Heat Sources
Heat source outdoor unit
The design of our maXimus hybrid heat pump is a brine heat pump with various adjustments.
One possible heat source is an outdoor unit with fans like in a classic air-water heat pump. In this case, the so-called brine – a water-glycol mixture – circulates between the indoor and outdoor units. The maXimus outdoor unit is elegant, super light and therefore does not require a foundation, but is simply attached to the outside facade of the building with a flexible wall bracket using two screws.
Because the compressor is located in the indoor unit, not in the outdoor unit as in a monoblock heat pump, our outdoor unit is also super quiet, just 41 decibels in normal operation.
The fans of this outdoor unit do not work with AC motors – as with most air-water heat pumps – but with super efficient EC motors, which together require just 165 watts in normal operation.
In commercial areas such as production halls or workshops, additional fan units of this type can also be used indoors for heat distribution or cooling.
Heat source heating fence
With our patented heating fence, the brine circulates between the indoor unit and the heating fence. In contrast to the outdoor unit, our heating fence with its huge collector surface of 7.75 square meters per fence field works as a completely silent large heat exchanger, so to speak, which constantly absorbs the ambient temperature and feeds it to the heat pump.
The simplest explanation for this is a comparison between radiators and underfloor heating. Since radiators only have a small collector surface, they require a higher flow temperature than underfloor heating. With the outdoor unit, the fan compresses the ambient temperature and presses it onto the small collector surface in the outdoor unit. Due to its huge collector surface, the heating fence only needs a low ambient temperature to convert it into usable temperature with the heat pump, similar to underfloor heating with its low flow temperature. This is why no outdoor unit is required for the heating fence.
In applications where no outdoor unit is possible, e.g. B. because of the short distance to the neighboring building, such as in a terraced house complex, the heating fence is the perfect heat source or an outdoor unit is simply not desired for aesthetic reasons.
If you already have a normal fence, you can also use our heating fence block, in which several fence sections are simply lined up one behind the other in a block. For example, with a heat pump output of 15 kW, this only requires an installation area of 9 square meters. The fence block is always delivered complete with the required T-point foundations, i.e. on site only the two required strips have to be dug out of the ground and the fence block is embedded directly with the foundations.
The fence block is our bestseller among the heat sources and – taking into account the so-called eligible costs – it is fully subsidized by the state, i.e. with the same percentage as the heat pump itself.
Heat source solar hybrid collectors
Just like with our heating fence, the brine in our patented sunsation solar hybrid collectors circulates between the indoor unit and the solar hybrid collectors, i.e. also a completely silent large heat exchanger that constantly absorbs the ambient temperature and feeds it to the heat pump, but also produces electricity at the same time through the photovoltaic cells on the front.
Thanks to the patented Alpha WLT (heat conducting plate), the collector surface is usually up to 25% larger than with other solar hybrid collectors. Solar hybrid collectors as a heat source for heat pumps are generally not insulated so that they can absorb the ambient temperature even without sunshine.
Even with our solar hybrid collectors as a heat source, an outdoor unit is not required but it makes sense, because in summer excess heat in the collectors can be cooled down with only a small amount of electricity, thus producing more electricity. As is well known, photovoltaic collectors produce more electricity the cooler they are.
It should be noted, however, that for efficient operation in winter, at least two solar hybrid collectors are required per kW of heat pump output, so at least 30 collectors for a 15 kW heat pump. You can find out more about our solar hybrid collectors at sunsation.com.
For anyone who already has a classic photovoltaic system on their roof, the heating fence is of course the better option. Our solar hybrid collectors are also subsidized by the state, taking into account the so-called eligible costs, but – in contrast to our heating fence – only proportionately to around 50% of the purchase price, because the photovoltaic component has nothing to do with the heat pump technically and is therefore not eligible for subsidies.
Heat sources: Groundwater and Geothermal Energy
Other heat sources that can be used include the classic but usually very expensive well drilling for operation as a groundwater heat pump or ground collectors or earth baskets for operation as a geothermal heat pump.
However, when drilling a well, a permit from the responsible water protection authority is required, which is not granted in all cases and the costs for the drilling can be up to 50,000 euros, depending on the nature of the soil.