Stommel Haus embraces new technology for their excellent, energy efficient eco homes.
First Solar Ice installation in Scotland (see Press Release)
Heating with ice
Vitofriocal ice store – innovative energy source for brine/water heat pumps
The use of an ice store as an energy source is a particularly innovative solution. The ice store consists of a tank with built-in heat exchangers which is buried in the garden and filled with ordinary tap water. Special solar air absorbers are installed on the roof of the house, which draw heat from the ambient air and insolation and supply it to the cylinder. The ice store also draws heat directly from the ground.
Using crystallisation energy for heating
The heat pump extracts the energy required for central heating and DHW heating from the water stored in the tank as needed. If the temperature in the tank falls to freezing point, more energy is obtained from the freezing of the water – hence the term ice store. During the transition from water to ice, the amount of crystallisation energy released is equivalent to that required for the inverse process of thawing. With an ice store measuring ten cubic metres – the standard size for a detached house – this corresponds to the energy content of approximately 120 litres of fuel oil. The key difference being that the fuel oil is entirely consumed to generate heat, while the water content of the ice store represents an almost limitless heat source that is continuously regenerated with energy from the sun and air.
The first house ever installed with this technology in Scotland
is a Stommel Haus home in Aberdeenshire
The Stommel Haus clients in Aberdeenshire enjoy the following benefits:
Please also read the Viessmann Press Release