Heating News & Trends

During July’s mini-budget, the Chancellor pledged £2bn for a “Green Homes Grant” scheme designed to improve the energy efficiency of up to 600,000 homes. At face value, this was positive and welcome news, however, the detail of how the scheme would operate, eligible measures, and other critical details were missing. In a subsequent series of press releases on August 4th some, but not all, of this uncertainty has been removed. The funding will be split to serve two discr...

“While we welcome the details of Rishi Sunak’s new Green Homes Grant scheme, which could raise the profile of low carbon heating, there is disappointment that more measures are not included,” says the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, HHIC, following the release of the scheme specifics. Improving Green Homes Stewart Clements, Director, HHIC continued, “Announced in the recent mini-budget on July 8th, the Green Homes Grant scheme aims to deal with green home improve...

PureAir Package™, an air disinfection system for air curtains that purifies the air of viruses, VOCs, and other airborne particulates. Available to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic in retail, hospitals, schools, elder care, and other commercial spaces. Berner PureAir Package The Berner PureAir Package complements the built environment’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and disinfection efforts by: Deactivating viruses and killing bacteria Neutralizing a space’s airborne Volatil...

Almost 5 years ago, Danfoss introduced NovoCon S, the first –of-its-kind digital actuator, specially designed for AB-QM pressure independent control valves (PICVs). At the time, this was a revolutionary actuator for controlling flow through terminal units in hydronic HVAC applications. NovoCon S digital actuator With its bus-communication for BACnet MS/TP or Modbus RTU protocols, NovoCon S is a front runner in establishing new and innovative IoT solutions for smart buildings. The concep...

Johnson Controls, a global provider of smart and sustainable buildings, is launching OpenBlue - a complete suite of connected solutions and services that combine the Company’s 135 years of building expertise with cutting-edge technology. This open digital platform, when integrated with Johnson Controls core building systems and enhanced by Fortune 100 technology partners, will make shared spaces safer, more agile and more sustainable. Johnson Controls OpenBlue is the culmination of years...

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has a rich history of innovation as the nation's premiere spaceport supporting both government and commercial launch vehicles and spacecraft. Spanning 219 square miles on Merritt Island, just northwest of Florida’s Cape Canaveral, KSC employs thousands of NASA experts and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. NASA recently created a master plan for transforming KSC from a single-user federal entity to a 21st century spaceport supporting a mu...

Whether the user is upgrading for high efficiency or replacing a broken furnace most homeowners have never purchased a furnace and some turn to Google for the answers. Air-Rite wants to make the process as easy as possible for the users. Researching how to buy a new furnace can take hours or even longer. There are about 65,000,000 results on Google while searching for new furnaces. There are different brands to consider, as well as equipment sizes, equipment efficiencies, duct modifications, fi...

Jeff House, Head of External Affairs at Baxi Heating, was recently invited to take part in a podcast for SGN, in which several industry experts explored the options available for decarbonizing heat. 'Heat without carbon' provides a comprehensive and balanced briefing on the role of green gas in our shared future for energy. Jeff joined Angus McIntosh of SGN, Mark Neller, Director at ARUP, and Tim Harwood from NGN for this interesting discussion. Addressing climate emergency...

Daikin Applied introduced the Daikin SmartSource® Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS), its next generation of heat pump heating technology that enables efficient and cost-effective heating and cooling in all conditions using 100 percent of fresh, outside air. The new unit features exclusive SmartBoost Heat Technology™, which allows for air as cold as 0 degrees Fahrenheit to enter without any pre-heating, all while achieving 49 percent higher than ASHRAE 90.1-2016 minimum efficiency. H...

A new high-performance variable frequency drive (VFD) designed for OEMs to optimize the performance and the lower the energy costs of BLDC compressors used in heat pumps and condensing units has been launched by Invertek Drives. The new Optidrive Coolvert is one of the smallest in its class, providing machine builders with opportunities to reduce panel space and lower machine costs. Designed to operate specifically with CO2 refrigerant condensing systems, it can provide end-users with energy sa...

Security dealers now have the opportunity to offer their customers substantial energy savings while earning recurring monthly revenue (RMR) with a new integration developed between the Connect ONE cloud-hosted interface and ecobee WiFi SmartThermostats. Connect ONE Connect ONE, an award-winning service and management platform from Connected Technologies, now provides seamless support and control of popular ecobee, allowing dealers to expand into managed services for energy management and envir...

Viessmann has introduced the new Vitocal 100-A air source heat pump, the most compact and affordable model in its range. Designed for ease of installation in the standard British heating system - and therefore ideal for the replacement of gas and oil boilers - the monobloc unit’s tight dimensions are perfect for homes where space is at a premium. Its A+++ rated energy efficiency will benefit end-users with low running costs. Viessmann UK’s Managing Director, Graham Russell, said: &l...

Growing awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency and increasing performance standards for heating systems are important drivers in the boiler market. Focused on these trends, Weil-McLain, a provider in hydronic heating systems, recently launched EcoRebates rebate tools on its website. The tools automatically highlight rebate and incentive savings available to homeowners and commercial entities based on their location when they research and view qualified energy-efficient boiler equipment....

Danfoss is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its popular TU stainless steel thermostatic expansion valve, trusted for the most demanding refrigeration applications by OEMs and installers worldwide. TU thermostatic expansion valve With more than 15 million valves sold since its launch in 1995, TU's combination of high precision and unique stainless-steel construction has made it a staple of cold-chain systems in particular. Equipment manufacturers have come to value the TU's robustness, reli...

