environmentally friendly heating systems. 

[Translate to English:] Einfamilienhaus aus den 60er Jahren in der Nähe von Winterthur, Schweiz

After intensive consultations with owner Thomas Inauen, it quickly became clear that a geothermal heat pump was the ideal choice for the Seewalds. "Compared to an air-to-water heat pump it is much quieter and less susceptible to faults. Besides that, in the long run, it is simply cheaper," explains Thomas Inauen. For the 260 square meters of space to be heated, a heat pump with an output of 12.8 kW and two 600 litre storage tanks were selected. Innovative components such as a compact domestic hot water interface unit and a modern circulation pump from Taconova also ensure increased efficiency of the entire system. In this particular case, the house owner Ralph Seewald even chose the pump himself - because as Managing Director of Taconova, he is very well aware of the advantages of the Swiss manufacturer's products: "I fully support our products and am very pleased that the heating system replacement finally gives us the opportunity to experience the benefits of our products directly as end users," says Ralph Seewald. 

 

Installation in record time

Once the decision had been made in favour of the geothermal heat pump, the installation of the system was completed in a very short time: within just five days, the entire installation of the heating system was completed - including a 285-metre deep borehole and installation of the electrical system. The rapid implementation is mainly due to the experience and specialisation of the Inauen company. "In 2019, we installed a total of 150 heat pumps and drilled 120 boreholes - of course we have a fair amount of experience," says Thomas Inauen. "It is also always helpful that the individual system components are easy to install. And that is exactly what the selected Taconova products are all about. They are very easy to install, are convincing in terms of quality and, above all, in the price-performance ratio."

 

Hot water as required

Thanks to the heat pump in combination with the TacoTherm Fresh Mega heat interface unit, the drinking water in the Seewalds' house is now heated using the flow-through principle. This means that the drinking water is only brought to higher temperatures when it is actually required.

This avoids, among other things, the hygienic problems that are associated with storing domestic hot water. It also avoids energy losses caused by storage and standby losses. The unit draws the heat from one buffer storage tank of the new heat pump heating system. 

 

In the case of the Seewalds, for reasons of efficiency, a separately operated buffer storage tank was installed from which the station obtains the required energy. "This has the advantage that the storage tank for the heating system does not have to run in the summer since there is no need for heating”, explains Ralph Seewald. "That way, we save additional energy”.

The TacoTherm Fresh Mega was installed vertically on the wall near the buffer storage tank. As soon as the family needs hot water, the compact unit heats the drinking water to the preset tap temperature using the flow-through principle. The integrated heat exchanger is always supplied with as little energy from the storage tank as is required to maintain a constant tap temperature - it couldn't be more efficient. The water in the circulation system is kept at around 48°C. Due to the small volume of the pipes, circulation is only carried out when required and is switched off during the day, when there is no demand, or at night. The heating storage tank is charged at between 28°C and 55°C depending on the outside temperature.

 

Smart circulation pump

To ensure that all radiators in the house are reliably and quickly supplied with heat, the circulating pump, as the central element of the heating system, does a great job. It transports the hot water from the boiler to the individual radiators and then returns the cooled water so that it can be reheated. This creates a circuit that generates heat in buildings. "What a lot of consumers do not know: Many of today's pumps are old, oversized and therefore consume a lot of electricity," explains Thomas Inauen.

“In addition to their old design, they often work around the clock, which makes them true electricity wasters.” Here is a real potential for savings. Modern high-efficiency pumps require only a fraction of the energy. They only run when they are needed, like the TacoFlow2 eLink high-efficiency pump used in the Seewalds' house. This pump is not only convincing due to its excellent energy efficiency, which leads to cost savings for the customer, but also due to its compactness and versatile application possibilities. 

Smart operation via app

In order for the heating pump to work at maximum efficiency in the long run it is important to be able to adjust its settings correctly to the existing heating system and to be able to check the operating parameters regularly. The highly efficient TacoFlow2 eLink circulating pump installed at the Seewald’s can be connected via Bluetooth to the visually appealing and easy-to-operate eLink app

 

This makes the installer's work very straightforward. Controlling, reading, logging, storing, e-mailing - these and many other activities can be carried out easily and wirelessly by the installer. In the app's user-friendly interface all pump settings can be made directly on the touch screen.

Nine proportional pressure and nine constant pressure curves can be set via the eLink connection, allowing fine adjustments of the heating system. Other modes available are the  steplessly variable constant speed and the TacoAdapt function. The latter ensures high energy efficiency by automatically adjusting the pump output to the requirements of the heating system.

Taconova Managing Director Ralph Seewald in his boiler room, surrounded by newly installed Taconova products, including the heat interface unit, the air and dirt separator as well as the TacoFlow2 eLink heating circulator, which can be controlled via smartphone.

 

Positive assessment of the first heating season 

After the new heating system was put into operation in time for the start of the past heating season, the Seewald family draws a positive conclusion from their first winter with the new technology: "Since September last year the system has been running trouble-free", confirms Ralph Seewald. “Everything is running perfectly, we are satisfied in every respect". 

 

Another pleasant side effect of the new heating system - you don't hear it. This is also ensured by details in the performance system, such as the TacoVent Twin air and dirt separator. It ensures permanent air, dirt and magnetite separation and automatic ventilation of the system. It thus avoids system noise, reduces heat emission on the heating surfaces and prevents damage to the built-in circulation pump due to dry running. That’s how the system runs with maximum efficiency while operating costs are kept as low as possible, enabling the Seewalds to enjoy long-term modern and efficient thermal comfort.