Ruud is dedicated to providing the best protection and control experience for its users. At times, partners make business changes and system updates, which can affect the users. Though these changes are out of the company’s control, they continue to work on solutions to assist their customers. Google made an announcement regarding Nest. They stated that they were discontinuing support of the Works with Nest program and encouraged users to migrate their Nest accounts to Google accounts. Un...

Water heaters are one of the most frequently used appliances in the home. As such, they often fall victim to signs of overuse, commonly caused by a lack of routine maintenance. There are many ways to prolong the life of the water heater, in addition to keeping the home safe. Maintaining the water pressure within the tank water heater is extremely important. Water pressure that is too high is one of the most common causes for a leaky or burst hot water tank. To prevent this expensive and potenti...

While the world’s on pause, users may be itching to finally complete some tasks around the home. Adding value to the house is never a completed job, the user must constantly update, clean, and renovate for when the time comes to sell the property. So what are ways users can add value to the home during COVID?  The value of the home projects and upgrades varies on the market and the current home value. But let’s start with 5 simple projects to increase the value of the home with...

Danfoss Editron has joined the National Zero-Emission Truck (ZET) Coalition. The initiative is attempting to create a five-year point-of-sale incentive program totaling over US$ 2 billion at the federal level that would introduce tens of thousands of zero-emissions trucks into American fleets. Organized by CALSTART, the ZET Coalition is aiming to inject life into the U.S. economy by increasing manufacturing capabilities in the electric bus and truck industries. Trucks and buses represent 4% of...

Johnson Controls, a globally renowned provider of smart building technology and solutions announced that it closed an agreement to purchase EuroPAC Alarmcentrale and EuroPAC Telefooncentrale businesses. Based in The Netherlands, EuroPAC has operations in Benelux. The acquisition will strengthen the company’s position in the residential/commercial monitoring industry in the Benelux region by broadening offerings to include video, tracking services and third party call center service, whils...

Panasonic provides solutions to meet any household needs with its range of RAC systems. Combining comfort with efficiency, the ranges include single and multi-split systems with a wide range of indoor units - many of which have recently been improved to allow for simplified installation and maintenance. Wall Type Systems Panasonic’s range of Wall Type units can be neatly placed in any space. The latest generation of air conditioning includes the renowned Etherea, with its VKE series...

Combi boilers need constant water pressure. To help stay calm under (low) pressure, below are some of the most common reasons & fixes: Leak in the pressure relief valve Debris may have got lodged inside. Valve has to be replaced or cleaned. The expansion vessel is faulty If there’s an issue in the expansion vessel, it won’t be able to handle the expanding hot water. Users will need an expert to do a pressure check. Air in the combi boiler system Find the rad...

District cooling stations, high-rise building cold supply, or data center cooling - gasketed plate heat exchangers for these applications require peak performance in terms of heat transfer whilst withstanding high system pressure. The new Kelvion plate size NP250L is tailored to meet these requirements, thanks to an extremely narrow plate gap and a smaller pitch. Features The attributes ensure highly turbulent flow and in turn, a good heat transfer at very small temperature differences with a...

Armstrong Fluid Technology is offering a carefully researched and detailed whitepaper that analyzes the features and benefits of Hydronic systems compared to Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems. Entitled, The Advantages of Hydronic Systems Versus Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) – A Critical Analysis, the 18-page whitepaper presents a detailed review of technical data plus post-installation analysis of system types. The insightful analysis also examines the cost-savings claims made by...

Thermo King®, a provider in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, announced that its new hybrid refrigeration systems for trucks and high-loaders are being delivered to customers across Europe. The new T-Series Hybrid and UT Hybrid refrigeration systems seamlessly switch between diesel and electric mode allowing transporters to operate in inner cities, residential areas and low emission zones with the unit’s diesel engine turned off. Greggs, U...

DENSO Corporation expressed its deepest sympathy to all those affected by the rainstorm disaster in Japan, in July 2020. DENSO Group companies are donating 3,000,000 yen (approximately US$28,000) and 500,000 yen (approximately US$4,600) from the DENSO Group HEARTFUL Fund to the Central Community Chest of Japan, to support the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Residential HVAC systems contain unique characteristics when compared to commercial systems. Smaller registers and lower airflow are two key differences when put up against larger setups. For these reasons, testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) in residential buildings require appropriately sized and spec’d out airflow measuring devices. airflow capture hoods Most airflow capture hoods are designed for large commercial registers, and in some cases, they are jury-rigged to accommodate...

Big goals and high expectations of the economy characterize the Green Deal of the European Union. "The key to the success of the Green Deal lies not least in the consistent development of the high CO2 reduction potential in the heating market," said Uwe Glock, President of the BDH. “At ISH 2021, the German heating industry will be showing technological innovations and solutions for the successful implementation of the Green Deal. The fair gets right to the point in the hot phase of the Gre...

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to keep in place the current nationwide air quality standards that limit emissions from power plants, vehicles and other industrial sources of smog. “Based on a review of the scientific literature and recommendation from our independent science advisers, we are proposing to retain existing ozone standards, which will ensure the continued protection of both public health and the environment,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said July...

Danfoss has just released its EKE 2U backup power module for applications such as chillers, heat pumps, cold rooms, CRAC, and food retail—making it easier than ever to protect the compressor in the event of a power outage. A reliable, easy-to-use alternative to battery packs and solenoid shutoff valves, the Danfoss EKE 2U backup power module reacts quickly to prevent liquid from entering the compressor should the mains power fail. Galvanic isolation protection The module’s ultraca...

A. O. Smith Corporation, the manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment and air purification products, announces the upcoming retirement of Peter Martineau as chief information officer/senior vice president and the hiring of S. Melissa Scheppele as Martineau’s successor. Martineau, who is retiring in late August, and Scheppele, who is joining A. O. Smith on July 13, will work together in the coming weeks to...